McMullan Arts Leadership Internship — Arts of Africa, Islamic Art (Summer 2025)

Position Summary

The Art Institute of Chicago’s department of Arts of Africa is excited to offer a McMullan Arts Leadership intern position to work with their Islamic art collection.

• Expected Range: $16.73 per hour
• Job Classification: Intern
• Grade Level: Not Applicable
  
  

This role is not eligible for benefits or PTO.

Arts of Africa’s curatorial purview encompasses intricate masks, statuary, jewelry, beadwork, textiles, carved reliefs, and stone and ceramic vessels, reflecting over 5,000 years of the continent’s great diversity and complexity. The works in the collection attest to the creativity and aesthetic sensibilities of African artists and their patrons, showcasing the cultural, geographical, and historical expanse of Africa. The collection includes over 120 Islamic objects produced in North Africa.

In collaboration with departmental staff, the intern will document and research artworks—such as ceramic vessels and tiles and wood architectural fragments—produced in Egypt and Morocco between the 10 and 19 centuries, preparing them for publication on the museum’s website. This may include handling objects, updating information in the museum’s database, and working with archival and library resources. The intern will also gain experience with object-focused writing for museum audiences.

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 Arts of Africa. 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.

The primary objective of this internship is to support students who will encounter economic challenges if considering a career in the arts. Aligned with this goal, we aim to 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

In this position, the intern will have the opportunity to:

• Become familiar with the inner workings of a curatorial department and a curator’s responsibilities and duties;
• Gain experience with object handling and cataloguing;
• Learn collection management software;
• Conduct object-based research;
• Practice writing for a public audience;
• Develop mentor relationships with field practitioners;
• Build peer-to-peer relationships with fellow interns.
  
  

Duties And Responsibilities

With guidance from the position’s mentor, the intern will:

• Verify “tombstone” data (such as measurements and materials) for select artworks in collaboration with departmental staff;
• Update object records in database and physical object files;
• Research and write original content about select artworks in the Department of Arts of Africa’s Islamic collection under the guidance of the curator;
• Participate in regular meetings with members of the department and the mentor of this position: the associate curator of ancient Egyptian art;
• Attend intern cohort professional development programs and museum practice seminars.
  
  

Qualifications

• Undergraduate or graduate student; recent graduates (within one year of graduation upon applying) will also be considered
• Applicants must be based or attending school in the Chicagoland area and eligible to work in the US during the summer internship term
• Willingness to learn museum-specific database systems
• Strong interpersonal, written, and verbal communication skills
• Ability to be open-minded and work collaboratively with colleagues across the museum
• Detail-oriented mindset and demonstrated organizational skills; ability to multitask and flexibly prioritize when appropriate
• Awareness of and/or curiosity about art museum culture and current events in the field
• Coursework in Islamic art or studies, or related experiences is desired but not required
• Reading-level knowledge of Arabic is preferred
  
  

Application

You must upload all of the requested materials below (résumé and essay responses) into only one pdf document and list your last name and “Summer 2025” in the title of the file (example: [LAST NAME]_SUMMER2025.pdf.) Please upload your materials where asked in the online application.

PLEASE NOTE: You will not be considered if any requested application element is missing.

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
• Instead 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 about this opportunity interests you the most?
• With the goals of the McMullan Arts Leadership intern program in mind, what unique values, experiences, or perspectives would you bring to this role?
• How do you envision this opportunity helping you towards your professional goals?
  
  

Deadline

This application will close on Friday, March 7th at 11:59 pm CDT. Selected applicants will be asked to interview via video call approximately two weeks after deadline passes.

Internship Information

Duration of Position: 10 weeks / June 2025 (start date anytime during the week of June 16–20) through August 2025 (end date anytime during the week of August 18–22)

Compensation: Paid – $16.73/hr – 28 hrs/week

Schedule: This is a part-time, 10-week position for a currently enrolled or recently graduated undergraduate or graduate student. The intern will work 28 hours per week, for a total of up to 280 hours over the course of the internship. Work days will occur between Monday–Friday; the start date and schedule will be determined upon agreement with the candidate and the host department.

Hourlong virtual and in-person intern professional development programs will be scheduled throughout the internship term that the student is strongly encouraged to attend. These programs will occur during the week; we ask that the intern make this part of their internship schedule.

Format: The internship will be a hybrid of onsite and remote work. Due to onsite necessity, applicants based or attending school in the Chicagoland area during the internship timeframe will be prioritized. Internet access and appropriate technology will be necessary to complete this internship, but technological accommodations will be provided by the Art Institute of Chicago.

Number of openings: 1

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.