McMullan Arts Leadership Internship — Imaging, Photography and Production (Summer 2025)
McMullan Arts Leadership Internship — Imaging, Photography and Production (Summer 2025)
POSITION SUMMARY:
The Art Institute of Chicago’s department of Imaging is excited to offer a McMullan Arts Leadership intern position to work with their Photography and Production teams.
- Expected Range: $16.73 per hour
- Job Classification: Intern
- Grade Level: Not Applicable
This role is not eligible for benefits or PTO.
The Imaging department captures and archives photographs of the museum, including its collections, exhibitions, conservation efforts, gallery spaces and buildings, events, staff, and visitors. Our work is centered around three key pillars:
● Creating high-quality images that document and preserve the Art Institute's collections, exhibitions, conservation studies, and institutional life;
● Promoting understanding about the museum and the greater cultural heritage community through specialized imaging;
● Building our expertise as creators, documentarians, and archivists through the adoption of innovative techniques and best practices.
The intern for this role will work closely with the Photography and Production teams of the department, collaborating side-by-side with Imaging staff to develop your technical and narrative skills to effectively document art objects. The intern selected for this position will be introduced to the lifecycle of imaging work, from image creation to editing, metadata creation, file management, and ongoing access and reuse. The intern will also have multiple opportunities to assist our team of photographers, working in both 2D- and 3D- studios.
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 Imaging. 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:
At the end of this internship, the intern will:
● Gain practical experience in the stewardship of digital images, helping to foster visual literacy and digital asset management skills;
● Gain experience working with Collection Management software (CITI), Digital Asset Management software (NetX), project management software (JIRA), and various photography editing software (Photoshop, Capture One, Bridge, etc.);
● Gain an introduction to technical guidelines for digitizing cultural heritage materials (FADGI standards);
● Learn best practices for cultural heritage photography;
● Learn to use various studio cameras, equipment and lighting techniques;
● Develop strong communication and organizational skills;
● Develop mentor relationships with field practitioners;
● Build peer-to-peer relationships with fellow interns;
● Develop an awareness of the inner-workings of a large art museum with a global collection.
DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:
With guidance from the position’s mentors, the intern will be responsible for:
● Assisting photographers in 2D- and 3D- photography studios and location photography
● Conducting image editing, quality control, and file management;
● Ingesting images into our digital asset management system (NetX);
● Participating in regular meetings with members of the department and the mentors of this position: the associate director of production, the associate director of photography, and the director of imaging;
● 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
● Experience with or interest in learning imaging hardware and software (cameras, lighting, image editing, etc.)
● Enthusiasm for embracing a wide range of projects; ability to multitask and flexibly prioritize when appropriate
● Strong interpersonal, written, and verbal communication skills
● Ability to be open-minded and work collaboratively with colleagues across the museum
● Demonstrated organizational skills and attention to detail
● Committed to the goal of promoting inclusive, pluralistic museums
● Awareness of and/or curiosity about art museum culture and current events in the field
APPLICATION:
You must upload all of the requested materials below (résumé and essay responses) into only one 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.
A Digital Portfolio is requested: The digital portfolio, website, or Google Drive folder must be presented as an accessible hyperlink listed in your resume.
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:
● Résumé
o Include an accessible hyperlink to your digital portfolio, Instagram, website, and/or Google Drive folder of recent photography work in your résumé
● 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:
o What about this opportunity interests you the most?
o With the goals of the McMullan Arts Leadership intern program in mind, what unique values, experiences, or perspectives would you bring to this role?
o How do you envision this opportunity helping you towards your professional goals?
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 – 14 hrs/week
Schedule: This is a part-time, 10-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 140 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 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.