Internship Program (pdf)

Maryland   |   Washington, DC   |   New York

The Internship Program provides educational opportunities for students interested in the museum profession and related fields. Interns complete projects using the resources of the National Museum of the American Indian (NMAI) and other Smithsonian offices. Internships are an opportunity for students to learn about the museum’s collections, exhibitions, programs, and methodologies and to meet professionals in the museum field.

Structure
There are four internship sessions held throughout the year. Each session lasts approximately ten weeks and interns will receive hands-on experience through a variety of assignments. Most assignments provide interns with museum practice and program development experience; some may be more research-oriented. Interns are expected to work from twenty to forty hours per week. Some interns choose to find a part-time job to help pay for expenses during their internships. Internship application deadlines* and ten-week internship session dates:

Eligibility
Students who are currently enrolled in an academic program, as well as individuals who have completed studies in the past six months, are encouraged to apply. A cumulative GPA of 3.0 or its equivalent is generally expected (with withdrawals and incompletes explained). Students should have the ability to work a minimum of twenty hours per week.

Financial Support
Travel, housing, and stipends may be provided to students on a limited basis. Students receiving stipends must work full time (forty hours per week).

Academic Credit
The Smithsonian Institution welcomes the opportunity to work cooperatively with schools seeking to grant academic credit for internships. Applicants are encouraged to initiate arrangements for credit with their college or university. The Smithsonian does not grant academic credit.

Contact
For more information about this program, please contact Internship Program staff.

Internship Program
National Museum of the American Indian
Smithsonian Institution
Cultural Resources Center
Community and Constituent Services Department
4220 Silver Hill Road
Suitland, MD 20746-2863
Phone: 301-238-1540
Fax: 301-238-3200
Email: NMAIinterns@si.edu

NMAI Cultural Resources Center
4220 Silver Hill Road
Suitland, MD 20746-2863

Located just outside of Washington, D.C., the Cultural Resources Center houses NMAI’s collection of more than 800,000 objects, representing indigenous cultures throughout the Americas. Internship opportunities are available in the Community and Constituent Services, Conservation, Collections, Photo and Paper Archives, Photo Services, Registration, and Technology departments. The following are examples of internships offered at the Cultural Resources Center:

Collections Information
Program supports efforts to enhance and increase the accessibility of information about the museum’s collections. As NMAI is responsible for caring for the physical collections, it is also responsible for preserving the rich context and stories that those collections tell. An intern in the Collections Information area helps to develop data standards for the collections database, participates in data entry enhancement projects, and assists with collections information inquiries. The intern learns standards in preserving collections documentation generated for museum projects and preparing basic collections information for public access. Students interested in information management and databases in the museum field are encouraged to apply.

Collections Management
Interns participate in the day-to-day management of the museum’s collection. Through work with new accessions, interns learn the techniques and materials used to move, handle, track, support, and shelve ethnographic and archaeological objects. Interns also assist Photo Services staff in photographing new accessions. The internship includes an introduction to the Integrated Pest Management Program, use of the collections database, environmental monitoring, and assisting researchers and NMAI curators in the use of the collections. Students interested in Native American studies, Native American art, museum studies, anthropology, and related fields are encouraged to apply.

Conservation
Internships in the Conservation department provide an exciting opportunity to work directly with the care and preservation of Native American objects. Conservation at NMAI involves collaborating with Native peoples to develop appropriate methods of handling, preserving, and interpreting cultural materials. Interns examine the condition of selected objects, cleaning and repairing them when necessary for exhibition. Students interested in studio art, anthropology, art history, museum studies, chemistry, and biology are encouraged to apply.

Special Twelve-Month Conservation Pre-Program Internship
Pre-program interns perform supervised condition examinations, write reports and treatment proposals, perform photo documentation, and treat objects requested for loans or exhibitions. An understanding of Native American ethnographic and archaeological materials and approaches to conservation is developed during the year. Candidates preparing to apply to a graduate-level training program in art conservation benefit from having worked in a museum conservation department. Interns may include work completed at NMAI in their portfolios. The deadline for the 12-month pre-program internship is February 15th. Please see Conservation Training for more information on Conservation Twelve-Month Pre-Program Internships, as well as other Conservation-related internship, fellowship, and training opportunities.

Paper Archives
Interns assist the archivist in making manuscript collections accessible to researchers and NMAI staff. The work includes appraising, arranging, describing, preserving, and cataloguing records of the Museum of the American Indian, Heye Foundation, or a Native American rights organization. The intern has the opportunity to answer reference inquiries, assist researchers in the archives reading room, and participate in the day-to-day management of an archival repository. These tasks allow interns to gain practical experience in arrangement and description, basic preservation, cataloguing, and reference services. Students interested in archives and library and information science are encouraged to apply.

Photo Archives
This internship involves working with the NMAI Photo Archives, which consists of approximately 150,000 museum images depicting many aspects of Native life in the Western Hemisphere from the 1840s through the present day. The internship can consist of any aspect of storage, cataloguing, documentation, and everyday care of material in an historic photo archive, depending on the interests and background of the intern. Students who are interested in Native American imagery, archives, and information science are encouraged to apply.

Photography
Interns assist in developing virtual reality images of three-dimensional objects. Working with a high-resolution digital camera, interns gain hands-on experience lighting objects, archiving and storing digital files, and handling museum objects. Photography students who have some knowledge of Macintosh/Windows and Adobe Photoshop software are encouraged to apply.

