Internships

The Art Gallery of NSW is pleased to announce internship opportunities for Semester 1, 2012. Applications for these internships are due by 30 March 2012. A second round of internships will be offered in Semester 2 and in summer 2012/13, pending available projects.

Guidelines

Internships are generally available only to currently enrolled tertiary-level students.
Priority is given to students enrolled in museum studies, art history, visual arts, art education or arts administration courses, and in particular to those students for whom an internship is a course requirement.
Preference is given to students enrolled in educational institutions in New South Wales.

Information for applicants

Internships at the Art Gallery of NSW are greatly sought after by many people, which makes the application process highly competitive.
Each application will be assessed on its merits.
Your application should respond to one of the calls for interns listed below. Please read the description carefully and address the selection criteria in your cover letter.
Successful applicants will be subject to an interview to further determine their suitability.
Successful applicants may be subject to security clearance and working-with-children checks.

How to apply

1. Download the application form below, print it and complete it.

Internship application form (PDF 35.7 KB)

2. Send the following:

Completed application form
Covering letter, clearly addressing the selection criteria
Curriculum vitae
Contact details of two referees (recent or current lecturers/tutors recommended)
Any other documents from your educational institution supporting your case for internship and detailing internship requirements

to:

Tertiary programs co-ordinator
Art Gallery of New South Wales
Art Gallery Road
The Domain Sydney NSW 2000
tertiary@ag.nsw.gov.au

Applications Close 30 March 2012

INTERNSHIPS AVAILABLE

Asian art (curatorial)

To assist the curator of Chinese art in preparation for an upcoming publication.

Start date: End of May 2012

Duration: 2 days per week x 10 weeks

Selection criteria:

Enrolment in or completion of a tertiary degree in art history, curatorship or museum studies
Excellent research skills
High level of organisation and attention to detail
Ability to prioritise workloads, problem-solve and work both independently and collaboratively with the curator of Chinese art
Fluent knowledge of English and Chinese languages

Tasks include:

Research in Chinese art history
Translation from Chinese to English

Contemporary art (curatorial)

To assist the head curator of international art, the curator of contemporary art and the assistant curator of contemporary art with reorganising and documenting information on contemporary artists in the Gallery collection.

Start date: 23 April 2012

Duration: 2 days per week x 10 weeks

Selection criteria:

Enrolment in or completion of a tertiary art history, curatorship or museum studies program
Excellent research and writing skills
Excellent organisational skills
Good computer skills including databases
Attention to detail
Interest in working with the Art Gallery of NSW collection
Passion for contemporary art

Tasks include:

Liaising with the relevant curators to document and reorganise artist-related information/files
Keeping artist files in order

Photography (curatorial)

To assist the senior curator of Photographs with research for a major upcoming exhibition as well as collection research, as required.

Start date: 16 April or 23 April 2012

Duration: 1 days per week x 20 weeks

Selection criteria:

Enrolment in or completion of a tertiary art history, curatorship or museum studies program
Strong background in art history and history of photography, both Australian and international
Excellent research and writing skills
High level of organisation and attention to detail

Tasks include:

Working on a chronology for an upcoming exhibition on Australian photography
Researching collections of Australian photography, including libraries, art museums, archives, museums and private collections, both in Australia and overseas
Building a bibliography of publications on Australian photography

Art After Hours (Public programs dept)

To assist public programs coordinators with the planning and implementation of the Gallery’s Wednesday night program, “Art After Hours”, as well as symposia, lectures and exhibition talks, as required.

Start date: 16 April or 23 April 2012

Duration: 2 days per week x 10 weeks

Selection criteria:

Enrolment in or completion of a postgraduate degree in art history, art education, curatorship, arts administration or museum studies with a focus on art history
Knowledge of art history and an interest in researching exhibitions and programs in a gallery environment
Highly developed communication skills and the ability to assist in writing program copy
Ability to assist with the administration and implementation of programs with lecturers and presenters of special events
Ability to work effectively within a team
Ability to respond calmly, exercise initiative and act decisively in stressful situations
Good powers of observation and a demonstrated willingness and ability to work with minimal supervision
Good interpersonal skills and the aptitude to write clear, concise and accurate reports when required
Strong research skills, with a focus on the museums and galleries sector
Interest in learning about the Gallery’s adult audiences
Ability to assist Public Programs staff to ensure visitor satisfaction and safety, as well as safety and security of artworks, and to respond to visitor inquiries and provide excellent communication with Gallery visitors
Availability to work Wednesday evenings until 9pm

Tasks include:

Assisting with initial research and planning for upcoming exhibition programs
Assisting with and implementing planned programs, including AV set-up, introducing speakers, managing audiences and program reporting

Access programs (Public programs dept)

To work with the access programs coordinator to assist in developing the “creative ageing” program for people with dementia. Also, research towards a database of health services, planning and evaluation of nursing home visits, assistance in planning of the community development day and supporting access programs tours.

