Undergraduate Curatorial Training

Curatorial internships and fellowships provide behind-the-scenes museum experience, access to myriad resources, and mentorship with the Art Institute’s distinguished curators—invaluable experience for pursuing a career within the museum field.

Aic 2019 Summer Academy Objects Conservation Lab

The McMullan Family Foundation Summer Intensive

The McMullan Family Foundation Summer Intensive is a weeklong program exposing undergraduate students to museum professions through workshops, behind-the-scenes tours, field trips, and networking events.

The 2022 program focuses on the theme of “The Museum Space,” which considers the museum’s relationship to real and imagined environments, both within and outside of its physical footprint. This year’s program will run June 13–18.

Please note that we are keeping an eye on the current COVID-19 situation and will adjust to a virtual format if necessary.

Students who complete the summer intensive are eligible to apply for a two-year fellowship at the museum, a part-time opportunity to pursue alongside their academic programs.

The application for the 2022 McMullan Family Foundation Summer Intensive is now closed.

Undergraduates who are currently enrolled at a university, college, or community college, and if selected as a fellow, can commit to two years on-site in the program with graduation planned for May 2024 or a later date. Typically participants are current first- or second-year students and/or nontraditional students with two years of undergraduate study remaining.

Students who have an interest in learning more about museums and how museums work, art and art history, and the wide range of career paths in the museum field. Previous coursework or job experience in these fields is a plus, but not required.

Students who are based or attending school in the Midwest or Chicagoland area. Applicants must be eligible to work in the United States and able to physically access the museum for the duration of the program.

Students who are able to attend the McMullan Family Foundation Summer Intensive program in its entirety.

Most importantly, students who aim to support the goal of promoting inclusive museums that showcase a multiplicity of voices, perspectives, and identities, and who would benefit from the unique support and access that this opportunity provides.

The McMullan Family Foundation Summer Intensive application is available through Friday, March 18, when it will close at 10:00 p.m. CDT.

Your application must include the following:

1. One Letter of Recommendation

Applicants must have one confidential letter of recommendation. A letter of recommendation can be submitted by faculty at your college or university or by current or past employers who are familiar with your skills and abilities. Recommenders are asked to explain how this program would help the applicant in their academic and career pursuits.

The letter of recommendation must be submitted via email to aerdept@artic.edu by Friday, March 18, at 10:00 p.m. CDT. The recommendation must come directly from the recommender’s institutional e-mail, it should be a word document or pdf file, and the email subject line should state “APPLICANT NAME-2022 SUMMER INTENSIVE PROGRAM.”

2. Application Document

When applying to this position on the museum’s HR Career Portal, please upload a single word document or pdf file that contains all three of the components listed below:

Personal Statement
Please limit the personal statement to no more than 700 words (two typed pages, double-spaced). The personal statement should address the following questions/ topics:

What interests you about the McMullan Family Foundation Summer Intensive and fellowship program?
Drawing on your extracurricular activities, areas of study, background, or other experiences, explain how you aim to contribute to an inclusive, multivocal future for art museums.
Provide an example of an experience where you were able to offer your unique perspective to a project, discussion, or dialogue and explain the impact you had.

Résumé
In your résumé, please include:

Contact information (phone number, email, current mailing address, and permanent address)
Current major
Cumulative GPA. If your school does not follow a GPA system, please indicate “GPA not available, pass/fail system.”
Expected graduation date
Relevant employment and volunteer experiences
Computer and language skills
Name and contact information (phone and email) of the person who is submitting your letter of recommendation.

Academic Transcripts
Please provide unofficial transcripts for your entire undergraduate career, including the college or university you currently attend and any you may have previously attended.

We expect to accept 18 students into the 2022 program. Applicants will be notified whether or not they have been accepted by Friday, April 29, 2022.

Summer Intensive participants will be eligible to apply for the undergraduate fellowship after attending the Summer Intensive. It is not possible to apply for the fellowship without participating in the Summer Intensive.

Participants will be given a stipend the week before the program begins to assist them for the duration of the program.

Housing that is walking distance from the museum is encouraged and can be provided.

The McMullan Family Foundation Summer Intensive and the McMullan Art Leadership Initiative are supported by the James and Madeleine McMullan Foundation.

Share

Eligibility and Qualifications

Application Details

Selection Process

Stipend and Housing

Share

Sign up for our enewsletter to receive updates.

Gallery actions

Image actions

Share