The San Francisco Museum of Modern Art’s Artist Initiative, an interdisciplinary collections research project, is offering an unpaid internship this fall semester. We are asking for a commitment of 7 – 14 hours per week; the internship days and hours are flexible. The AI intern will work closely with the AI Director, AI Manager, and research team members from a range of museum departments including Curatorial, Conservation, and Education.

Background:      

Founded in 1935, SFMOMA was the first museum on the West Coast devoted to modern and contemporary art. From the outset, the museum has championed the most innovative and challenging art of its time, and we continue to exhibit and collect work by both modern masters and younger, less-established artists. By embracing the challenge of the new and unexpected, we hope to encourage fresh ways of seeing, thinking, and engaging with the world. SFMOMA’s internship program offers insight into the operations of one of the country’s leading art museums and allows interns to gain valuable hands-on experience.

The Artist Initiative:

Funded by the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, the Artist Initiative is a five-year, artist-focused collections research project aligned with the four collecting curatorial departments within the museum (Architecture + Design, Media Arts, Painting and Sculpture, and Photography). During this period of rapid expansion at SFMOMA, the Artist Initiative is facilitating crucial collaborations between artists and museum staff to address challenges associated with the acquisition, presentation and preservation of contemporary artworks.  We are dedicated to providing in-depth access to SFMOMA’s collections both at the downtown museum campus and at the Collections Center, the research facility where much of SFMOMA’s collection is housed when not on public view.  For more information on the Artist Initiative, please see https://www.sfmoma.org/theme/artist-initiative/.

Duration of Internship:

Monday, October 3 – Friday, December 16, 2016

Educational Objective:               

This internship will provide an increased knowledge of contemporary art and familiarity with innovative museum practices for the acquisition, documentation, display, conservation, and interpretation of artworks in a variety of media. Upon completing the internship, the Artist Initiative intern will be able to assist curators, educators, and conservators with collection information management, as well as bibliographic and material research.

This internship can be done for college course credit. Please adhere to your school’s credit guidelines.

Under the supervision of the Director and Manager of the Artist Initiative, the intern will be responsible for:

• Conducting library, internet, and museum archive research

• Uploading research materials to the Artist Initiative wiki
• Participating in study sessions which may include artists, visiting scholars, visiting university classes, and museum staff from a range of departments

Requirements:  

• Excellent verbal and written communication skills
• Ability to work independently, thoroughly, and with attention to detail
• Familiarity with contemporary art
• Interest in material studies and working with living artists
• Experience with independent library research
• Current enrollment in an undergraduate or graduate program with relevant coursework in the history of modern and contemporary art