Internships are available to undergraduates and graduate students who have a background in art history, American studies, or American history and are looking for the opportunity to conduct research in primary sources, process archival collections, prepare written descriptions of collection contents, and assist with registrarial duties.

The Dick Louie Memorial Internship for Americans of Asian Descent
The Freer and Sackler Galleries, the national museum of Asian art at the Smithsonian Institution, offers a paid internship for high school students of Asian descent. The Richard Louie Memorial Internship was established in 1994 to honor Richard Louie, former associate director of the Freer and Sackler Galleries and is made possible by funds donated through the Richard Louie Memorial Fund. Its goal is to offer young people of Asian descent practical experience in a museum setting.

Fall, spring, and summer internships are offered to students enrolled in undergraduate and graduate programs and to individuals interested in exploring museum professions. Internship opportunities are available in the following departments: conservation, curatorial, education, exhibition and design, photographic archives, public affairs, and registration. Candidates must have a background in art history, anthropology, museum studies, or a related discipline. Specific training in African art or other aspects of African culture is desirable, particularly in the Education and Curatorial Departments.

Katzenberger Art History Internship Program

The Katzenberger Foundation Art History Internship Program is a need-based program supporting internships for undergraduates in research and collections projects at the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C. The program is generously funded by the Katzenberger Foundation and administered by the Smithsonian Center for Education and Museum Studies. Depending upon grant funding, six to seven internships are offered yearly during the summer, and located in Washington, D.C., at the Smithsonian’s art museums and archives, and a $5,000 stipend is awarded to the student. The summer internship lasts 10 weeks from the beginning of June until mid-August. The program is open to U.S. citizens (only), enrolled as undergraduate Juniors, Seniors, or equivalent, in a degree granting program, at an accredited institution, with a declared art history major, concentration, or related discipline, who qualify for federal student aid.

Past projects have included Islamic manuscript curatorial assistant, oral history documentation at the Archives of American Art, American and Asian Art collections management at the Freer and Sackler Galleries, Library intern at the Smithsonian American Art Museum Library, Collections intern at the National Museum of African American History and Culture, and education projects at the National Portrait Gallery. Final summary report and evaluation required.

How to Apply
Please apply using the Smithsonian online application system https://solaa.si.edu. Paper applications will not be considered.
1. Register for SOLAA
2. Select “internship”
3. Select “Smithsonian Katzenberger Art History Internship Program”

Please be aware that complete applications must include the following:
Resume
Academic Essay: 3-4 pages describing how your academic goals, qualifications, and career aspirations relate to art history and the internship program at the Smithsonian
Academic Transcripts: can be official or unofficial; URL links not accepted
Two letters of reference from professors; If preferred, a professor can e-mail the reference letter directly to tspinale@si.edu.

Internships are available to undergraduate and graduate students with an interest in documenting and interpreting the effect of historical and contemporary social and cultural issues on communities.. They are available in the Registrar's Office and the following departments: Research, Exhibits Design and Production, Education, Public Programs, and Public Affairs. The Intern Coordinator must be contacted prior to application submission for applications to be considered.

Internships are available to undergraduate seniors and graduate students who have a background in art history, American studies, or American history and are looking for the opportunity to conduct research in primary sources, process archival collections, prepare written descriptions of collection contents, and assist with registrarial duties.

The Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Program works to better reflect the Asian Pacific American experience in Smithsonian exhibitions, programs, and research. It improves the public’s appreciation of the crucial roles that Asian Pacific Americans have played in American history and, simultaneously, empowers APA communities in their sense of inclusion within our national culture.
Contact: Internship Coordinator, anielkr@si.edu for more information about internship opportunities within the Program.

Fall, spring, and summer internships are offered to students enrolled in undergraduate and graduate programs and to individuals interested in exploring museum professions. Internship opportunities are available in the following departments: conservation, curatorial, education, exhibition and design, photographic archives, public affairs, and registration. Candidates must have a background in art history, anthropology, museum studies, or a related discipline. Specific training in African art or other aspects of African culture is desirable, particularly in the Education and Curatorial Departments.

Internships are available to undergraduate seniors and graduate students who have a background in art history, American studies, or American history and are looking for the opportunity to conduct research in primary sources, process archival collections, prepare written descriptions of collection contents, and assist with registrarial duties.

