About Our Organization

Founded in 1968, the Studio Museum in Harlem is the nexus for artists of African descent locally, nationally, and internationally and for work that has been inspired and influenced by Black culture. It is a site for the dynamic exchange of ideas about art and society.

Internship Program Description 

The Museum’s Internship Program offers college undergraduates, graduate students, and recent graduates' valuable insights into the operations of a professional museum environment. Interns collaborate on meaningful and engaging projects with museum staff and participate in a series of meetings and workshops focused on contemporary museology. 

*Please note: Only individuals who are authorized to work in the United States are eligible for this program.*

Job Summary

The Collections Intern will be involved in a range of collection and exhibition management projects with special attention to collection stewardship. The internship will engage interested candidates in museum registration tasks focused on collection administration. Potential projects may also include supporting the Registrar, the Collections Database Manager, and Archivist with research, administrative projects, and collection file reviews.  

The Collections Internship position is designed for undergraduate and graduate students who are majoring/minoring in museum studies, or a related field. Applicants should have an interest in fine art registration and cataloging, have excellent attention to detail, ability to work with databases, research skills and knowledge of the museum’s historical collecting focus. Applicants must be able to handle multiple projects at once, work in a chilled windowless storage environment and work independently as needed with the ability to communicate progress on assigned projects, and any needs to accomplish the projects. 

Application Information 

Each internship cycle could include opportunities in the following departments: Communications, Collections, Curatorial, Director’s Office, Development, Education and Visitor Experience. 

Applicants are encouraged to indicate both a first and second choice among the listed departments. 

Due to the high volume of applications, only candidates selected for interviews will be contacted directly. We appreciate your understanding. 

Application Materials: 
To be considered, applicants must submit the following

• Resume 

• A cover letter 

• A writing sample (no more than 5 pages) 

Dates and Details 

• Program Duration: January 12 – April 17, 2026 (14 weeks) 

• Weekly Commitment: 20 hours per week, Monday through Friday. Interns are required to be on-site at least three days per week, including mandatory full day attendance on Tuesdays. 

• Stipend: $5,292 

• Application Deadline: 11:59 PM EST on November 4, 2025 

• Interview Notifications Sent By: Dec 1, 2025, if you have not received communication by this date, we regret that you have not been selected as a finalist for the Spring 2026 cohort. 

• In November, we will be in the midst of programming for the Studio Museum’s opening. We appreciate your patience and understanding during this very busy time. 

Mandatory Orientation:  

All accepted interns must attend an in- person orientation on the morning of Monday, January 12, 2026, to begin the program.