Registration
Interns experience the daily activities of the Registration department. This department maintains location and cataloging information for the more than 800,000 objects in NMAI’s facilities, processes acquisitions, accessions collections, and deaccessions objects for repatriation to Native communities. The staff is also responsible for organizing loans of NMAI collections, both domestic and international, and for in-house, incoming, and traveling exhibitions. Students interested in managing databases, Native American history and objects, and research are encouraged to apply.

Technology
This internship provides students with an opportunity to gain valuable experience working alongside our information technology staff in support of the museum’s Internet and intranet websites, applications, and technological infrastructure. Whether running the technology-based audiovisual and theater operations in NMAI’s exhibitions, supporting database application systems, or developing web pages and multimedia projects, interns enhance their skills in network operations, communications services, desktop support, information resource management planning, system development lifecycle management, web content management, or web design. Students studying information technology, electronic communications, telecommunication, or web development are encouraged to apply.

National Museum of the American Indian
Fourth Street and Independence Ave., SW
P.O. Box 37012
Washington, DC 20013-7012

Opened on the National Mall on September 21, 2004, the National Museum of the American Indian is a major exhibition space for Native art and material culture as well as a center for educational activities, ceremonies, and performances. Internship opportunities are available in the Collections, Cultural Arts, Exhibitions and Public Spaces, External Affairs and Development (which includes development, public affairs, membership, special events, and product licensing), Graphic Design, Information Technology, Public Affairs, and Visitor Services departments. The following are examples of internships offered at the National Museum of the American Indian in Washington, D.C.:

Cultural Arts
Interns in the Cultural Arts unit assist with a variety of public program activities—performing arts, literary programs, and craft demonstrations—through research, direct involvement with invited program presenters, and archiving of materials from programs and prospective performers and presenters. Interns assist Cultural Arts staff in all aspects of program planning and production, and participate in all program activities that take place during their internship. Such programs include the museum’s new outdoor summer concert series, annual Holiday Week programs and Holiday Art Market, the Native Writers Series, and programs presented in collaboration with the annual Smithsonian Folklife Festival on the National Mall.

Film and Video
The Film and Video Center office located in Washington, D.C., seeks interns to assist in its work of offering screenings and other public presentations, information services, and research about indigenous media makers of the Western Hemisphere and Hawai‘i. Applicants who have an ongoing research interest or experience in media production in film, radio, or the Internet are encouraged to apply.

Exhibition Graphics Production
The Exhibition Graphics Production Shop works in conjunction with the Fabrication Shops in the Exhibitions and Public Spaces department. The Graphics Shop is responsible for the production of exhibition panels and graphics components for exhibitions in the permanent and temporary galleries; all signage and way-finding for public spaces inside and outside the museum; and the maintenance of all galleries. Often collaborating with various offices and departments museum-wide, the Graphics Shop ensures that the graphics needs of the museum are met. Students with an interest in studio arts or graphic design would be ideal candidates for this internship.

Public Affairs
Interns in the Office of Public Affairs assist in the day-to-day media operations of the NMAI, including the News Bureau, Speakers Bureau, and media event planning. Tasks include working with public affairs staff to update media databases, pitch media stories, distribute press releases, monitor news coverage, and assemble clipping reports. Interns also write followup correspondence for both media and general public requests and assist with photo needs, including shooting, selecting, captioning, and distributing images. This internship is ideal for students majoring in journalism, public affairs, public/media relations, marketing, or advertising.

Visitor Services
Interns in the Visitor Services office facilitate visitation and maintain a welcoming environment in and around the museum. Working closely with museum staff and volunteers, interns provide visitor orientation prior to entry and assist staff in responding to visitor needs and inquiries throughout the building. When needed, interns provide way-finding assistance to visitors and impart information that reflects Native perspectives and sensitivities. Students interested in museum or visitor studies are encouraged to apply.

National Museum of the American Indian
George Gustav Heye Center
One Bowling Green
New York, NY 10004

The George Gustav Heye Center opened in 1994 in the newly renovated Alexander Hamilton U.S. Custom House in lower Manhattan. The Heye Center features temporary exhibitions and a range of public programs. Internship opportunities are available in Cultural Arts, Education, the Film and Video Center, the Resource Center, and External Affairs (which includes development, public affairs, membership, special events, and product licensing) departments. The following are examples of internships offered at the George Gustav Heye Center:

Education
Interns who work in the Education department have an opportunity to assist with program development for children and adults. The Education department in New York City also incorporates Cultural Arts into its programming and hosts programs for visitors each day, including Thursday evenings, when the museum is open until 8 p.m., and on weekends. Interns conduct research and assist with program production.

Film and Video
The Film and Video Center office located at the museum’s George Gustav Heye Center seeks interns to assist in its work of offering screenings and other public presentations, information services, and research about films, video, radio, television, and new media produced by and about indigenous peoples of the Western Hemisphere and Hawai‘i. Applicants who have an ongoing research interest or experience in media production in film, radio, or the Internet are encouraged to apply.

Resource Center
Interns working in the Resource Center assist with programs in the Haudenosaunee Discovery Room. Designed for children ages five through twelve, the room focuses on the life and culture of the Iroquois, also called the Haudenosaunee. Interns are present in the space during visiting hours. Students interested in early childhood education, education, or museum education are encouraged to apply.