The Office of Contracting and Personal Property Management (OCon&PPM) acquires goods and services, negotiates contracts and agreements, manages the charge card program, and provides leadership in personal property management in support of the objectives and goals of the Smithsonian Institution. Interns in OCon&PPM complete tasks that involve researching and synopsizing for assigned preceptors various Public Laws, regulatory agencies’ requirements and internal policy and procedural issuances. The preceptors will use the information to: determine what impact the various issuances have on acquisitions and personal property management operations; draft reports, updating acquisition and personal property management policies and procedures, and establishing or refining templates for contracts and agreements.  Interns shall also be requested to further research regulatory, administrative and office workload issues, and be assigned other office administration, procurement or personal property management related tasks by their preceptors. Interns’ assignments may relate specifically to activities of the immediate office of the Director or one or more of five Divisions. 

Legal interns in the OGC assist the attorneys in all subject matter areas. They perform traditional case law research, prepare legal memoranda for use in briefs and motions, review agreements, survey state law, and research legislative history. When possible, interns are invited to attend hearings, depositions, and meetings. OGC accepts applications from second and third year law students (or rising 2Ls and 3Ls) for school-term and summer internships. School term interns work an average of 15 hours a week.  Summer work a minimum of 10 weeks.   Interested applicants should send a resume, transcript, and legal writing sample to Farleigh Earhart by email at earhartf@si.edu or mail to Smithsonian Institution Office of General Counsel, P.O. Box 23286, Washington, DC 20026-3286.  (Transcripts need not be official, unofficial transcripts may be submitted electronically.) Applications for fall internships and spring internships should be sent no later than August 1 and November 1, respectively.  Applications for summer internships should be sent by February 15.

Internships are available in the following areas: accounting, finance, management, public administration, information systems, or liberal arts. For more information about available internships, please see our website:

The mission of the Smithsonian Center for Education and Museum Studies is to increase the Smithsonian Institution’s impact as a national educational organization.  The Center provides leadership in education at the Smithsonian through hosting www.SmithsonianEducation.org, the gateway to the institution’s educational resources and programs, publishing Smithsonian in Your Classroom, a journal for elementary and middle school educators, offering research opportunities and resources to the museum community, and conducting professional development programs for educators at all levels. The Center has created a long-term alliance with state education officials that has become the basis for several collaborative teacher training and resource development projects in a wide range of subjects. The Center also manages pan-institutional functions such as internships, heritage month celebrations, school tour programming, and the collection and analysis of data on Smithsonian education programs.

Publications and New Media Intern
Research and writing for electronic media (not print) – http://smithsonianeducation.org. Possess strong writing skills; Marketing, Journalism, Writing, English majors. Start and End dates are flexible; Part-time position.  Please submit a writing sample in the ESSAY section of the SOLAA system; Select the ‘Website, New Media and Electronic Publications’ project in SOLAA.

Audience Evaluation / Education Outcomes Intern
Implement evaluation projects for education programs across the entire Smithsonian Institution. Assist with different phases of evaluation projects – conceptualization, collection and analysis of data, & report results to different audiences; Statistical analysis and collection and analysis of qualitative data (focus groups and in-depth interviews). Advanced level undergraduate or graduate student with experience and interest in museum and program evaluation.  Evaluation, anthropology or sociology background. At least 3 days per week or 20 + hours. Flexible schedule, but at least a 6 month commitment to the project. In the ESSAY section of SOLAA, be sure to describe a work or class project in which you interviewed the public.  Select the ‘Audience Research, Interviewing and Evaluation’ project in SOLAA.

Natural History Research Experience (NHRE)

The National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution, hosts a world-class research staff and unparalleled scientific research collections. Natural History Research Experience (NHRE) summer internships pair undergraduates with members of the Natural History research and collections staff, providing a hands-on introduction to scientific research. Here is an opportunity for students to engage in an original research project with a scientific mentor from one or more of the scholarly disciplines at the National Museum of Natural History: Anthropology, Botany, Entomology, Invertebrate Zoology, Mineral Science, Paleobiology, Vertebrate Zoology, and Museum Education. Additional activities include behind-the-scenes events and tours at the museum.

The National Museum of Natural History (NMNH) is located on the National Mall in the heart of Washington DC. The program runs from June 1 to August 6, 2010. Students selected will receive a stipend of $5,000 and housing at a local university. A relocation allowance may also be requested.

Previous research experience is not required, and we encourage applications from ethnic minorities and members of other underrepresented groups.