Innovation and Entrepreneurship Curatorial and Programming Internship
NOTE: Applications submitted through Handshake will NOT be considered.
Full-Time Hybrid Internship
$850/week
June 1 – August 21, 2026
Desired Majors and Areas of Study: African American studies, Black studies, History, Public History, Cultural Studies, Cultural Anthropology, Ethnic Studies, History of Science, Science and Society Studies
Innovation and Entrepreneurship Curatorial and Programming internship is based out of the History Division of the Office of Curatorial Affairs. This division leads the museum's efforts in collecting historical objects and developing exhibitions that tell the unvarnished truth of the African American experience.). OCA including the Centers, facilitates the intellectual work of the Museum by collecting artifacts, ensuring collection preservation and stewardship, conducting research and scholarship, and sharing the rich history and culture of African Americans and all people of African descent with a diverse public in accessible, multifaceted ways including exhibition, digitization, and publication. OCA is comprised of many different divisions and teams including: History, Culture, Visual Art, The Centers and the Scholarly Advisor Committee.
The intern will work directly with collecting around African American inventors, Black business districts, and African American scientists, and support the work of NMAAHC's curator for innovation and entrepreneurship in three key areas:
- Increasing the museum's collection on innovation, entrepreneurship, labor, and Black business districts. The selected intern will support acquisitions work by completing necessary historical and market research.
- Coordinating programs to support At the Vanguard traveling exhibition. The selected intern will assist in the coordination of two programs that support the At the Vanguard exhibition during its run at Clark Atlanta University in the fall/winter of 2026.
- Developing digital stories, resources and other digital assets related to innovation and entrepreneurship. The selected intern will assist with writing content for a story page on Dr. Solomon Carter Fuller and other subjects of current collecting and exhibition work. The intern will also begin to write web content based on specific objects in the collection for the forthcoming Innovation & Entrepreneurship object web portal.
The intern can anticipate gaining proficiency in TMS, learning to conduct research on historical artifacts related to the history of African American innovation, develop digital stories and resources, and coordinate educational programs geared towards K-12 & HBCU students. Applicants should have experience with historical writing and qualitative research (i.e. oral history, archival research). Preference for applicants at advanced undergraduate (junior or senior) or graduate level. Applicants should submit a sample research paper (no more than 20 pages) that is historical in nature and offers substantive analysis of a primary source/historical artifact. This can be attached with their application essay.
Duties Include (but are not limited to):
- Undergo and become proficient in The Museum System (TMS)
- Writing for story pages
- Research for acquisitions and collecting
- Writing for innovation & entrepreneurship web portal