Start date: 16 April or 23 April 2012

Duration: 2 days per week x 10 weeks

Selection criteria:

Enrolment in or completion of a tertiary art history, art education or museum studies program
Demonstrated interest and/or experience in public programs and visitor engagement
Demonstrated interest and/or experience in museum education
Demonstrated interest and/or experience in community development
Knowledge of art history
Familiarity with navigating library resources
Ability to engage with a wide range of gallery audiences with professionalism
Excellent organisational skills with the ability to prioritise workloads, problem-solve and work both independently and collaboratively

Tasks include:

Create a database of health services for senior people
Assist with the Community development day
Develop questioning strategies for engaging senior people with dementia in art
Plan, evaluate and write a report about “Creative ageing” nursing home visits

Audience research (Public programs dept)

Working with the coordinators of contemporary and Australian art public programs, to undertake an audience evaluation by developing, facilitating and reporting on visitor learning experiences with the Gallery’s new iPad app. Also, comprehensive audience and speaker research for upcoming public programs, including Art After Hours and programs associated with the contemporary and Australian collections.

Start date: 15 May 2012

Duration: 2 days per week x 10 weeks

Selection criteria:

Enrolment in or completion of a postgraduate degree in art history, art education, curatorship or museum studies with a focus on art history
Demonstrated interest and/or experience in public programs and visitor engagement
Demonstrated interest and/or experience in museum education and the use of mobile learning in cultural institutions
Knowledge of art history and in particular contemporary and Australian art
Knowledge of museum education theory and practice
Ability to engage with a wide range of gallery audiences with professionalism
Familiarity with navigating scholarly databases and library resources
Ability to work both with a team and autonomously on self-directed projects

Tasks include:

Research existing literature on visitor evaluations in art institutions and culminate findings in a report
Work with the education and public programs staff to develop a visitor evaluation strategy based on prior findings to determine learning outcomes of the Gallery’s iPad app
Facilitate the visitor evaluation in the contemporary gallery space via audience observation and questionnaire
Report on findings in a written document and in a presentation to the public programs team
Assist the coordinators of contemporary and public programs in research for upcoming public programs, including Art After Hours and programs associated with the Australian and contemporary collections

Research library (Research library and archive)

To assist in library-related tasks such as cataloguing, shelving, data entry and research

Start date: 16 April or 23 April 2012

Duration: full time or part-time – duration flexible

Selection criteria:

Enrolment in or completion of a tertiary library studies or library technician program
Knowledge of art history
Familiarity with navigating library resources
Ability to engage with a wide range of gallery audiences with professionalism
Excellent organisational skills with the ability to prioritise workloads, problem-solve and work both independently and collaboratively

Tasks include:

Research
Cataloguing
Shelving

Artist archives (Research library and archive)

To assist the Archivist in artist research and other archive-related tasks.

Start date: 16 April or 23 April 2012

Duration: 2 days per week x 10 weeks

Selection criteria:

Enrolment in or completion of a degree in art history, curatorship or museum studies
Familiarity with navigating library resources
Excellent research skills
High level of organisation and attention to detail
Excellent organisational skills with the ability to prioritise workloads, problem-solve and work both independently and collaboratively

Tasks:

Research
Registration
Cataloguing
Sorting

Conservation dept

Working with the conservation department, to enter information in the Gallery’s collection database, updating and creating conservation records as required. The intern will also observe the day-to-day running of the department and gain experience in using the terminology and procedures associated with writing conservation condition and treatment reports.

(4 positions available)

Start date: 16 April or 23 April 2012

Duration: 1 days per week x 10 weeks (flexible)

Selection criteria:

Enrolment in a postgraduate arts-related course (such as conservation, museum studies, art history, curatorship, visual arts, art education or arts administration)
Experience using computers and writing reports is essential

Tasks include:

Data entry
Updating and creating of conservation records

Marketing dept

To provide administrative support for the Marketing department during the Archibald Prize and Kamisaka Sekka exhibitions.

