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  • 1.  Looking for Success Stories on Open Internship Pipelines

    Posted 08-10-2016 02:38 PM

    AAM is looking to move forward with more resources for museums to start internal discussions about their use of unpaid internships.  This has been the topic of much discussion in our field, including many dialogues and an AAM annual meeting session led by #MuseumWorkersSpeak, a small convening at AAM’s office in May 2016, and we’ve even published some resources to help museum professionals get informed on this topic.

    In a spirit of sharing best practices, we’d like to hear stories from museums who have (a) eliminated unpaid internships altogether, or (b) changed their internship program to increase opportunities for all candidates in the museum career pipeline.  Feel free to share your experiences directly via this thread, or contact me directly at nivy (at) aam-us (dot) org.  We hope to pull together some examples and make them available to more museums address this issue.   

    I look forward to hearing from you!

    Thanks,

    Nicole

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    Nicole Ivy
    Museum Futurist
    American Alliance of Museums
    Arlington VA
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    AAM Annual Meeting & MuseumExpo, Baltimore, May 16-19, 2024, click to learn more


  • 2.  RE: Looking for Success Stories on Open Internship Pipelines

    Posted 08-11-2016 08:54 AM
    Nicole,
    I am very pleased that AAM is promoting discussions on this important topic.  We cannot afford to pay interns, sadly, but we have found ways to expanding the pipeline by expanding our recruitment practices and the programs to which we send announcements of each term's internships.  We vary the mix by targeting community colleges and associate degree programs, as well as colleges and graduate programs. We have also had good responses from city-wide mentorship programs, especially in the summer (when we can accommodate high school students).   Teen and YA programs at your local public library can also spread the word about internships.


    --
    Barbara Cohen-Stratyner, Ph. D.
    Judy R. and Alfred A. Rosenberg Curator of Exhibitions
    Shelby Cullom Davis Museum, The New York Public Library for the Performing
    Arts
    40 Lincoln Center Plaza, New York, NY 10023
    212-870-1830; barbaracohenstratyner@nypl.org


    Come see Magical Designs for Mozart's Magic Flute through August, http://www.nypl.org/events/exhibitions/magical-designs-mozarts-magic-flute?hspace=344293. If you missed them, check out the Shakespeare exhibitions on-line:  Shakespeare's Star Turn in America and Artists for LPA Share Shakespeare here: http://www.nypl.org/events/exhibitions/shakespeares-star-turn-america.

    James Baldwin - You think your pain and your heartbreak are unprecedented in the history of the world, but then you read. [Early Essays]




    Original Message
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  • 3.  RE: Looking for Success Stories on Open Internship Pipelines

    Posted 08-12-2016 08:48 AM

    We are also unable to pay our interns, but we have been working over the past year to make sure that our program is strong and focused on developing students, providing real world work experience, and preparing them to be productive members of the workforce. We very much approach each internship like it is a class, with a syllabus, regular feedback and evaluations, and student assessment of the program. 

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    Amber Sesnick
    Marketing & Communications Coordinator
    The Cummer Museum of Art & Gardens
    Jacksonville FL

    Original Message
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  • 4.  RE: Looking for Success Stories on Open Internship Pipelines

    Posted 08-12-2016 07:13 PM

    After speaking with countless recent grads who were bouncing from one unpaid internship to the next without much prospect for a full time job, I proposed that my museum add a Collections Management Fellowship position to our team.  The fellowship was designed to support museum efforts while also striving to do our part to correct some of the issues presented by unpaid internships.  The position is for emerging professionals only.  Unlike a standard 150-hour internship, the position lasts one year and targets a specific collections management project in the museum.  In addition to gaining the experience and resume building benefits of a full-time position vs. the abbreviated schedule of an internship, the fellow is also given housing with all utilities covered, a travel stipend to get here and a monthly stipend that is nothing fancy, but enough to keep them fed and clothed.  The museum benefits from the flexibility of being able to, for example, bring on a fellow specializing in archives one year and digital media the next.  Because collections management projects are specific, it has been relatively easy to get grants and donations to support the program.  It's not perfect.  It is still a low-paying opportunity, but it provides recent grads with a good chance to gain experience, live in Alaska for a year, and not break the bank doing it.

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    Kristy Griffin
    Curator of Collections & Exhibits
    Sitka History Museum
    Sitka AK

    Original Message
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  • 5.  RE: Looking for Success Stories on Open Internship Pipelines

    Posted 08-15-2016 12:48 PM

    I have never been comfortable with the unpaid internship model, so as Director I have done my best to ensure that we find funds to pay interns, even if it's a small stipend.  Because the University of Washington Museology Program is very nearby, we have benefitted from tens of interns earning course credit or completing a thesis project at our museum. When we formulate internships, we try to be clear about what we have to offer any potential intern, aside from funds: a discrete project which they can put their name on and use as a portfolio piece; an opportunity to fulfill course credit and/or gain specific skills or experience; an opportunity to craft a thesis project; and/or a chance to earn a little extra money. When we write project grants we include stipends as a budget expense. And we have actually hired two former interns in the past ten years; the internship proved an excellent opportunity for us to get to know their strengths and talents, and for them to understand our mission and work environment. I try to see internships as the beginning of a relationship, and for the most part our interns have approached them that way, too.

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    Elizabeth Stewart PhD
    Director
    Renton History Museum
    Renton WA

    Original Message
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  • 6.  RE: Looking for Success Stories on Open Internship Pipelines

    Posted 08-16-2016 09:21 AM

    I implemented a summer internship program last year. The first year it was unpaid. After seeing it be successful, I was able to budget in a stipend for this year. The internship is 2 months long, 3 days a week. I designed it to be flexible, so that way the intern is able to have a summer job or another internship if needed. I will continue to do a summer internship program and hopefully I will be able to bump up the stipend a little every year. 

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    Kali Mason

    Original Message
    AAM Annual Meeting & MuseumExpo, Baltimore, May 16-19, 2024, click to learn more


  • 7.  RE: Looking for Success Stories on Open Internship Pipelines

    Posted 08-17-2016 08:32 AM

    We have a wide mix of internship opportunities - students receiving course credit; unpaid volunteers; interns receiving stipends from a foundation or other org; students participating in required job placement programs. The mix of sources has been a wonderful way to diversify who is interning at our Museum. 

    I am always on the hunt for ways to provide funding. These ways are usually temporary and come with many restrictions and requirements, but it is worth it to get the help we need and pay the individuals doing it. 

    For those interns who are unpaid we have an open application process. Anyone who is over 18 can apply; no restrictions on student status or prior experience. The only requirement is that you want to work on developing a museum career. We accept as many as we are able and those that are a good fit we often later hire as contingent or part time employees (when the opportunity arises). Schedules are very flexible (typically only 8-18 hours a week depending on need and volunteer availability) and we never take on a full time intern that is unpaid. 

    It is a shame that as a whole museums are typically unable to pay these devoted, talented, amazing people. I am glad to see the conversations continue and for more and more resources to make paid opportunities the norm. 

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    Amanda Kepner
    Manager for Learning and Experience Operations
    Columbus Museum of Art
    Columbus OH

    Original Message
    AAM Annual Meeting & MuseumExpo, Baltimore, May 16-19, 2024, click to learn more