[Spring 2025] Research Resources - Licensing Internship
NY
Internship
Student (College)
The Whitney’s Academic Year Internship program offers a semester-long paid internship for undergraduate and graduate students currently enrolled in an accredited academic program. The internship is hybrid, with some onsite work. For Spring 2025, interns commit between 16–21 hours per week over 10–12 weeks for a total of 200 hours. The official program dates will span from February 3, 2025 through April 18, 2025. Interns are assigned to a specific department at the Museum for the duration of the internship.
The Whitney seeks a Research Resources: Licensing intern for the Spring 2025 semester.Expected Projects & Assignments
- Assist with updating contact information for rightsholders in the Museum’s collection database
- Process a backlog of catalogues that feature reproductions from the Whitney’s collection: identify Whitney-owned reproductions, generate citations for each reproduction, and batch the catalogues for delivery to the Museum library
- Help to manage installation photoshoots on-site at the Museum, documenting new exhibitions
- Assist with digitizing physical photographic materials (slides, transparencies, negatives) on a request-by-request basis
- Provide support for day-to-day licensing work, and management of digital and physical photography materials
- An interest in learning about licensing and copyright, as it pertains to Museum collections
- Experience with Microsoft Office suite (Outlook, Word, Excel) and Adobe Creative Suite (Photoshop and Bridge)
- Proficiency in research using physical and digital sources, with a focus on determining accurate sources and information
- Interest in learning about and working with collections management databases
- Undergraduates and graduates currently enrolled in accredited academic year programs are eligible
- Applicants must have completed a minimum of one year’s worth of academic coursework; undergraduate freshmen are not eligible
- While a demonstrated interest in art and art history is preferred, students in all majors are encouraged to apply
- Previous museum experience is not required
Provided Training
- Technological training for the following programs: The Museum System (TMS), Epson scanning software, Microsoft Office suite, and Adobe Creative suite
- Training in practical knowledge about U.S. copyright law and intellectual property law, as it pertains to the work of licensing at the Whitney Museum of American Art
- Training in digitizing physical photographic materials (slides, negatives, and transparencies) using Epson scanners
- Gain experience working in a fast-paced non-profit arts office environment, liaising with departments Museum-wide
- Work with physical and digital photography assets, and learn practices such as preservation, cataloguing, metadata, and file organization
- Develop an understanding of U.S. copyright & intellectual property law and best practices, and how that knowledge applies to the work of Museums and content generation
Compensation
Interns will be paid a stipend of $3000.
Generous support for Ostrover Family Academic Year Interns is provided by Julie and Doug Ostrover.
Not sure you meet 100% of our qualifications? Research shows that men apply for jobs when they meet an average of 60% of the criteria. Yet, women and other people who are systematically marginalized tend to only apply if they meet every requirement. If you believe that you could excel in this role, we encourage you to apply. We are dedicated to considering a broad array of candidates, including those with diverse workplace experiences and backgrounds. Whether you’re new to arts and culture administration, returning to work after a gap in employment, simply looking to transition, or take the next step in your career path, we will be glad to have you on our radar. Please use your cover letter to tell us about your interest in the arts and culture space and what you hope to bring to this role.
About the Whitney:
The Whitney Museum of American Art, founded in 1930 by the artist and philanthropist Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney, houses the foremost collection of American art from the twentieth and twenty-first centuries. From her vision arose the Whitney Museum of American Art, which has been championing the most innovative art of the United States for 86 years. The core of the Whitney’s mission is to collect, preserve, interpret, and exhibit American art of our time and serve a wide variety of audiences in celebration of the complexity and diversity of art and culture in the United States. Through this mission and a steadfast commitment to artists themselves, the Whitney has long been a powerful force in support of modern and contemporary art and continues to help define what is innovative and influential in American art today.
EEO Statement:
The Whitney Museum of American Art is an Equal Opportunity Employer. The Museum does not discriminate because of age, sex, religion, race, color, creed, national origin, alienage or citizenship, disability, marital status, partnership status, veteran status, gender (including gender identity), sexual orientation, or any other factor prohibited by law. The Museum hires and promotes individuals solely on the basis of their qualifications for the job to be filled. The Museum encourages all qualified candidates to apply for vacant positions at all levels. This description shall not be construed as a contract of any sort for a specific period of employment
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