Mary Wakefield Charitable Trust

Internship

Collections Management and Curation

Posted:  January 9, 2012

The Mary Wakefield Charitable Trust in Milton, MA, is seeking an intern in the area of Collections Management for either spring or summer, 2012.  An intern will be selected according to experience, academic background, availability, aptitude, and the ability for the organization to match the intern with its current needs.  Valarie Kinkade, Principal of Museum and Collector Resource will act as the intern supervisor in the areas of curatorship and collections management.  Ms. Kinkade has over 30 years of experience in the museum field and is the owner of a consulting firm which specializes in collections related projects for a wide variety of museums.  Mark Smith, the Executive Director of the Mary Wakefield Trust will also supervise and advise the intern.

Activities the Intern will be involved in include:

Cataloguing a collection of items housed at the Mary Wakefield Trusts property in Milton, MA

Assisting in making curatorial decisions about what objects should be included in the collection

Consulting with the project supervisor to develop a list of supplies necessary to process the artifacts

Receiving instruction in object handling and re-housing artifacts according to museum standards

Receiving training in the organization’s collections management database (Past Perfect)

Making order out of chaos in sometimes dusty and cluttered conditions

Producing a short report at the end of the internship summarizing the project and its outcomes

Visiting other area museums with a chance to see behind the scenes and talk with staff members

Project Descriptions:

The collection to be processed is composed of textiles, including clothing, accessories and household furnishings dating from the mid 19th century through the 1970’s.  Every day is a little bit like the Antiques Roadshow in that you never know what you will find.

Internship Hours

Start dates and end dates are flexible as well as the hours per week.  The total hours must meet the Tufts Internship required number of hours.

Mission of the Wakefield Trust

The Mary M. B. Wakefield Charitable Trust promotes life-long participatory learning using the land and resources of the Wakefield estate.   Through collaborative partnerships with schools and community organizations, the Wakefield Trust carries out this mission through providing educational opportunities, tours, presentations, workshops, hands-on training, internships and other programs covering a variety of subjects, including local history, ecology, horticulture, agriculture, archival work and historic preservation.  Through fostering the connections between people, land and history, the Wakefield Charitable Trust aims to create a living and accessible landscape that carries on the legacy of Polly Wakefield and her vision for an engaged and knowledgeable citizenry

Polly Wakefield was the last of a long line of family members who occupied a large mansion house on the site of this family homestead.  When she passed away in 2004 she left the house, outbuildings, and contents to the trust.  The family had amassed a large collection of furniture, paintings and decorative arts.  It is the contents of this house which the intern will be working on processing for this project.

To Apply

Sent a letter of interest and a current resume via e-mail to:  valariekinkade@gmail.com.  Please put” Wakefield Internship” in the subject line.

Or mail resume and letter to:

Valarie J. Kinkade

Principal

Museum & Collector Resource

134 Musterfield Road

Concord, MA  01742