Tennessee Agricultural Museum Internship

The Tennessee Agricultural Museum is seeking an intern for the summer of 2027, from May 17 through Aug. 13, 2027. The selected candidate will work closely with museum staff and assist with projects related to public history, historical interpretation, collections care, educational programming and museum management focused on rural life.

Location:

Ellington Agricultural Center

Tennessee Agricultural Museum

404 Hogan Road, Nashville, TN 37220

Major Duties

Curatorial and Collections Duties

• Under the direct supervision of the Tennessee Agricultural Museum's Curator, assist with evaluating, interpreting, accessioning and storing museum artifacts and maintaining collection records in PastPerfect Software.
• Learn best practices for handling material culture, including exhibit furniture and case work related to in-house and traveling exhibits.
• Conduct research on Tennessee history, art and culture as appropriate for museum projects.

Educational Programming

• Under the supervision of the museum's Educator, assist with the management of hands-on educational programs during the internship.
• Create craft kits and develop hands-on educational experiences and materials for museum events, summer outreach programs, visitors and students.

Marketing and Social Media

• Work directly with museum staff to create weekly social media content highlighting Tennessee rural history, the museum's artifact collection and outreach events while supporting strategic engagement goals.

Community Outreach

• Assist with the setup and teardown of the Tennessee Agricultural Museum's summer festival or other major outreach events.
• Assist with managing the museum's educational component during public events.

Other duties may be assigned as needed.

Education Requirements

• Applicants must possess a high school diploma and be currently pursuing a degree in history, education, communications or another related field.
• Recent college graduates, master's students and doctoral students may apply.
• Applicants must be in good academic standing with a GPA of 2.5 or higher.

Essential Knowledge and Required Skills

• Ability to work independently and manage individual projects efficiently
• Excellent written and oral communication skills
• Comfort speaking to medium to large sized groups
• General knowledge and understanding of agriculture and forestry systems is preferred.

Comments

• This is a paid internship.
• Some travel may be required.
• This internship is part of the TDA's central internship program. Interns may participate in program activities and must complete an improvement project within their assigned division, followed by a presentation to Executive Leadership at the end of the internship term.
• For more information on the Tennessee Department of Agriculture, please visit the TDA website.

Working Conditions

• This internship is primarily office-based and public facing.

How to Apply

Applications will be accepted from Friday, Oct. 9, 2026, through Thursday, Oct. 29, 2026. Applications must be submitted through the Formstack application available on the Tennessee Department of Agriculture's careers page. To be considered for this internship opportunity, you must have the following documents prepared:

• Resume
• Letter of intent
• Most recent transcript
• Two professional letters of recommendation
• DD214 (veteran candidates only)

Questions about this application or any internship opportunity may be directed to Jamye Freeman at Jamye.Freeman@tn.gov.