Registrar Intern - Studio Museum in Harlem

About Our Organization

Founded in 1968, The Studio Museum in Harlem is a cultural leader that champions and preserves the prolific legacy of artists of African descent while simultaneously promoting critical thinking about art, culture, and community. Born out of an urgent need amid the political, social, and cultural ferment of the late 1960s, the Studio Museum was founded to create a new paradigm in which institutionally ignored artists of color would be seen, discussed, rewarded, and made known to the public. Today, the Studio Museum continues to serve as the nexus for Black artists locally, nationally, and internationally, and for work inspired and influenced by Black culture.

Internship Program Description

The Museum’s Internship Program offers college undergraduates, graduate students, and recent graduates' valuable insights into the operations of a professional museum environment. Interns collaborate on meaningful and engaging projects with museum staff and participate in a series of meetings and workshops focused on contemporary museology. 

Please note that only individuals authorized to work in the United States will be considered for acceptance into the internship program. However, the Museum is open to receiving expressions of interest from non-work authorized individuals who wish to volunteer their services to the Museum.  

Application Information  

The Fall 2024 season will feature five internship positions: Communications, Curatorial, Development, Director’s Office, and Registrar.

Applicants are encouraged to designate both a first and second choice for the positions they wish to be considered for. Due to the anticipated high volume of applications, only candidates chosen for interviews will receive direct communication regarding the status of their application.  

Applicants are required to submit the following for consideration:   

• Resume
• Writing Sample (no more than 5 pages)
• Optional video, up to 2 minutes (max) that discusses your interest in the Studio Museum, the specific position you have applied for, and how an internship would impact your career sent to smi@studiomuseum.org.

Dates and Details  

Fall 2024 Dates: September 16, 2024 – December 13, 2024 (13 weeks)  

Requirements: Minimum 15 hours/week, during the workweek (M-F); interns are required to work in-person two days a week in our offices in Harlem.  

Stipend: $3120 

Application Deadline: 11:59 PM on July 16, 2024

Applicants will be notified about interviews by July 31, 2024. If you have not heard back before that date, you have not been considered as a finalist for the Fall 2024 cohort.  

All interns must attend an in-person orientation day the morning of September 16, 2024, to commence their program.   

All interns must be able to work in-person on Wednesdays. This day is designated for enrichment activities and field trips around the city. Additionally, it provides interns with a valuable opportunity to build relationships with each other.

Registrar Department (1 Position) 

The Registrar Intern will be involved in a range of collection and exhibition management projects with special attention to collection stewardship. The internship will engage interested candidates in museum registration tasks focused on collection administration. Potential projects may also include supporting the Director of Collections and Exhibitions, the Registrar and the Collections Database Manager with administrative projects and collection file reviews. The Collections-Registrar Internship position is designed for undergraduate and graduate students who are majoring/minoring in museum studies, or a related field. Applicants should have an interest in fine art registration and cataloging, have excellent attention to detail, ability to work with databases, research skills and knowledge of the museum’s historical collecting focus. Applicants must be able to handle multiple projects at once, work in a chilled windowless storage environment and work independently as needed with the ability to communicate progress on assigned projects, and any needs to accomplish the projects.