McMullan Arts Leadership Intern, Architecture and Design

McMullan Arts Leadership Internship, Architecture and Design (Academic Year 2024–2025)

 

MISSION

The Art Institute of Chicago shares its singular collections with our city and the world. We collect, care for, and interpret works of art across time, cultures, geographies, and identities, centering the vision of artists and makers. We recognize that all art is made in a particular context, demanding continual, dynamic reconsideration in the present. We are a place of gathering; we foster the exchange of ideas and inspire an expansive, inclusive understanding of human creativity.

 

POSITION SUMMARY:

The department of Architecture and Design (A&D) is excited to host a McMullan Arts Leadership intern to work with their collection management team. 

The department of Architecture and Design at the Art Institute of Chicago collects and exhibits work that demonstrates the impactful role that architects and designers play as agents for change in society and culture. Our collection is distinguished by its strong holdings of modern and contemporary architecture and urban design, with a focus on work by architects and designers practicing in Chicago, including Louis Sullivan, Daniel Burnham, Marion Mahony Griffin, Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, Ludwig Hilberseimer, Bertrand Goldberg, Stanley Tigerman, Douglas Garofalo, and Jeanne Gang. Other collection highlights include postmodern architecture and increasingly diverse holdings of work by contemporary architects including Tadao Ando, Andreas Angelidakis, Tatiana Bilbao, Frida Escobedo, Andrés Jaque, Johnston Marklee, Pezo von Ellrichshausen, and Amanda Williams.

The department’s collection of design includes important midcentury holdings by Charles and Ray Eames, Henry Glass, Charlotte Perriand, Charles Harrison, and the New Bauhaus/Institute of Design, as well as contemporary works of experimental and speculative design by Shigeru Ban, Dunne and Raby, Hella Jongerius, Julia Lohmann, Christien Meindertsma, and Norman Teague, among many others.

The department seeks an enthusiastic and organized undergraduate or graduate student to assist in an inventory of the Architecture and Design collection. The goal of this internship is to expose the student to key aspects of collections management work and digitization of art through a hands-on learning approach.

The intern will join a museum-wide intern cohort and have access to a range of programs to support their development in addition to their placement in Architecture and Design. Mentorship is provided throughout the experience and connections with an intern alumni network will be established. 

 

Goals of the McMullan Arts Leadership Internship Program

The McMullan Arts Leadership internship program is part of a museum-wide effort to provide students the opportunity to gain experience, career awareness, networks, and skills that will position them to thrive as future art museum leaders. 

This program specifically aims to support students who encounter economic challenges when considering a career in the arts. Aligned with this goal, we aim to help shape a diverse group of leaders whose actions are informed by a wide range of perspectives, varying career paths, and values inspired by their own lived experiences.

 

INTERNSHIP OUTCOMES:

In this position, the intern will have the opportunity to: 

• Develop first-hand experience in collections database records;
• Partake in the processing of archival collections and digitization efforts;
• Understand strategies and methods of collections care;
• Develop mentor relationships with field practitioners;
• Build peer-to-peer relationships with fellow interns.

 

DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Review information on A&D’s collection database records and make revisions as necessary;
• Draft digital content on behalf of A&D’s web presence, including drafting artist biographies, alt- text caption, digital tagging, and stylized web descriptions;
• Review and update art object images for the museum’s website;
• Maintain and organize information pertaining to the ordering materials for rehousing projects;
• Digitize physical documents for A&D to assist with collection research projects;
• Attend weekly check-ins with mentors: Collection Manager and Collection Inventory Manager;
• Attend intern cohort professional development programs and museum practice seminars.

 

QUALIFICATIONS:

• Undergraduate or graduate student; recent graduates (within one year of graduation) will also be considered;  
• Due to onsite necessity, applicants must be based in the Chicagoland area and/or attending school in the