Ryan Learning Center Summer Internship

that bring young people and the adults around them into dynamic and inspiring encounters with art and
creativity. The Ryan Learning Center team:

• champions the role of art and culture in people’s lives,
• promotes access and equitable participation in art and the museum,
• fosters critical and creative thinking.

As a result, youth, teens, families, students, and educators from various backgrounds and abilities
engage with each other and with works of art from across time, cultures, geographies, and identities,
activating the museum as a place for learning, insight, inspiration, and community. These museum
experiences enable young people and the adults around them to feel more connected and confident in
their capacity to imagine, create, and make sense of art and their world.

ABOUT THE RYAN LEARNING CENTER INTERNSHIP

Duration of Program: 8 weeks / June 10, 2024 through August 2, 2024

Compensation: Paid / $16.32/hr / Full-time / Temporary
Additional housing and transportation stipends will be awarded to all participating interns. Further
details will be included in internship offers.

Schedule: This is a full-time, 8-week position. The intern will work 35 hours per week, Monday-Friday
with some weekend or evening hours required. For 2024, the internship will be hosted primarily onsite
at the museum.

Format: The internship will be primarily onsite, with limited remote shifts or hours. Internet access and
appropriate technology will be necessary to complete this internship, but technological accommodations
can be provided by the Art Institute of Chicago based on necessity.

Number of openings: 8

HOW TO APPLY

To apply for this internship, tell us your story. We want to understand who you are, what motivates you,
how you think, and where you’re coming from. Please submit the following materials:

• Résumé
• In lieu of a traditional cover letter, please respond to the following questions in short essays (no
  more than 300 words per answer.) We encourage you to provide specific examples to support
  your answers or to illustrate your ideas:
  • a. What do you appreciate about working with children and teens, and what approaches
    might you bring to working with youth and families in an art museum?
  • b. What about this job description interests you the most?
  • c. With the mission of the McMullan Arts Leadership intern program in mind, what
    perspectives might you bring to this role that you think museums need more of?
  • d. How do you envision this opportunity helping you towards your professional goals?

Upload all materials into one pdf document and list your last name and “Summer 2024” in the title of
the file (example: [LAST NAME]_Summer2024.pdf.) The application will close on February 20, 2024 at
10:00 PM CDT. Selected applicants will be asked to interview, either in-person if conditions allow (for
local candidates) or via video conference (non-local candidates or for all candidates depending on safety
precautions). Applicants must be US citizens or approved for employment in the United States.

Internship Description:
The Ryan Learning Center department (RLC) invites students to apply for an immersive eight-week
experience in museum teaching. Interns will engage in intensive training in museum education practice
and pedagogy, with a focus on hands-on learning, designing and facilitating tours and art experiences for
a variety of audiences. Primary internship projects might include:

• developing and leading thematic tours for visiting family, community, and adult audiences
• designing and facilitating gallery activities
• supporting hands-on learning in the museum’s Ryan Learning Center
• participating in research and writing projects
• attending weekly museum career seminar
• active reflection through writing and conversation

Internship Outcomes

Ryan Learning Center Summer interns will:

• Gain practical experience in the field of museum learning and begin to develop a teaching
  practice
• Gain behind-the-scenes insights into the operations of a large museum and develop an
  understanding of the broader context of informal learning in the museum and the city
• Build a network of peers and mentors
• Collaborate with staff mentors to create individualized goals unique to each intern’s career
  aspirations and personal growth.

The Ryan Learning Center Internship is funded in part through a generous donation from the James and
Madeleine McMullan Family Foundation and is part of a museum-wide effort to provide students the
opportunity to gain experience, career awareness, networks, and skills that will position them to thrive
as future art museum leaders.

The McMullan Arts Leadership Internship Program specifically aims to support students who encounter
economic challenges when considering a career in the arts. Aligned with this goal, we aim to help shape
a diverse group of leaders whose actions are informed by a wide range of perspectives, varying career
paths, and values inspired by their own lived experiences.

Required Qualifications and Desired Skills:

Qualified applicants will be rising senior undergraduates, graduating seniors, or Master’s Degree
students in any year (undergraduate applicants must have completed their junior year by May 2024 and
will not have graduated before December 2023; graduate applicants will not have graduated before
December 2023). In addition to these requirements, applicants should possess:

• Interest in the arts and/or museums, demonstrated through academic study, work experience,
  or by other means
• Experience teaching, assisting teaching, tutoring, or mentoring in informal or formal education
  settings (in-person or virtual) such as a school, camp, college, after-school program, community
  center, or museum
• Strong communication, creative thinking, and research skills
• Strong preference will be given to candidates who speak Spanish fluently

The Art Institute of Chicago is an equal opportunity, equal access employer fully committed to achieving a diverse and inclusive workplace. We believe in a staff culture that benefits from a wide range of experience, backgrounds, and career paths, and we encourage nontraditional candidates to apply.

Closing Statement

The Art Institute of Chicago is an Equal Opportunity Employer that recruits, hires and promotes qualified individuals without regard to race, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, national origin, ancestry, veteran status or citizenship. The Institute complies with federal and state disability laws and makes reasonable accommodations for applicants and employees with disabilities. If reasonable accommodation is needed to participate in the job application or interview process, please contact the Department of Human Resources at apply_help@artic.edu.