Design Intern

The Corporation of the Fine Arts Museums (COFAM) is offering an 8-week, paid internship in the Exhibition Design and Graphic Design departments at the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco.

FAMSF values diversity in culture, race and ethnicity, and gender expression. Candidates from backgrounds traditionally underrepresented in the arts and museum fields are encouraged to apply.

FAMSF is deeply committed to supporting the needs of our immediate community. In line with this objective, our summer internships are designed for those who live or go to school in the nine Bay Area counties.

Internship Program Overview

FAMSF's Summer Internship program provides an opportunity to work in one of the largest public arts institutions in San Francisco. This program is designed to be an introductory professional experience, typically for students, emerging professionals, and those just entering the workforce, who are interested in a career in museums or the arts and who are passionate about equity and inclusion. This is a paid, full-time eight-week program, where interns will work directly with museum staff to support departmental goals and will be responsible for individual projects. Interns participate in training sessions, professional development, and a weekly Career Insights guest speaker series. They will gain knowledge of museum careers and culture, receive mentorship from full-time staff, hands-on project experience and feedback, and join a network of emerging museum professionals.

Department Description

Within FAMSF, there's a constant exchange of ideas between the Exhibition Design and Graphic Design departments throughout every stage of design development. These two teams seek to create a cohesive dialogue between the onsite physical experience of an art exhibition that is harmonious with its life outside the galleries, in promotional material, and exhibition ephemera. While Graphic Design creates the graphic identities and visual systems and applies them to marketing campaign materials, Exhibition Design creates the spatial design component, transforming the physical space of the galleries for the layout of artwork within our two museums. As our intern, you'll be exposed to the areas of overlap between 2D and 3D design within an art museum and get a glimpse into the inner workings of a highly collaborative atmosphere between two design teams.

Program Details

Internship Dates : June 16 - August 8, 202535 hours per week for 8 weeks at the de Young and Legion of Honor museumsCompensation is $18.75 per hour.Some departments work onsite only. Some interns may be eligible for a hybrid schedule, with a minimum of 3 days of onsite work.Professional development sessions take place onsite every Thursday.We are happy to work with educational institutions to provide credit for this internship.Overall Qualifications

One of the following : (A) A high school diploma / GED, with at least 2 years of work and / or volunteer experience; OR (B) at least 2 years of post-high school coursework including community college, university, vocational / trade school, or graduate school; OR (C) A recent graduate of college / trade / graduate school, who completed their program within the past 2 years.Preference will be given to those who live or go to school in the Bay Area. FAMSF does not provide travel, relocation, or housing assistance for interns at this time.Applicants for this position are not required to have previous professional or museum experience.Competitive applicants will show a demonstrated commitment to the arts and museums, are passionate about equity and inclusion, and be comfortable communicating with a diverse group of people including museum staff, stakeholders, peers, and the public.Candidates must be reliable, self-motivated, enthusiastic, open-minded, and collaborative.This internship requires a commitment of 35 hours per week for 8 weeks.As this is a paid internship, all applicants must be lawfully eligible or authorized to work In the U.S. without the need for employer-based sponsorship. If hired, Form I-9 Employment Eligibility Verification must be completed prior to the start of employment.Department Specific Qualifications

Required

Basic skills in Rhino, AutoCAD, and Adobe Creative Suite.Knowledge of architectural terms, symbols, and details.Knowledge of basic principles of graphic design and typography.Preferred

Basic skills in CAD Tools in Illustrator.Knowledge or interest in art history.Interest in new materials and digital fabrication techniques.Interest in conservation requirements and standards for the display of art objects.Interest in ADA standards and guidelines.Additional Materials :

ResumeExhibition Design & Graphic Design : Upload two samples from your portfolio as a single PDF or website link as a supplemental document. Ensure your links are publicly accessible through June 2025.Response to supplemental questions; answer all parts of each question clearly, concisely, and truthfully : To be eligible for this program we require applicants to meet of one these three requirements : (A) a high school diploma / GED with at least 2 years of work and / or volunteer experience; OR (B) at least 2 years of post-high school coursework including community college, university, vocational / trade school; OR (C) a recent graduate of college / trade / graduate school, who completed their program within that past 2 years. What will be your highest level of education in June 2025? Include completed and upcoming graduation dates if any. (Short Answer)Preference will be given to those who live or attend school in the 9 San Francisco Bay Area counties. Briefly share your connection to the Bay Area, including the county name. (Short Answer)Please describe your interest in a career path in the arts, and what you hope to gain from this internship experience. (250 Word Limit)What motivates you to apply for this specific department within the museum? And, what skill sets and experience will you add to the team? (250 Word Limit)We are committed to making the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco a more diverse, inclusive, equitable, and accessible institution. Please describe how your experience and future career goals align with these efforts. (250 Word Limit)Applicants may apply to a maximum of two Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco Summer 2025 department internships. If you have chosen to apply to two internships, what other department are you applying to? (Short Answer)

Timeline :

Application Deadline : Wednesday, January 8, 2025, 9 pm PST

Final selection will be communicated by Wednesday, April 30th, 2025

If you require an alternative method of completing this application please contact careers@famsf.org.

Salary : $19