Undergraduate Music and Performing Arts Curatorial Internship

NOTE: Applications submitted through Handshake will NOT be considered.

Undergraduate Music and Performing Arts Curatorial Internship

Part-Time Hybrid Internship

$425/week

January 25 – April 23, 2027

Desired Majors and Areas of Study: Museum Studies, Music, Film, Television, Theater History and/or Performance Studies, American history

This internship is an opportunity to do meaningful curatorial work at one of the most prominent cultural institutions in the country building skills in African American collecting and cultural preservation while expanding professional networks. As part of NMAAHC’s commitment to strengthening the museum talent pipeline, this position is designed to support undergraduate students in gaining foundational knowledge and hands-on experience, while introducing them to the many different career paths that curatorial work can open. The skills developed through this internship (research, writing, object documentation, and professional communication) directly support careers across a wide range of museum positions, including curatorial, collections, education, public programs, and outreach, as well as related fields such as archival work, cultural policy, and the broader nonprofit and public humanities sectors. By the end of the internship the intern will be able to: 

• Navigate and use the TMS (The Museum System) collection information database to locate and support documentation of collection records;
• Assist with the handling and processing of objects and archival materials following professional conservation and preservation standards;
• Assist with the creation and review of collection inventories, contributing to the Museum’s collections stewardship goals;
• Support object research and assist with producing accurate collection documentation as directed by the curator;
• Research and prepare donor briefs and profiles that support the curator’s donor cultivation and community stewardship efforts;
• Assist with drafting and editing collection and exhibition texts;
• Assist with drafting object acquisition proposals using curatorial criteria and an understanding of the museum’s collecting priorities;
• Produce interpretive labels and an exhibition narrative for a proposed exhibition drawn from the NMAAHC Music & Performing Arts Collection, with support from the curator;
• Research and write an acquisition proposal with curatorial guidance and present it to the NMAAHC Collections Committee; 
• Develop an understanding of museums as institutions of cultural stewardship and gain insight into the importance of collecting and preservation through direct engagement with the collection and curatorial practice.

The Office of Curatorial Affairs advances NMAAHC’s mission of sharing the history and culture of African Americans and all people of African descent with a diverse public by collecting, preserving, researching, and interpreting artifacts of lasting cultural significance. The Music and Performing Arts Curator contributes to this mission by stewarding a collection that spans the full breadth of African American creative expression (including music, television, film, theater, dance, comedy, and popular culture) from everyday creative life to landmark performances, recordings, and cultural movements. All of these areas are available to the intern. As an undergraduate intern, you will assist the curator with collections acquisition and processing, object documentation, research, and writing, supporting an active list of ongoing projects throughout the internship. Before your start date, you will be given a list of Music and Performing Arts collections to select which collection(s) you want to focus on, allowing you to align the experience with your academic interests and professional goals. This internship will strengthen your research and writing skills, expand your professional network across the museum, and give you a clearer sense of the many directions a career in curatorial work can take.

This is a hybrid internship, combining remote work with scheduled onsite days at NMAAHC in Washington, DC, and a storage facility in Maryland. Start and end dates are to be determined in coordination with the intern and supervisor.

The ideal candidate is an undergraduate student or recent graduate with coursework or a demonstrated interest in African American history and culture, with a focus on music, performing arts, popular culture, or museum studies. A genuine curiosity about Black history and culture and its relationship to music and the performing arts is essential. An interest in developing research and writing skills in a museum setting is important. Prior experience with curatorial or archival work is a plus but not required. Comfort with word processing and spreadsheet software is expected; experience with collection management systems is welcome but not necessary.

The internship includes two projects developed with curatorial guidance:

The first is a proposed exhibition of your choice drawn from the NMAAHC Music & Performing Arts Collection. With support from the curator, you will select objects and images, conduct research, develop an exhibition narrative, and write interpretive labels resulting in a portfolio piece and writing sample that reflects the full arc of your internship experience.

The second is an acquisition proposal. With guidance from the curator, you will research and write a proposal for an object or collection of your choice (which may include contemporary materials that document living artists, emerging genres, or current cultural events) and present it to the NMAAHC Collections Committee.

Duties Include (but are not limited to):

• Attend curatorial team meetings to observe institutional processes and build familiarity with museum operations
• Develop familiarity with the TMS (The Museum System) collection information database to locate documentation of collection records
• Assist with the handling and documentation of objects and archival materials following professional conservation and preservation standards
• Assist with the creation and review of collection inventories
• Support object research and assist with producing accurate collection documentation as directed by the curator
• Research and prepare briefs and profiles for the curator’s visits with potential donors
• Assist with drafting and editing collection and exhibition texts
• Assist with drafting object acquisition proposals in support of ongoing collections work
• Write interpretive labels and supporting materials for the exhibition project
• Research and write an acquisition proposal with curatorial guidance and present it to the NMAAHC Collections Committee