McMullan Arts Leadership Intern, Collections and Loans

The Art Institute of Chicago shares its singular collections with our city and the world. We collect, care for, and interpret works of art across time, cultures, geographies, and identities. We are a place of gathering and learning, committed to fostering an inclusive understanding of human creativity.

Position Summary

The Art Institute of Chicago’s department of Collections and Loans seeks an enthusiastic, organized, and detail-oriented intern to work with their Permanent Collection team.

The Permanent Collection area of Collections and Loans coordinates all registration aspects of permanent collection management, including accessions, deaccessions, inventory, collection displays and limited-loan exhibitions, insurance, and incoming and outgoing loans. The team drives the strategy of the department and care of the collection, collaborating alongside the departments of curatorial, conservation and science, strategy and analytics, legal, facilities, and protection services to implement museum best practices.

This position will review recently scanned museum registration documentation to help the department better understand our historic workflows, document accession numbers used, update the collection database (CITI), and improve overall collection data accuracy, which will benefit ongoing curatorial research.

The intern will join a museum-wide intern cohort and have access to a range of programs to support their development in addition to their placement in Collections and Loans. Mentorship is provided throughout the experience, and connections with an intern alumni network will be established.

Duration of Position: 32 weeks / September 2026 (start date anytime during the week of September 21–25) through April 2027 (end date anytime during the week of April 26–April 30).

McMullan Arts Leadership Internship Program Goals

The McMullan Arts Leadership internship program 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.

This 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. 

Internship Outcomes

In this position, the intern will have the opportunity to:

• Learn about the processes through which the museum brings items into its collection and removes objects from the collection;
• Gain familiarity with museum collection data, relational databases (CITI), and digital asset management systems (NetX);
• Discover historic museum registration methods by reviewing documents now housed in Archives that were recently scanned, gaining archival; research experience as well as experience using Adobe Acrobat and the Google software suite;
• Develop systematized documentation about those methods for current and future use with ongoing object and donor research;
• Develop mentor relationships with field practitioners;
• Build peer-to-peer relationships with fellow interns.

Responsibilities

With guidance from the position’s mentors, the intern will:

• Review scanned records to determine accession numbers used each year;
• Document gaps and unique situations with the numbering;
• Review/create collection database records with a goal of having a complete indexed reference for all accession numbers used and skipped within our database;
• Assist with other historical records research, as needed;
• Participate in regular meetings with members of the department and the mentors of this position: Director, Collections and Manager, Collection Systems;
• Attend intern cohort professional development programs and museum practice seminars.

Qualifications

• Undergraduate or graduate student; recent graduates (within one year of graduation) will also be considered;
• Applicants must be based in the Chicagoland area and/or attending school in the Chicagoland area over the course of the internship term;
• Familiarity with Google Professional Suite and Adobe Creative Suite;
• Eagerness to learn software programs, including databases and digital asset management systems;
• Vigorous attention to detail and organizational skills;
• General understanding of museum acquisition procedures preferred.

Compensation & Benefits

Hiring Range: $17.50/hour (Maximum 14 hours per week, for a total of up to 448 hours over the course of the internship.)

This position is not benefits eligible.

• Job Classification: Hourly
• Employment Category: Intern 

Schedule: This is a part-time, 32-week position for a currently enrolled or recently graduated undergraduate or graduate student. The intern will work 14 hours per week, for a total of up to 448 hours over the course of the internship. Work days will occur between Monday–Friday; the start date and schedule will be determined upon agreement with the candidate and the host department.

Hourlong virtual and in-person intern professional development programs will be scheduled throughout the internship term that the student is strongly encouraged to attend. These programs will occur during the week; we ask that the intern make this part of their internship schedule.

Format: The internship will be primarily onsite, with the possible option for some remote work. Due to onsite necessity, applicants based or attending school in the Chicagoland area during the internship timeframe will be prioritized. Internet access and appropriate technology will be necessary to complete this internship; technological accommodations will be provided by the Art Institute of Chicago based on necessity.

Application Instructions

You must upload all of the requested materials below (resume and essay responses) into only one pdf document and list your last name and “AY 26-27” in the title of the file (example: [LAST NAME]_AY 26-27.pdf.) Please upload your materials where asked in the online application.

PLEASE NOTE: You will not be considered if any requested application element is missing.

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:

• Resume
• Short Essays: Instead of a cover letter, please respond to the following questions in short essays (no more than 300 words per essay.) We encourage you to provide specific examples to support your answers or to illustrate your ideas:
• What about this job description interests you the most?
• 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?
• How do you envision this opportunity helping you towards your professional goals?
• Writing Sample: Provide a 1-2 page writing sample that illustrates how you organize or summarize information, such as a project summary, brief report, or step-by-step instructions.

DEADLINE: The deadline to submit an application to this position is Monday, July 27 at 11:59 pm CDT. We will not accept late applications.

Selected applicants will be invited to participate in a video interview approximately two weeks after the application deadline.

Accessibility

If you are a job seeker with a disability and require a reasonable accommodation to apply for one of our jobs, you will find the contact information to request the appropriate accommodation by visiting the following page:

Accessibility Accommodation for Applicants

Equal Opportunity Statement

The Art Institute of Chicago is an Equal Opportunity Employer that recruits, hires and promotes qualified individuals compliant with federal and state laws. 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.