McDermott Internship

Level: Intern

Classification: Non-Exempt, Full-Time, Hourly

Benefits: Medical, dental, and vision insurance; paid holiday, personal and sick time; $500 for professional development

Schedule: Generally, Monday-Friday, 9:00am - 5:00pm with one hour for lunch (with occasional weekends and evening hours for special events on & off-site); option to work remotely 2 days per week following introductory period as program schedules allow.

Internship Period: September 2, 2025 - May 8, 2026

Salary: $15/hour, 35 hours per week

Application Deadline: March 17, 2025

McDermott Internships offer temporary, full-time opportunities for recent graduates or emerging professionals to explore museum careers. During their tenure, McDermott Interns work closely with their supervisors as well as staff across the Museum on a variety of projects, exhibitions, and programs, gaining an in-depth perspective on museum work. Interns also explore Dallas’s rich cultural scene through performances, museum visits, and collection tours arranged by the DMA.

The DMA will be hosting eight (8) different McDermott Internship opportunities for 2025-2026. A summary for each McDermott Internship is listed below. A more detailed job description for each internship opportunity can be found on our DMA job board (https://recruiting.paylocity.com/recruiting/jobs/All/04927b97-13ba-41c8-afe1-ac78a8acf450/Dallas-Museum-of-Art)

2025-2026 McDermott Internship Summaries:

McDermott Intern – Indigenous American Art

The intern's primary responsibility will be to serve as a research assistant for an upcoming exhibition focusing on past and present visual culture featuring Maya women. The exhibition will offer an innovative exploration of women’s contributions to Maya societies—ancient through contemporary—and of their wider influence on Indigenous and non-Indigenous communities. Related tasks may include object research, literature reviews, exhibition development, and/or contributions to grant proposals. The intern will also assist with research and the daily operations of the Indigenous American Art collection. Tasks may include drafting didactic texts for use in galleries and online and compiling documentation on works in the Museum’s permanent collection. The intern will support curatorial projects by attending interdepartmental meetings and working collaboratively with staff across the Museum as needed. 

McDermott Intern – Asian Art

Under the guidance of the Curator of Asian Art, the intern will assist in the care and maintenance of the Dallas Museum of Art’s Asian art collection and support ongoing research, documentation, and exhibition of the Asian art collection. They will conduct research and writing in support of the collection area’s goals, which may include provenance, acquisition proposals, upcoming exhibitions, and/or future rotations of Asian art. The intern will have the opportunity to also work on projects that could include contributing in-gallery texts, presenting a tour, docent training, and creating web content. 

Dedo and Barron Kidd McDermott Intern Fellow for European Art

The intern will assist curators with an assessment of the collection of European paintings, sculptures, and works on paper. The intern will enhance records in the Museum's collections management system (TMS); update content on the Museum website; conduct provenance research for European paintings, sculpture, and works on paper; research and write acquisition justifications; and assist with cataloguing the collection of European works on paper. The intern will support curatorial projects by attending interdepartmental meetings and working collaboratively with staff across the Museum. 

McDermott Intern – Design and Decorative Art

The intern will research design and decorative art subjects, assisting with exhibition preparation, acquisition proposals, and collection management. There will be a focus on modern and contemporary Jewelry with a major exhibition opening in November 2025. The intern will work with the curator on the jewelry project, focusing on the website component and preparations for installation of the exhibition. Tasks may include writing, editing, compiling, and uploading information related to objects and artists for the web component. Another main project is the re-installation of several design collection galleries and the Reves collection. The intern will work on everything related to this project from drafting gallery label text and to compiling documentation on works in the Museum’s permanent collection. The intern also will support curatorial projects by attending interdepartmental meetings and working collaboratively with staff across the Museum as needed. 

McDermott Intern - Interpretation

The intern will assist with the development and production of compelling and engaging interpretive materials in the DMA galleries. Projects may include prototyping and producing content for in-gallery guides and activity stations, digital interactives, or web-based resources. As a member of the Exhibitions and Interpretation team, the intern will be exposed to the formulation and planning of exhibitions by assisting with multiple exhibitions in different stages of their development as well as ongoing initiatives in the permanent collection galleries. While assisting with the maintenance and introduction of in-gallery interpretive resources, the intern will become more acquainted with the numerous formats and approaches the DMA uses to engage visitors across ages and backgrounds. In addition to working closely with the Exhibitions and Interpretation team, the intern will have regular opportunities to collaborate with colleagues in other departments including Curatorial and Education.  

McDermott Intern – Family and Early Learning Programs

The intern will assist in the research, planning, and implementation of art programs and materials for children, families, and PreK students. The intern will receive practical exposure to art museum education, including teaching children ages 0-12 and their caregivers in a family setting, and preschool students in school partnership and field trips settings. The intern will also assist in developing art-making activities and managing self-guided materials. Programs take place primarily in the Museum galleries. The work week for this position is Monday-Friday with occasional weekends and some evenings required, and the position lasts nine months.  

McDermott Intern – Adult Programs

The intern will assist with the development, implementation, and promotion of numerous onsite, offsite, and virtual lectures, performances, workshops, and special events for adults throughout the year, including Arts & Letters Live, the DMA’s literary and performing arts series. The intern will split their time between in-office work and program support on evenings and weekends. The intern will assist in program management and will work closely with guest speakers, performers, volunteers, artists, and the public. While reporting to the Manager of Adult Programs, the intern will work closely with the Program Manager for Arts & Letters Live as well as multiple team members for a holistic experience within the Adult Programs team. The intern will work with their supervisor to plan and lead a pre-event tour(s); coordinate and take the lead on an Arts & Letters Live event; and lead the content creation for the Museum Murder Mystery event.

McDermott Intern – Access Programs and Resources

As part of the Community Engagement team, the intern will work in collaboration with local organizations to increase equitable access to art in the Dallas community by supporting onsite and offsite programming in a variety of formats. The intern will gain firsthand experience implementing holistic approaches to art education, social-emotional and object-based learning. The intern will have the opportunity to gain experience establishing and cultivating community partner relationships as well as developing and facilitating innovative, multi-modal educational programs for audiences with wide-ranging backgrounds and abilities. The intern will work in-person at the Museum and facilitate programs offsite at partner location sites. Under the guidance of their supervisor, the intern will complete a project which could include developing program curriculum; initiating new community partnerships; and/or researching and compiling museum best practices related to community engagement and accessibility.  

Application Requirements and Instructions:

• Click the link here to apply: https://recruiting.paylocity.com/recruiting/jobs/All/04927b97-13ba-41c8-afe1-ac78a8acf450/Dallas-Museum-of-Art
• Include the following in your application:

- Personal Statement Cover Letter

- Resume or CV

- Two (2) Letters of Recommendation

*A writing sample may be required for some positions*