McMullan Academic Year Intern, Ryan Learning Center

Duration of Program: September 2024 through May 2025; approximately 38 weeks

ART INSTITUTE OF CHICAGO - MISSION

The Art Institute of Chicago shares its singular collections with our city and the world. We collect, care for, and interpret works of art across time, cultures, geographies, and identities, centering the vision of artists and makers. We recognize that all art is made in a particular context, demanding continual, dynamic reconsideration in the present. We are a place of gathering; we foster the exchange of ideas and inspire an expansive, inclusive understanding of human creativity.

ART INSTITUTE OF CHICAGO -  VALUES

All staff members are expected to embrace the museum’s commitment to creating an inclusive and equitable institution and to adhere to the museum’s shared values.

• Our museum reflects and deepens our collective humanity; the arts are integral to an inspired and just society.

• We respect and acknowledge each of our colleagues’ contributions and expertise across all roles within our organization.

• We share in the responsibility to create an antiracist culture built on equity, inclusion, and justice for all, acknowledging that these efforts are intersectional and ongoing.

• We encourage and advance a culture of hospitality, empathy, and gratitude for each visitor, supporter, and member of our staff.

• We embrace innovation and foster change with a progressive understanding of—and obligation to reconsider—our past.

• We sustain an open and dynamic civic platform, inviting and advancing the diverse perspectives of our city, staff, visitors, and supporters.

ABOUT THE DEPARTMENT

The Patrick G. and Shirley W. Ryan Learning Center is a platform for culturally responsive experiences that bring young people and the adults around them into dynamic and inspiring encounters with art and creativity. The Ryan Learning Center team:

• champions the role of art and culture in people’s lives,

• promotes access and equitable participation in art and the museum,

• fosters critical and creative thinking.

As a result, youth, teens, families, students, and educators from various backgrounds and abilities engage with each other and with works of art from across time, cultures, geographies, and identities, activating the museum as a place for learning, insight, inspiration, and community. These museum experiences enable young people and the adults around them to feel more connected and confident in their capacity to imagine, create, and make sense of art and their world.

ABOUT THE POSITION

The 2024/25 McMullan Internship offers an aspiring museum professional the opportunity to explore and contribute to a range of activities within the area of Creative Spaces, a division of the Ryan Learning Center. The Creative Spaces team designs learning installations and multigenerational and family artmaking programs for visitors to the Ryan Learning Center. This internship role will support daily facilitation in the Art Exchange, our public drop-in space for family and multigenerational visitors; contribute to preparation of art-making materials; assist with live programs; and support the installation of educational displays.

The intern will join a museum-wide intern cohort and have access to a range of programs to support their development in addition to their placement in Ryan Learning Center. Mentorship is provided throughout the experience and connections with an intern alumni network will be established.

Goals of the McMullan Arts Leadership Internship Program

The McMullan Arts Leadership internship program is part of a museum-wide effort to provide students the opportunity to gain experience, career awareness, networks, and skills that will position them to thrive as future art museum leaders.

This program specifically aims to support students who encounter economic challenges when considering a career in the arts. Aligned with this goal, we aim to help shape a diverse group of leaders whose actions are informed by a wide range of perspectives, varying career paths, and values inspired by their own lived experiences.

Internship Outcomes

•  Gain practical experience in art-making program development and facilitation for multigenerational audiences and families

•  Develop an understanding and practice of museum teaching and learning, within the framework and pedagogy embraced within the Ryan Learning Center and Art Institute

•  Gain awareness of museum career pathways and the learning ecosystem of Chicago

PRIMARY PROJECTS AND ACTIVITIES

Assist with Program Development (40%) Working with Creative Spaces staff, the intern will contribute to the development of programs for multigenerational audiences; prepare art-making supplies for large-scale events; attend program design and planning meetings; learn about museum pedagogy and creative development

Support of Art Exchange (40%) The intern will work regular shifts in the Art Exchange during public hours, assist visiting children and their families with art-making and play-based  learning; support maintenance and organization of supplies and displays in the space.

Other programs and projects (20%) will be incorporated into the intern’s work plan based on interest, program offerings, and capacity. The McMullan Intern will be invited to participate in department meetings and museum-wide intern programming to expand their understanding of an experience with departments and work across the museum.

QUALIFICATIONS

•  Undergraduate or graduate student studying arts education, studio arts, and/or museum studies

•  Experience teaching, assisting teaching, tutoring, or mentoring children in informal or formal education settings (such as a school, camp, college, after-school program, community center, or museum)

•  Familiarity with art-making materials and techniques

•  Strong communication, creative thinking, and collaborative skills

Preferred skills and experiences

•  Understanding of, if not experience working in, an arts or cultural institution or organization

•  An interest in public engagement and museum programming

•  Spanish-language fluency is an asset in this position

PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS

The physical demands described are representative of those that must be met by a teammate to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

• Prepares weekly art supplies in bulk quantities, serving 300-1000 visitors

• Daily standing or active movement for periods of 2-3 hours

• With training and under the supervision of staff, operates cutting equipment such as paper cutting guillotines, Xacto knives, and scissors

• Frequently lifts and moves packages weighing up to 25 pounds

• Operates computers, printers, and other standard office equipment

INTERNSHIP DETAILS

Duration of Program: September 2024 through May 2025; approximately 38 weeks

Schedule: This is a part-time position extending from September 2024 through May 2025 (approximately 38 weeks) for a currently enrolled or recently graduated undergraduate or graduate student. The intern will typically work 2 days per week (total of 14 hours), for a total of up to 490 hours over the course of the internship. Interns will be required to work some Saturdays; other work days and evenings will be determined by agreement with the candidate and based on programming needs.

Hourlong virtual and in-person intern professional development programs will be scheduled throughout the internship term that the student is strongly encouraged to attend.

Format: This is an onsite internship. Due to onsite necessity, applicants based or attending school in the Chicagoland area during the internship timeframe will be prioritized.

Compensation: $16.32/hr 

Number of openings: 1

 APPLICATION INSTRUCTIONS

To apply for this internship, tell us your story. We want to understand who you are, what motivates you, how you think, and where you’re coming from. Please submit the following materials: 

• Résumé

• In lieu of a traditional cover letter, please respond to the following questions in short essays (no more than 300 words per answer.) We encourage you to provide specific examples to support your answers or to illustrate your ideas:

  • What do you appreciate about working with children, and what approaches might you bring to working with families and multigenerational audiences in an art museum?

  • What about this job description interests you the most?

  • With the mission of the McMullan Arts Leadership intern program in mind, what perspectives might you bring to this role that you think museums need more of?

  • How do you envision this opportunity helping you towards your professional goals? 

The McMullan Ryan Learning Center Internship is funded in part through a generous donation from the James and Madeleine McMullan Family Foundation, whose mission is to support economically and educationally underserved communities. 

To submit your application: Visit artic.edu/careers to find this job posting and apply online. You must upload all of the requested materials as one pdf document (résumé and essay responses) and list your last name and “AY2425” in the title of the file (example: [LAST NAME]_AY2425.pdf.) Please upload your materials where the application asks for a “résumé/cover letter.” PLEASE NOTE: You will not be considered if any requested application element is missing.

Closing Statement

The Art Institute of Chicago is an Equal Opportunity Employer that recruits, hires and promotes qualified individuals without regard to race, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, national origin, ancestry, veteran status or citizenship. The Institute complies with federal and state disability laws and makes reasonable accommodations for applicants and employees with disabilities. If reasonable accommodation is needed to participate in the job application or interview process, please contact the Department of Human Resources at apply_help@artic.edu.

Salary : $16