Spanning the Ancient Americas through the late 20th century, the Art of the Americas department studies, interprets, maintains, and manages one of the MFA’s largest permanent collections. Encompassing painting, sculpture, and decorative arts from North, Central and South America, the Art of the Americas staff coordinate installations in the permanent collection galleries, organize special exhibitions, research the collection, and arrange loans to other institutions.
The department is currently seeking a highly-motivated college or graduate level intern to build the research files for paintings to be included in two forthcoming exhibitions and installations, to draft selected catalogue entries on individual objects, and to prepare loan letters for two forthcoming exhibitions and installations. This position is supervised by the Chair of the Art of the Americas Department, and candidates must have a personal interview to be considered. The position offers an opportunity to gain invaluable practical experience by learning first-hand about museum work and personally contributing to the study of one of the nation’s finest collections of American art and art from throughout the Americas.
The Research Intern will be responsible for work relating to the paintings area of the collection — creating, organizing, and maintaining object files, identifying gaps in documentation, gathering and relevant research materials, preparing loan letters, and drafting preliminary interpretative materials for the exhibition to be used in the galleries and online. The intern will research exhibition, publication, and provenance history related to paintings that are to be included in the exhibitions and installations and ensure that this information is properly documented in both the object files and our electronic database. These materials will also inform the intern’s own written contributions, undertaken with the direction of the Chair, for preliminary research contributing to the exhibition. Prior research experience and excellent written and communication skills are required. Please submit a short writing sample with application (such as a recent research paper, with the professor’s comments), and please include any foreign language skills and proficiency.
Responsibilities:
• Creating, organizing and maintaining object files
• Identifying gaps in documentation, gathering, and relevant research materials
• Preparing loan letters
• Drafting preliminary interpretative materials for the exhibition (to be used in the galleries and online)
• Research exhibition, publication, and provenance history related to paintings to be included in the exhibitions and installations, and ensure this information is properly documented in both the object files and our electronic database
Qualifications:
● Enrollment in, or recent graduation from, a M.A. or Ph.D. program
● Demonstrated written and verbal communication skills
● Knowledge of American paintings
● Familiarity with computer databases
● Careful attention to detail
● Ability to commit 10-15 hours per week for at least 12 weeks (through December)
● Submission of writing sample of no more than 500 words (e.g. a recent research paper) with professor’s comments