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McMullan Arts Leadership Internship — Interpretation, Creative Programs (Summer 2025)

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, centering the vision of artists and makers. We recognize that all art is made in a particular context, demanding continual, dynamic reconsideration in the present. We are a place of gathering; we foster the exchange of ideas and inspire an expansive, inclusive understanding of human creativity.

Expected Range: $16.73 per hour

Job Classification: Intern

Grade Level: Not Applicable

This role is not eligible for benefits or PTO.

POSITION SUMMARY:

The Art Institute of Chicago’s Interpretation department is excited to offer a McMullan Arts Leadership intern position to work on creative programs with their Gallery Activation team.

Gallery Activation is the programming team within the department of Interpretation. Programs include tours, artmaking workshops, conversations, and more, designed primarily for adult audiences. They are welcoming, dynamic, and memorable experiences connecting people with art, each other, and themselves. They provide accessible strategies for interpreting artwork that are fun, challenging, and relevant to engaging with art in museums, galleries, academic settings, studios, and in one’s own community. To the extent possible, activations are responsive to participant needs and interests, respecting questions and comments as opportunities to enrich the discussion and invite individuals into a dialogue.

The intern will support Gallery Activation’s public programs for adults, with a focus on art making experiences inspired by what’s on view at the museum. Existing art making programs that invite participants to engage in creative activity include Drop-In Sketching, Saturday Studio, and Writing in the Galleries. The intern will assist with the presentation of these programs at the museum as well as in selected off-site locations around the city of Chicago (for example, at Chicago Public Library branches). Additionally, the intern will have the opportunity to lead museum tours with self-designed itineraries, highlighting the diverse range of the museum’s collection.

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 Interpretation. Mentorship is provided throughout the experience and connections with an intern alumni network will be established.

Goals of the McMullan Arts Leadership Internship Program

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.

The primary objective of this internship is to support students who will encounter economic challenges if considering a career in the arts. Aligned with this goal, we aim to 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:

Gain hands-on experience developing and facilitating museum artmaking programs;
Research, plan, and develop gallery tours and conversations;
Contribute to the development and implementation of museum Interpretation and programming strategy;
Develop mentor relationships with field practitioners;
Build peer-to-peer relationships with other interns through museum-wide internship activities.

DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:

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

Supporting art making experiences in the galleries, primarily for adults;
Supporting off-site art making programs, organized in collaboration with the museum’s civic partners (e.g. at Chicago Public Library branches);
Planning and leading gallery tours using socially relevant storylines and highlighting the diverse range of the museum’s collection;
Participating in Gallery Activation team discussions that assess and shape in-gallery experiences, present and future;
Participating in regular check-ins with the mentors of this position: Associate Director, Gallery Activation and Director, Gallery Activation;
Attending intern cohort professional development programs and museum practice seminars.

QUALIFICATIONS:

Undergraduate or graduate student; recent graduates (within one year of graduation upon applying) will also be considered
Applicants must be based or attending school in the Chicagoland area and eligible to work in the US during the summer internship term
Engages in an active creating practice in visual art or writing
Possesses enthusiasm for engaging with the museum’s public audiences, especially adults and visitors from all over Chicago
Ability or willingness to commute to varied locations in Chicago for off-site programs (travel funds—including gas, public transportation, or rideshare fees—would be reimbursed)

APPLICATION:

You must upload all of the requested materials below (résumé, essay responses, and digital portfolio) into only pdf document and list your last name and “Summer 2025” in the title of the file (example: [LAST NAME]_SUMMER2025.pdf.) Please upload your materials where asked in the online application.

Please note: You will 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:

Résumé
Short Essays: Instead 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:
- What about this opportunity interests you the most?
- With the goals of the McMullan Arts Leadership intern program in mind, what unique values, experiences, or perspectives would you bring to this role?
- How do you envision this opportunity helping you towards your professional goals?
- Please describe your creative practice(s).
Digital Portfolio with examples of visual art, writing, or relevant creative project(s)
- The digital portfolio may come in any appropriate format, for example a link to a website or social media account, a Word document with links, or an accessible Google Drive/Dropbox folder.

DEADLINE:

This application will close on Friday, March 7th at 11:59 pm CDT. Selected applicants will be asked to interview via video call approximately two weeks after deadline passes.

INTERNSHIP INFORMATION:

Duration of Position: 10 weeks / June 2025 (start date anytime during the week of June 2–6) through August 2025 (end date anytime during the week of August 4–8)

Compensation: Paid – $16.73/hr – 28 hrs/week – Temporary

Schedule: This is a part-time, 10-week position for a currently enrolled or recently graduated undergraduate or graduate student. The intern will work 28 hours per week, for a total of up to 280 hours over the course of the internship. Work days will typically occur between Monday–Friday, with some Saturdays when programs are scheduled; 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 a hybrid of onsite and remote workdays. 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, but technological accommodations will be provided by the Art Institute of Chicago.

Number of openings: 1

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.