Are you interested in an extended studio, leadership, or mentorship experience at the Art Institute of Chicago? Apply to our Teen Council leadership program, after-school art-making program, and school year and summer internships.
As a part of each of these programs, you’ll work with museum mentors, go behind the scenes at the museum, connect with our world-renowned collection, and gain professional skills. All internships are paid.
Teen Council
September–June
Apply for the Art Institute Teen Council to activate the museum with your voice and perspective. Join a group of 15 creative high school teens to design programs and resources that make the Art Institute a more welcoming, accessible, and relevant space for Chicagoland youth. Previous Teen Council projects include teen art exhibitions, teen museum overnighters, teen parties, and a teen audio guide. Join us and produce the next big thing for teens at the Art Institute.
Applications open in June; interviews take place in July.
For Chicagoland high school teens
“Working with the museum has been one of the most fulfilling activities I’ve ever done. It has made me see that teens have a place here, and I can help make that place a little bit larger with every meeting we have.”
—Mia, Teen Council member
Summer Internship
June–August
Do you have a passion for art? Are you curious about museums? Apply for a summer internship to work with other teens at the Art Institute and support festivals, gallery tours, and workshops that serve thousands of local and international visitors. As an intern you’ll engage with museum professionals, go behind the scenes, connect with our world-renowned collection, meet local artists, and plan and host creative programs.
Applications open in March; interviews take place in early May.
Apply through After School Matters.
For Chicago high school teens who will be at least 16 at the start of the internship
“This internship made me so much more extroverted. Learning interpersonal skills was pivotal to my life. Learning how to talk to people … I don’t know where else I could have learned it. I never spoke in class before and I was able to find a voice in classes after being in this internship.”
—Gus, Summer intern
Support for Summer Learning at the Art Institute of Chicago is generously provided by The Jane Wilson and David Mayhew Stone Charitable Trust.
Teen Council is supported by the Ellen & Ronald Block Family Foundation and the James and Madeleine McMullan Family Foundation.
Teen Lab and Summer Internships are offered in partnership with After School Matters.
The Art Institute of Chicago is grateful to Glenn and Claire Swogger and the Redbud Foundation for their extraordinary sponsorship expanding the museum’s free admission program to Chicago teens under the age of 18.
