Internships

The Zimmerli Art Museum offers internships for academic credit to Rutgers undergraduate and graduate students. Under the supervision of museum staff, interns gain firsthand experience by assisting with regular departmental activities that range from routine administrative tasks to research and special projects. Academic-year internships are typically 8 to 10 hours per week and are structured to give interns an understanding of the university art museum as a place of research, collection management, education, and outreach.

Interns may have the opportunity to work in the following departments: curatorial, registrar's office, education, development, communications, and business office. Interns are placed on the basis of their academic training, experience, and interests, as well as departmental availability (not all departments accept interns every semester). Preference is given to Rutgers students, however, students enrolled in other universities are also encouraged to apply. 

Working with collection curators, interns will gain experience with a range of curatorial duties, including exhibition development, collection documentation and management, and research. Interns will have the opportunity to work directly with collection objects and with the museum’s collection database.

Graphic Arts Collection

The Zimmerli Art Museum’s collection of works on paper - prints, drawings, photographs, and books -includes examples ranging from the Renaissance through the 21^st century with particular strength in French nineteenth-century and American twentieth-century prints. Several exhibitions from the collection are presented each year throughout the museum, and works are also regularly made available in the museum’s study room for researchers and special class presentations. 

American, Modern, and Contemporary Painting and Sculpture

Focusing on collection management, exhibition development, research and outreach, the curatorial internship in American, Modern, and Contemporary Art, requires a grounding in art history and an interest in contemporary art. Interns work with the curator on research and exhibition projects. 

Russian and Soviet Nonconformist Art

Curatorial, library, and archival interns in the Department of Russian and Soviet Nonconformist Art will be engaged in the department’s effort to popularize Russian and Soviet nonconformist art via exhibitions and to provide greater access and knowledge of the library and archival holdings. Interns will support management of the department’s library and archival collections and/or might help with research and implementation of exhibitions and educational programs. Russian speaking and reading skills are required.

The Zimmerli Art Museum’s Education Department works with visitors of all ages to support learning in the museum and foster creativity through a variety of programs and resources.

Education interns will primarily support the museum’s programs for schools and families, while also working with the Zimmerli’s educators on a project tailored to their particular interests, such as creating interpretive materials for family audiences or the general public.