Whitney Museum of American Art
[Summer 2026] Research Resources - Permanent Collection Documentation and Licensing Office
New York City, NY - Internship
The Whitney’s summer internship program is a full-time, paid, nine-week session primarily for undergraduate students. The program includes training, direct work experience, professional development, and a weekly speaker series. The 2026 Summer internship will be hybrid, meaning interns will work onsite at least three days per week. The program will begin on Monday, June 1, and end on Friday, July 31. Participants must be available Monday through Friday for nine consecutive weeks, five days per week.
The application window for our Summer 2026 Hearst Family Internship is now open through Friday, January 16th. Please note that all candidates will be considered on a rolling basis, and as such, some opportunities may close before the deadline.
The Whitney seeks a Research Resources: Permanent Collection Documentation and Licensing Office intern for Summer 2026. To view all Internship opportunities and to learn more about The Whitney's offerings, please refer to our Internships Page.
Expected Projects & Assignments
- Assist Museum staff, interns, and outside researchers with research inquiries
- Assist with collection information and data fact-checking, as needed
- Assist with reviewing and revising the museum’s Content Standard Element Sets (CSES)
- Data entry, including assigning descriptive subject terms to permanent collection object records, and entering provenance data, into TMS
- Draft and enter published reference citations into TMS
- Draft and send Object Questionnaires for artworks in the collection
- Assist with creating an inventory of historic Museum records for transfer to Archives
- Organization of primary source documents and filing
Skills & Qualifications
- Sharp attention to detail
- Ability to work independently
- Interest in modern and contemporary American art and museum work
- Knowledge of cataloguing standards and experience using TMS is a plus, but is not required
Provided Training
- Experience using TMS collection management system
- Experience using Chicago Manual Style citations to create bibliographic references
- Experience handling and digitizing historic photographic materials (slides, transparencies, photographs)
- Research and reference skills specific to working with primary source materials
- Guidance in applying to jobs or other opportunities using field-specific language
Outcomes
- First-hand experience in multiple areas related to the management of permanent collection information, data, and records in a museum setting
- Strong knowledge and experience creating bibliographic citations and references
- An understanding of how the Whitney’s permanent collection documents foster unique areas of inquiry and support the recorded history of the museum’s collection
- Technical skills in collection information management and documentation
Compensation
- Interns will be paid a stipend of $6,500 for full participation.
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. 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, pregnancy, partnership status, caregiver status, veteran status, gender (including gender identity), sexual orientation, genetic information, predisposition, or carrier status, arrest or conviction record to the extent required by applicable law, credit history, domestic violence, sexual violence, or stalking victim status, 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.
