Interpretive Planning and Historical Research Internship

NOTE: Applications submitted through Handshake will NOT be considered.

Desired Majors or Areas of Study: Museum Studies, Museum Education, African American Studies, Africana/African Diaspora Studies and History, Latin American and Caribbean History, American Studies, Public History, Performance Studies, but all encouraged to apply

The Interpretive Planning and Historical Research Internship is located within the Office of Strategic Partnerships (OSP) at the National Museum of African American History and Culture (NMAAHC). OSP exists to strengthen the capabilities and sustainability of historical, cultural, and art institutions focused on African American and African Diaspora, which we do through our collaborations with museum service organizations, professional associations, and related organizations. Through collaboration and partnerships, OSP delivers far-reaching and transformative support for under-resourced organizations on a regional, national, and international level; connects and builds awareness about the work of its participating institutions; provides access to training and resources that support and advance leaders and field-wide best practices.

The Office of Strategic Partnerships operates a suite of annual hybrid interpretive programs for the museum field including the Ethical Interpretation Workshop, a signature program of NMAAHC/OSP and a professional development training on Urban Environmentalism, in collaboration with the Smithsonian’s Anacostia Community Museum. While examples of both environmentalism and ethical interpretation in practice are present throughout the museum’s object collection, digital offerings, and its physical museum exhibitions, there is no single exhibition that focuses on either of these topics exclusively. The Office of Strategic Partnerships Intern will learn through a project focusing on the development of two new exhibition guides that illustrate the work of OSP in practice – one specifically focused on ethical theory and practice and the other on urban environmentalism, to illustrate the ongoing relationship of African American communities and the natural world around them. 

The intern can expect to learn the multidisciplinary nature of museum exhibitions and interpretation; develop a deeper understanding for and ability to communicate the relationships between African American or African Diasporic communities and the natural world; develop object-specific and biographical research skills; Gain insights about exhibition rotation cycles and object display length for a variety of collections materials; learn how to interpret material culture and stories in a way that makes them intelligible to a broad cross-section of the public, particularly those interested in African American art, history, and culture; gain object interpretation, public speaking, and storytelling skills; learn how to distill a large quantity of multimedia exhibition information into a thematic, succinct, and accessible museum tour; build an understanding of effective methods for program facilitation and audience engagement techniques.

As time permits, additional experiences could include the assistance of planning/scheduling/facilitation of a few virtual professional development programs and/or meetups for the Community of Practice that has actively developed around the fields of ethical interpretation and environmental justice. The selected intern will join the planning teams for these multiple initiatives and assist in the development of program-related materials for each. The intern will perform research and support administrative tasks related to these topics/programs. 

Duties Include (but are not limited to):

• Participate in an online review and physical walkthrough of all museum exhibition galleries with OSP Staff, and other NMAAHC curators, as available 
• Research effective methods of program facilitation and audience engagement techniques
• Identify and research key objects on view in NMAAHC exhibitions that fit within the scope and intended content of this project
• Design two (2) OSP-centered exhibition guides on the topics of ethical theory and practice and urban environmentalism for NMAAHC’s physical exhibitions
• Create a presentation and/or talking points for each exhibition guide that can be used by other NMAAHC curators, docents, and museum staff on OSP-centered tours 
• Observe Museum leadership and strategic planning initiatives.
• Attend virtual cross-departmental meetings, workshops, and special events