Nord Network Graduate Summer Internship in Paintings Conservation

Intern/Fellow Title: Nord Network Graduate Summer Internship in Paintings Conservation

Academic Level: Graduate, Conservation

Supervisor: Associate Paintings Conservator

Department: Paintings Conservation

Dates of Internship/Fellowship: June 2025-August 2025 (start and end dates flexible)

Term: 8 – 10 weeks (or as stipulated by program)

Internship Overview:

The conservation department of the Cleveland Museum of Art welcomes applications for a summer graduate internship in Paintings Conservation for the period June-August 2025. The intern will join a collaborative and convivial team in caring for, studying, and treating paintings from the Museum’s encyclopedic and renowned collection. The CMA maintains a full schedule of loans, rotations, and exhibitions, with associated assessment, documentation and treatment needs. The conservation department is also committed to ongoing research and investigation of paintings in the collection.

Due to the diverse, encyclopedic collection at the CMA, the intern will work on a variety of painting conservation treatment and research projects providing opportunities to address complex cleaning, structural, and aesthetic condition issues. Projects may include paintings from the CMA’s permanent collections of Medieval, European (1500-1800), Modern European, American and Contemporary Art. The summer internship is also designed to provide the intern with hands-on experience. This may include further technical investigation of paintings through scientific analyses including X-Ray fluorescence spectroscopy (XRF), Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), cross-section analysis, and additional analyses that may be available through a collaborative partnership with Case Western Reserve University.

The Conservation team values outreach and accessibility, and the intern will have opportunities to present and share their conservation activities on social media and blog posts. A few hours a week of gallery maintenance will also be part of the intern’s responsibilities.

The Institution:

The Cleveland Museum of Art is renowned for the quality and breadth of its collection, which includes more than 66,500 objects and spans 6,000 years of achievement in the arts. A major renovation and expansion project completed in 2014 has transformed the museum into a significant international forum for exhibitions, scholarship, performing arts and art education. One of the top comprehensive art museums in the nation and free of charge to all, the Cleveland Museum of Art is located in the University Circle neighborhood. The Museum's conservation department currently employs 14 full-time staff members, including conservators in paper, Asian paintings, textiles, paintings, and objects, as well as technicians and a chief conservator. The department regularly hosts pre-program conservation interns, graduate interns, and post-graduate fellows. The significant resources of the Cleveland Museum of Art, including its outstanding library and archives, and nearby Case Western Reserve University with its innovative maker space, think[box], contribute to a unique internship opportunity.

About the Eric & Jane Nord Family Fellowship and Internship Network: 

The Cleveland Museum of Art (CMA) is committed to advancing, implementing, and developing transformational fellowship and internship opportunities at the museum. The Eric & Jane Nord Family Fellowship and Internship Network develops key fellowship and internship opportunities in targeted areas at the CMA that build stronger relationships between the CMA and the communities it serves. The Eric & Jane Nord Family Fellowship and Internship Network establishes yearly cohorts of fellows and interns at the CMA, in the areas of conservation, collections management, community arts, and director’s fellowships, to advance the careers of qualified individuals interested in these museum fields. 

Requirements:

Candidates must be currently enrolled in a recognized conservation graduate program. The candidate must be eligible to legally work in the US.

Salary:

Interns are expected to work 35 hours per week. Summer graduate interns will receive $19/hour for the 8- or 10- week summer internship and will receive a $5,000 stipend that can be used to cover relocation costs and/or travel. All income will be subject to taxes.

Application Procedure:

Please submit application materials via the Cleveland Museum of Art’s website: https://www.clevelandart.org/internships

Application materials must be received by end of day February 7, 2025, and interviews will be conducted in February. Questions should be addressed to Julianna Ly at JLy@clevelandart.org.

For consideration, please submit the following materials in English. PDF format is strongly preferred, and please be sure to include your last name in the title of each document.

* a letter stating your interests and intent in applying for the internship, including how working at the Cleveland Museum of Art aligns with professional goals

* curriculum vitae

* online portfolio (preferred) or examples of examination and treatment reports with images

Salary : $19