Internships at the KIA

The KIA occasionally has internship opportunities for college and graduate students interested in careers in art museums. Based upon their academic training and interests, as well as the availability of projects, interns work in one of the museum's departments-curatorial, education, development and marketing, or library/archives. Internships are unpaid and should include a commitment of 8-12 hours/week for a minimum of 10 weeks. Applicants for a semester/quarter or summer must submit requirements for the internships desired, below.

Applications may be sent to museum@kiarts.org or sandyl@kiarts.org (attn: staff contact listed below) and should include attachments (resume, writing sample, etc.) in PDF format.

Alternatively, letters of application may be submitted on paper to
Kalamazoo Institute of Arts
Attn: George Baltmanis
314 S. Park St.
Kalamazoo, MI 49007

Curatorial and Education
Duties will vary, but will require strong research, writing, and organizational skills. Attention to detail is critical. Experience with the public or communicating with children and adults may be helpful. Most projects require knowledge of art history. A position may be shared between these departments. Interested applicants must formally submit a brief (1-2 page) writing sample, plus a cover letter detailing interest in this internship, objectives to be gained through the internship at the KIA, and relevant experience and course work.

Attn: Karla Niehus, Asst. Curator of Collections & Exhibitions
Michelle Stempien, Curator of Museum Education

Development: Membership and Events
These departments typically require administrative assistance including: data entry, mailings, and event staffing support. Strong writing/editing skills preferred. Attention to detail a must. This position may be shared between departments.

Attn: Joe Bower, Director of Development

PR and Marketing
Interns assist in all areas of the department's functions, gaining exposure to a variety of marketing, communications, and public affairs skills. Qualified applicants should have coursework in one or more of the following fields: English/writing, media/PR, marketing, journalism, communications, art history, studio arts, or arts/non-profit administration. A successful intern will have excellent organizational skills, attention to detail, oral and written communication skills, and a positive, outgoing attitude. Proficiency in MS Word, digital photography, and graphic design are desirable. Duties may include the following: maintain and update media lists, write and distribute new releases, assemble press kits, write and design advertisements, strategize media and PR plans, take photos. Send a brief cover letter detailing your interest in the internship, a resume listing prior academic and work experience, and references.

Attn: Phil Meade, Marketing and Public Relations Coordinator

Library/Archives
Internships may focus on a particular aspect of library service (e.g. reference service, collection development and management, cataloging, etc.) or archives management in an art museum setting. Duties may include developing both print (e.g. bibliographies, finding aids) and electronic (wikis, blogs, updating web-accessible documents) research tools, scanning and cataloging photographs and exhibition-related documents, and collection development projects, such as materials selection or de-accessioning.

Interested students should be working toward a degree in library and information science, art history, public history, or archives management. Previous library or museum experience is not required. Please send a cover letter, resume, availability and list of three references (two of which must be professional or academic).

Attn: Susan Eckhardt, Director of Museum Education

Personnel Procedures

Work hours
An intern may work at any agreed-upon time between 8 a.m. - 5 p.m., Monday through Friday. Staff is flexible and will make every attempt to set and adjust the schedule as needed to accommodate the intern's needs.

Salary/Compensation
Internships are unpaid. Students must make arrangements through their academic institution for college credit, according to the rules imposed by that institution.

Dress Code
Staff is expect to dress casual professional. This does not include jeans, T-shirts, tennis shoes, or shorts. however, some work does require clothing that can get dirty or allows for ease of movement when working on exhibits or in the collection. Use your best judgment according to the situation. You may be asked to wear a nametag when working with the public.

Transportation
The intern is expect to be able to get to the Museum using his or her own choice of transportation. The KIA has ample free parking.

Scheduling/Notification of Absence/Schedule Changes
The intern and his/her supervisor will determine a schedule that works for both the staff and intern at the beginning of the internship. If the intern is not able to come in, s/he should leave a message on the supervisor's voicemail (269.349.7775 ext. ____) or email - contact information will be provided at start of internship. If the intern must make a temporary or permanent change to the schedule, s/he should talk to his/her supervisor before doing so.