Internships

The Zimmerli Art Museum offers internships for academic credit to Rutgers undergraduate students. Under the supervision of museum staff, interns engage in experiential learning to acquire hands-on, practical experience by assisting with day-to-day departmental activities, research-based assignments, and other special projects that support the operations of the museum. Academic-year internships are typically 8 to 10 hours per week and are structured to bestow a deeper understanding of the university art museum as a crucial hub for interdisciplinary research, collection management, learning, and community engagement.  

Interns will also have opportunities to build community with their cohort and museum professionals at the Zimmerli through brown-bag talks, designed for professional development. 

Interns are selected based on their academic training, experience, and interests, as well as departmental availability. Interns may apply to work in the following departments: curatorial, registration, education, development, marketing and communications, and the business office.  

Current opportunities will be listed below for upcoming semesters for enrolled Rutgers students pursuing any course of study. 

The Works on Paper intern will gain an understanding of the essential duties of the works on paper preparator, including the importance of the role in putting on exhibitions and maintaining the collection. They will have the opportunity to obtain hands-on skills such as hinging and matting works on paper, framing and unframing, preparing works for storage and exhibition, creating archival enclosures, creating labels for exhibitions, and carrying out basic conservation techniques. In addition, they will learn about the tools and materials used to care for collections in an art museum, as well as the fundamental procedures and systems that allow a museum to function effectively.

The Registrar is responsible for the care, tracking, and transport of the permanent collection and objects on loan for exhibitions; creating and maintaining accession files; and the management of the museum’s collection information database, The Museum System (TMS). The internship will provide an opportunity to gain experience in collections management, museum registration, and collections information standards. The intern will gain skills in proper object handling and storage, examination and documentation, and tracking. The intern will also gain experience with museum registration principles and methods and collections information management. Projects will include collections inventory, back cataloging of new acquisitions, and creation and updating of collections condition reports.

The Zimmerli Art Museum seeks an outgoing, creative and motivated Intern to support the Communications and Visitor Services/Security Departments. This is a great opportunity to work behind the scenes providing support for the marketing of programs and exhibitions, as well as supporting the enhancement of the visitor experience through research and documentation of best practices related to hospitality and safety of visitors and artworks. 

The Communications Department handles the design, production and distribution of all promotional materials including digital and print, the writing and distribution of press releases and media outreach, and digital marketing including social media, websites and a mobile app. 

The Visitor Services/Security Department oversees the front of house where visitors are greeted and directed, as well as assuring safety protocols are followed especially in the galleries and at public events. Visitor Services also collects and analyzes audience feedback, allowing us to understand the viewership and impact of our exhibitions. 

The Zimmerli Art Museum's Publications and Communications department oversees all promotional matters along with the development of exhibition publications and audio-visual needs for live events held in the building.

The department is currently seeking a Social Media Intern for Fall 2026. To learn more about this opportunity, explore the full description and application process through the button below.

Social Media Internship