Museum Studies Blog at Tufts University

ICA Fall 2015 Curatorial Internships

The ICA’s Internship Program invites qualified individuals to explore museum careers in an educational internship setting. Interns participate in museum events, support departments with research and data management and get to know the daily activities that make the ICA an exciting and innovative museum. Unpaid part-time internships are available in winter/spring (January- April) summer (May-August), and fall (September – December) depending on the needs of departments. Please refer to specific department descriptions for internship availability.

Over the course of the internship, Curatorial interns learn about the many responsibilities of a curatorial team while participating in research and administrative assistance, responding to standard department inquiries via mail and email, which include artist inquiries, submissions, and traveling exhibition proposals. Interns also assist with day-to-day administrative tasks, including file building; library organization and maintenance, and preparation for department presentations. Interns should possess a background and interest in contemporary art and should be familiar with Microsoft office suite.

To apply, please submit by 9/1/2015:

 Current resume

 Completed application (available on our website) and statement of interest

 Two available professional references

We encourage applicants to obtain school credit for their internship if possible and will work with universities to ensure proper credit for the internship. International applicants are encouraged to apply; however, the appropriate visa must be obtained prior to start date. The ICA does not sponsor visas for international interns at this time. If you have questions regarding our internships, the selection process or whether you may qualify, please email internships@icaboston.org.

Smithsonian.com recently published an article describing the tests that curators in 1910 were supposed to be able to pass. If you had the right education and could answer questions about what (and how) you collect things, you were on your way. But curators had to have a little something…more. Other valued skills? Having good “family connections,” along with the ability to ride a horse, steer a canoe, and discuss the correct education and age level that museums should reach. The test consists of 34 short answer questions, like “What do you consider the principal requirements for a satisfactory museum building? (Consider at least five points)”

Some of the questions are still discussed today, such as, “Should a museum receive gifts subject to restrictions posed by the donor?” After all of that, the test requires a 3000 word thesis on the correct organization of a natural history museum. Worried that the test was too simple, allowing just about anyone to become a curator? Not to worry, you should also have a set of personality qualifications that set you apart:

“After the candidate has safely negotiated the above questions he is supposed to be able to pass muster in the following regard. He should have good health, ability to handle a horse and canoe, and be inured to the hardships of camp life and the work of exploration.”

Want to check out other questions on the test? Click here for the test published in Proceedings of the American Association of Museums.