Start date: 16 April or 23 April 2012

Duration: 2 days per week x 10 weeks

Selection criteria:

Enrolment in a degree in art, marketing, arts management, museum studies or related discipline (preferably studying toward a postgraduate qualification)
Excellent research and writing skills
Excellent organisational skills
Good computer skills including databases
Excellent attention to detail
Ability to work unsupervised for periods, lateral thinking, ability to take initiative
Interest in working through the preliminary stages of exhibition and publication research

Tasks include:

Research target audiences for the Archibald prize and Kamisaka Sekka exhibitions
Liaising with key institutions, organisations and community groups to find effective ways to gain reach into the communities
Organising cross-promotions and competitions with the groups. Organising representation, stands, seat drops, prize dispatch, posters etc at festivals and events within the community
Working with Media office in researching publications and media to maximise our exposure within the community
Assisting with media scheduling, including researching relevant publications, requesting rates and deadlines and updating media schedules
Liaising internally with others (including Marketing, Graphic design, Curatorial, Public programs and Business development) on events and marketing materials for the exhibition
Managing mail-outs and direct marketing to groups
Scanning, photocopying, mailing and emailing
Keeping records up-to-date, including advertising guard books, budgets, schedules
Identifying relevant organisations for potential cross-promotion
Requesting media kits
Any other general administrative duties as requested by the marketing team

Media office: Open Weekend

To assist the Media relations managers with media liaison and office duties in the lead-up to the Open Weekend (12 & 13 May 2012).

This year’s Open Weekend festival celebrates the Gallery’s Australian collection, to coincide with the recent refurbishment of our twentieth-century Australian gallery. It will include a series of special events, talks, workshops and musical performances by local and national artists, curators, writers and musicians. Open Weekend is an annual Gallery festival that attracts more than 13,000 attendees.

Start date: 16 April or 23 April 2012

Duration: 2 days per week x (up to) 4 weeks

Selection criteria:

Excellent computer skills especially in Photoshop, FileMaker Pro and Excel, demonstrating a high degree of accuracy
Excellent organisational skills with the ability to prioritise workloads, problem-solve and work both independently and collaboratively
Excellent communication skills with the ability to work confidently with outside organisations
Availability to work flexible hours – essential
Degree (or part thereof) in fine or visual Arts, communications, marketing or related discipline – preferred

Tasks include:

Accurate data entry and database management
Some direct communications with local and regional media
Supervision and liaison with film crews and other media photographers
Making timely reports to the media relations managers

Legal dept

To assist the Gallery’s legal advisor in research and writing.

Start date: 16 April or 23 April 2012

Duration: 5 days per week x 16 weeks, or equivalent part-time

Selection criteria:

Enrolment in or completion of a tertiary legal qualification
Interest and/or experience in museums/art
Excellent organisational skills with the ability to prioritise workloads, problem-solve and work independently with professional guidance
Strong research skills
Ability to analyse and communicate complex information
Excellent written communication skills
Preference will be given to students enrolled in the UTS Bachelor of Laws degree

Tasks include:

Legal research and writing
Filing

Web and new media: Online educational resources project

To assist in creating the “30 years of Artexpress” website and the Art prizes database for launch on the Gallery’s website. Also, to assist in reworking the Gallery’s large collection of online education kits (currently in PDF format) to become more accessible.

Start date: 16 April or 23 April 2012

Duration: 2 days per week x 10 weeks, preferably Thursdays and Fridays

Selection criteria:

Enrolment in or completion of a tertiary degree in art history, art education, art curatorship or museum studies
Attention to detail
Excellent research and writing skills
Experience with digital images

Tasks include:

Uploading images and information about the artists and their work into the Gallery’s CMS databases
Checking copyright approvals with the copyright department, for all images used
Proofing texts and layout
Making inaccessible PDFs more accessible
Writing summary text, introductions, etc

INTERNSHIPS ON SPECULATION

The Gallery is generally unable to take on interns who apply on speculation – that is, for an internship outside of these specified opportunities. However, if you have a proposal for a specific project for which you possess specialised skills/experience, the Gallery can take it under consideration. You should outline your proposed project in as much detail as possible, nominating the specific department with which your project could sit (eg, curatorial, public programs, conservation, marketing) and demonstrating your relevant skills and experience.

Applicants should demonstrate a strong familiarity with the Gallery, its collections, operations and structure.

Please ensure you follow all guidelines for application and submit the application form, cover letter, your CV and any supporting documentation by 30 March 2012. Please note such applications may take longer than usual to process.