Reclaiming My Time Programming Assistant Internship

NOTE: Applications submitted through Handshake will NOT be considered.

Desired Majors and Areas of Study: African American Studies; Design; Art; Art History; Museum Studies

The Reclaiming My Time Programming Assistant Internship is located within the National Museum of African American History and Culture’s (NMAAHC) Office of External Affairs’ Public Programs Department. The office of Public Programs designs and implements engaging and educational public programs with a social justice focus based on the museum’s collections and exhibitions. Collaborating with departments across the Museum—including the Office of Special Events, the Office of Curatorial Affairs, the Office of Advancement, and the Office of Public Affairs—the department primarily develops intellectually challenging and participatory events to engage the Museum’s audiences in understanding history through the lens of the African American experience. Mobilizing a wide range of program formats, such as Historically Speaking, Through the African American Lens, A Seat at the Table, Community Day, the Simmons Talks, Taking the Stage, and more, the Office of Public Programs invites public audiences to delve deeper into stories facilitated by esteemed authors, academics, journalists, artists, filmmakers, cultural critics, and experts in their fields and lend their own voices to the ongoing conversation. 

The Reclaiming My Time Programming Assistant Intern will gain valuable experience in the development, administration, and implementation of public programs at the Museum. The focus of the internship will be on uplifting the Museum’s design collection and the upcoming exhibition, Reclaiming My Time, a display within the Visual Arts Gallery featuring seating by Black designers and its intersections with themes of rest, restoration, and resistance. The intern will assist in developing a suite of programming related to the exhibition, including a panel discussion, book talk, film screening, and hands-on workshop. They can expect to perform research, develop written materials, compile and organize promotional assets, assist with correspondence, attend departmental meetings, liaise with partners throughout the museum, and contribute to program logistics, including registration, calendaring, community outreach, and promotion. These tasks will enable the intern to develop a working knowledge of public programming timelines, milestones, and requirements; gain experience planning and developing public programs for a wide range of audiences; experience enhancing community/audience outreach and engagement; gain understanding of how programming enhances and complements collections and exhibitions; and develop broad view of museum organization and interdepartmental collaboration.

 At the conclusion of the internship, the intern will have developed valuable experience in the core functions of a public programming team at a museum while working in close contact with mentors within the department, providing a robust grounding in museum education best practices.

Duties Include (but are not limited to):

• Conducting background research on potential speakers and panelists for programs and related objects in the collection 
• Developing strategies for outreach and audience engagement 
• Authoring and copyediting program-specific materials, including program descriptions, discussion questions, and promotional collateral 
• Researching methods to enhance program visibility and participation 
• Supporting programming team with administrative tasks