The Whitney’s paid Academic Year Spring Internship program offers a semester long internship for undergraduate and graduate students currently enrolled in an accredited academic program. For Spring 2024, interns will commit from 16 to 21 hours per week for 10 to 12 weeks for a total of 200 hours. Interns will be expected to be onsite for a portion of their internship with an opportunity to do hybrid work.

Please review the department descriptions and refer to the list of departments requesting interns on the application tab—not all departments will be taking interns for the Spring semester. To read more, please visit our Internships page on the Whitney site here.

To be considered for the internship, please apply by 5pm on December 1, 2024.

Highlights

• $3,000 stipend (200 hour requirement for the semester) for full participation of the internship
• Interns are assigned to a specific museum department for the duration
• Monthly speaker series featuring museum professionals from across the Museum
• Interns are eligible for course credit

Qualifications

• Undergraduate and graduate students who are and will be enrolled in accredited academic programs for the duration of the internship are eligible.
• Applicants must have completed a minimum of two years of academic course work. Undergraduate freshmen students are not eligible.
• Certain positions may require graduate-level training and/or professional experience, as noted in the department descriptions.
• While a demonstrated interest in art and art history is preferred, students in all majors are encouraged to apply.
• Previous museum experience is not required.

Instructions for Application

• RESUME Use the following naming convention when uploading your resume: LAST NAME_FIRST NAME_RESUME.pdf
• COVER LETTER Reflect upon how the Whitney’s mission connects to your background and life experience, address your reasons for applying to the internship program, and describe what you hope to gain by this experience.
• EXHIBITION DESIGN Portfolio is required. Please upload to the application.
• GRAPHIC DESIGN Portfolio is required. Please upload to the application.

The spring internship will begin the week of February 5, 2024.

Not sure you meet 100% of our qualifications? Research shows that men apply for jobs when they meet an average of 60% of the criteria. Yet, women and other people who are systematically marginalized tend to only apply if they meet every requirement. If you believe that you could excel in this role, we encourage you to apply. We are dedicated to considering a broad array of candidates, including those with diverse workplace experiences and backgrounds. Whether you’re new to arts and culture administration, returning to work after a gap in employment, simply looking to transition, or take the next step in your career path, we will be glad to have you on our radar. Please use your cover letter to tell us about your interest in the arts and culture space and what you hope to bring to this role.

About the Whitney

The Whitney Museum of American Art, founded in 1930 by the artist and philanthropist Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney, houses the foremost collection of American art from the twentieth and twenty-first centuries. From her vision arose the Whitney Museum of American Art, which has been championing the most innovative art of the United States for 86 years. The core of the Whitney’s mission is to collect, preserve, interpret, and exhibit American art of our time and serve a wide variety of audiences in celebration of the complexity and diversity of art and culture in the United States. Through this mission and a steadfast commitment to artists themselves, the Whitney has long been a powerful force in support of modern and contemporary art and continues to help define what is innovative and influential in American art today.

EEO Statement

The Whitney Museum of American Art is an Equal Opportunity Employer. The Museum does not discriminate because of age, sex, religion, race, color, creed, national origin, alienage or citizenship, disability, marital status, partnership status, veteran status, gender (including gender identity), sexual orientation, or any other factor prohibited by law. The Museum hires and promotes individuals solely on the basis of their qualifications for the job to be filled. The Museum encourages all qualified candidates to apply for vacant positions at all levels. This description shall not be construed as a contract of any sort for a specific period of employment.

COVID guidelines

The health and safety of our Museum community is the highest priority. As such, the Whitney Museum is requiring all newly hired staff members to be fully vaccinated with an FDA authorized and/or approved COVID-19 vaccine and booster(s) as a condition of employment. Requests for reasonable accommodations for medical, religious, or other reasons will be considered in accordance with applicable law.