If you are an art major student, you can choose from a plethora of internship opportunities. Various cultural organizations take in undergraduate and graduate students to participate in their summer internship programs, and there is a lot to choose from.
Why participating in an internship is important? Apart from getting valuable work experience, interns get a chance to learn about the job they are interested in and decide if they want to grow and become a specialist in this exact field. Besides, working under supervision is a chance to get feedback from a person who’s been in the industry for years and can share knowledge and experience.
To find the internship opportunities, you can check the offers from your university and also the internship opportunities on the websites of museums, art galleries, film production companies, record labels, dance studios, and other companies in the creative field. Every year in fall and winter, they announce the next year’s program and eligibility requirements. Some of them can offer a full-time job opportunity in the future; many will help you get college credits. In any case, getting experience and having something to add to your portfolio is a great way to start your art career.
Art Summer Internships for Students
The Metropolitan Museum of Art
Duration: June 6–August 12, 2022 (five days, thirty-five hours per week)
Paid internship: $17 per hour, plus $1,500 for housing and travel to New York
Eligibility: Undergraduate and graduate students, as well as recent graduates
If visual arts are more to your liking, the Met is a place to check. There are many internship opportunities for undergraduate and graduate students who want to pursue a career in a museum. Each intern will be placed under the supervision of a museum staff member and have a chance to enrich their knowledge and skillset, get valuable feedback, and decide on the future direction of their studies and future profession. Students from different majors can apply to the museum’s internship program; there is no requirement for applicants to be art major students in the first place. Your enthusiasm and interest in art are what’s encouraged. You can be a humanities or communications major student and apply for the Marketing or External Affairs Departments to gain the experience relevant to your field of studies. For art student majors, however, the choice of options is understandably more versatile.
Atlantic Records Internship Program
Duration: Programs in spring, summer, and fall
Paid internship: Unpaid
Eligibility: Current sophomore or junior; previous internship or work experience
If you are an art major student interested in music, you can apply for the internship at Atlantic Records. It is a historic record label that gives an opportunity to understand how a major record label company works and how you can become a part of a huge, multi-faceted, vibrant, and dynamic music-creating industry. Students can choose the departments they are interested in or participate in different roles: A&R, Artist Development & Touring, Licensing, Marketing, Publicity, Digital Media, Promotion, Sales, Studio Services, and Video.
Arts Intern Philadelphia
Duration: 9 weeks (28 hours a week)
Paid internship: $15 per hour
Eligibility: Current undergraduate and graduate students, recent graduates from any college or university
A great variety of internships can be found at Studio Institute. Since 1999, their Arts Intern program has provided internship opportunities for skilled college students from diverse backgrounds interested in museum careers. The internship is paid (if you comply with all internship requirements), and you can choose to be placed in either of the following locations: Baltimore, Boston, Chicago, Cleveland, Memphis, New York City, Philadelphia, and Providence. It is a challenging and rewarding internship that allows college students to interact and work with various art experts and gain knowledge and experience in the field. Interns will become members of a team, accomplish various time-bound assignments, and get the feel of working in a museum or art gallery.
The Penn Museum Summer Internship Program
Duration: June 6–August 5, 2022 (nine weeks, 150-300 hours)
Paid internship: $15 per hour
Eligibility: Current undergraduate and graduate students, recent graduates from any college or university
Another art internship opportunity for all college students, regardless of their major, is offered by the Penn Museum. In the course of nine weeks, interns will participate in a project-based placement in a Museum department and the Museum Practice Program. They will pass orientation, attend weekly lectures, and go on collections tours and a field trip to a local museum. Interns can participate in different projects depending on their skills and interests—from working in archives and doing research to helping with marketing tasks or exhibition schedule planning. They can even apply to be interns in the NAGPRA (Repatriation Office), where they will be assisting with the repatriation of Native American human remains and cultural items. Though the museum encourages applications from students who are “members of groups underrepresented in careers related to museums” and underrepresented minorities, all college students are eligible to apply.
Final Thoughts
Many colleges require their students to land at least one internship during their studies, and there is a good reason for that. Entering your selected field as an intern is a great way to understand all the pros and cons of the future job and an excellent opportunity to acquire and strengthen your skillset. Working under supervision during the summer months is both a challenging and rewarding experience; participating in an art internship program is also an exciting and inspirational experience. We hope that the internship program you’ve chosen this summer will help you develop your professional self, expand your network, and maybe even find your first full-time job.
