Collections Intern

The San Francisco Museum of Modern Art is one of the largest museums of modern and contemporary art in the United States and a thriving cultural center for the Bay Area. We cannot imagine life without art; it inspires and connects us every day. Now more than ever, these connections matter and are aligned with our values.

Inclusive: We strive to be a museum of many voices in dialogue.  

Passionate: We believe working with art is more than a job or trusteeship - it's a way of life.  

Brave: We are committed to approaching our work with courage and a sense of adventure.  

Empathic: We aim to act like a person, not an institution. 

SFMOMA is a place for the infinitely curious to explore, support, and experience the art of our time. We believe that modern and contemporary art can influence the way we think, view the world, and embrace the many voices and perspectives around us. We aspire to foster an environment that elicits joy, nurtures a sense of belonging and purpose—where difference is seen as a strength, and every one is appreciated for their whole self.

SCHEDULE: Full Time, 35 hours/week, June 10 - August 16, 2024

DEPARTMENT DESCRIPTION

The Collections office integrates responsive, forward-looking stewardship of SFMOMA’s art, library, archive, and artist materials collections. A cohort of five highly-collaborative Collections departments (Archives and Art Resources, Collections Management, Conservation, Library, and Registration) are responsible for the entire arc of collections care and access, including accessions, deaccessions, loans, research and documentation, in-person and online access. Together, Collections leads art stewardship in ways that encourage creativity and multivariant experiences with modern and contemporary art.

POSITION DESCRIPTION

The Collections office is the liaison for the museum’s Collections Committee, a Board-level committee that provides direction and advice to the museum’s Collections and Curatorial staff in developing, monitoring, and implementing collections research, stewardship, and community engagement initiatives. The Collections Intern will have an important role in developing the program for the Committee’s 2024-2025 season of meetings (Fall 2024, Winter 2025, Spring 2025) hosted by the Collections office. The Intern’s main project will be to work with senior staff in the Collections, Exhibitions and Design division to develop the overarching program for the Committee’s three 2024-2025 meetings, with a particular focus on planning the Committee’s Fall 2024 meeting. The Committee will also celebrate a tenth anniversary in 2024, which presents an opportunity for staff and Committee members to reflect on the Committee’s role in supporting collections research, stewardship, and community engagement initiatives at SFMOMA.

The Intern will help develop the 2024-2025 Committee program by:

· Learning about integrated collections stewardship for SFMOMA’s art, library, archives, and artist materials collections;

· Studying the Collections Committee’s history and past programs;

· Organizing documents related to the Committee;

· Surveying peer museums about their equivalent committees;

· Interviewing museum staff and Committee members about their experiences with and aspirations for the Committee going forward;

· Workshopping ideas for the 2024-2025 season of meetings with staff;

· Developing an idea for marking the Committee’s tenth anniversary

By the end of the internship, the Intern will share their learnings about the Committee and their idea for marking the anniversary to senior staff in Collections and the Committee chairpersons.

PROJECT PLAN

Over the 10-week program the Collections Intern will:

· Become familiar with collections research, stewardship, and access practices at SFMOMA.

· Analyze the purpose and responsibilities of the Collections Committee, alongside all other Board-level committees at SFMOMA.

· Research the history of the Collections Committee.

· Organize existing documents related to the Committee for ease of access.

· Survey peer museums about their equivalent Committees for benchmarking and contextualizing purposes.

· Interview museum staff and Committee members for their perspectives on the Committee.

· Make recommendations for enhancing staff engagement with the Committee and vice versa.

· Work with staff to develop the FY25 season of meetings, and to plan the Fall 2024 meeting.

· Produce a dossier describing their idea for marking the Committee’s tenth anniversary.

· Present their idea to senior staff in Collections and Committee chairpersons.

EDUCATIONAL OBJECTIVES

· Learn about the scope of collections stewardship at a museum of modern and contemporary art.

· Experience backstage collections stewardship activities to increase understanding of collections-related needs, challenges, and opportunities.

· Learn about the purposes and responsibilities of Board-level committees.

· Gain experience connecting with museum supporters.

· Gain experience pitching ideas to senior staff.

· Gain experience developing a theme, goals, and outcomes for a series of meetings related to collections stewardship.

ADDITIONAL INTERNSHIP PROGRAMMING

The Summer 2024 Internship will offer 10-weeks of hands-on experience and mentorship along with weekly presentations and discussions with various departments in the museum, off-site educational visits within the Bay Area community, and access to various tours and events within the museum.

QUALIFICATIONS & SKILLS

· Student or recent graduate in Museum Studies, Museum Administration or similar program. The SFMOMA recognizes a graduation date within 6 months of the internship start date as a recent graduate.

· General knowledge of museum practices, museum audiences, and modern and contemporary art. 

· Familiarity with records management and organization.

· At ease working with digital asset management and project management systems.

· At ease working with a range of internal and external constituents. 

· At ease working in a creative, collaborative, team-oriented environment. 

**Current SFMOMA employees are not eligible to apply for the Summer 2024 internship.**

APPLICATION REQUIREMENTS

· Completed application via SFMOMA's job site

· Resume

· Cover letter stating the specific internship of interest. Describe the experience you bring, why you are interested in museum or nonprofit work, reasons for applying to the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, and your goals for the internship.

· Two letters of recommendation from either a college professor or former employer.

· College transcript: Transcripts can be unofficial but need to be legible.

Application Deadline: March 15, 2024.

You do not need separate letters of recommendation for each intern application - please just let each of the recommenders know which internships (up to 3) you're applying to and we'll review those two letters across all of your internship applications.

Location: San Francisco, 151 3rd Street. 

COVID-19 Environmental Factors: In keeping with city, county, and state regulations regarding large gatherings, and to contain the spread of coronavirus, the museum is following the city of San Francisco guidelines. As a part of our commitment to health and safety, COVID-19 vaccination is required for all current and newly hired employees and contractors. 

Pursuant to the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance, we will consider for employment qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records. 

SFMOMA is an equal opportunity employer that is committed to diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility. No person shall be discriminated against based on race, color, religion, gender, gender identity, age, genetic information, ancestry/national origin, marital status, disability, medical condition, HIV status, sexual orientation, veteran/military status, and any other category protected by federal of state law.

You may request reasonable accommodation if you are unable to or are limited in your ability to access job postings or provide additional information asked in the job posting.

You can request reasonable accommodation by contacting the People team at talent@sfmoma.org.