Curatorial: Fashion and Design Research Intern

Schedule: Full Time, 35 hours/week, Monday, June 15 - Friday, August 14, at least three days working onsite

Department Description

The San Francisco Museum of Modern Art’s Architecture + Design (A+D) collection connects people with pivotal works that influence contemporary culture. By bringing thought-provoking architecture and design into focus, we reveal their powerful ability to inspire, and often transform, our individual and collective experience of the world. More than an object or a space that affects how we act and interact, design is a process and way of thinking that prompts responses to challenging issues that impact the quality of our lives and our communities. Since its founding in 1935, the museum has organized exhibitions of design, and in 1988 formed a department of architecture and design, adding works of graphic design, product design, furniture, and architecture to its permanent collection. The department’s focus is to acquire and present modern and contemporary works that are innovative, represent current ideas within the discipline and culture, and critique the status quo.

Position Description

In close collaboration with the Assistant Curator of Architecture + Design, the Curatorial Fashion and Design Research Intern will familiarize themselves with the Museum’s Architecture + Design collection, upcoming projects, and associated programs. This research-based position will be focused on the organization and tracking of exhibition related material, including auxiliary images, captions, and bibliographies for an upcoming temporary exhibition on the intrinsic relationship between fashion and postwar and contemporary sculpture. 

Project Plan

Over the 9-week program the Architecture & Design Intern will:

· Conduct research on artists, designers, and objects on the exhibition checklist

· Research auxiliary images for publication, gallery texts and interpretative needs and generate associated captions

· Research and compile annotated bibliographies as needed for publication and interpretive texts

· Compile research folders, bibliographic materials, existing texts, and frame research 

· Assist in writing in-gallery and online interpretive materials as appropriate 

· Participate in occasional exhibition planning meetings 

Educational Objectives

Exposure to various aspects of organizing large-scale temporary exhibitions, such as conducting research, compiling checklists, writing interpretive materials, and collaborating with departments across the museum. 

Additional Internship Programming

The Summer 2026 Internship will offer 9-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.

Requirements 

· Recent or current graduate student in Design History, Material Culture Studies, Contemporary Art, Cultural/Ethnic Studies, Art History, or related field with a demonstrable focus on Fashion History from 1945 to present, preferred. The SFMOMA recognizes a graduation date within 6 months of the internship start date as a recent graduate.  

·  Applicants with at least two years of undergraduate coursework in a related field and relevant experience will also be considered.

· If you are a current employee of the SFMOMA applying for an internship, you must be a current student or a recent graduate, within 6 months of the internship start date.   

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$7,000 pre-tax stipend paid out in a one-lump sum after start date

*TAX WITHHOLDING: For certain non-US residents and non-CA residents, any payments that constitute taxable income under U.S. tax law may be subject to up to 30% federal and 7% state tax withholding (or the current applicable rates), and so any payments you receive may be reduced accordingly. Please consult with your tax advisor regarding the tax treatment of your stipend from this internship.

Application Requirements

· Intern application on SFMOMA job site

· Resume, in PDF format

· Cover letter stating the specific internship of interest, in PDF format

  · 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 current/former employer, in PDF format

· College/university transcript, in PDF format

· Transcripts can be unofficial but must be legible

  · If you are currently enrolled in a master's or PhD program, please provide the transcript for your current program, not your undergraduate transcript

Application Deadline: February 28, 2026

Please note: You only need two letters of recommendation total, not separate letters for each internship. If you apply to multiple internships (up to three), simply inform your recommenders which positions you’re applying for. We’ll review the same two letters across all your applications.