School of the Art Institute of Chicago

Job Details

Description

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.

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. The department serves children, teens, families, students, and educators through a diverse array of programs, partnerships, and resources. These include field trips, workshops, studios, internships, events, neighborhood-based engagements, and professional development experiences; and, we serve all museum audiences through our free, accessible public learning space, also named the Ryan Learning Center. Through these experiences, learners can engage in critical and imaginative thinking and activate the museum as a place of insight, expression, and community.

POSITION SUMMARY:

This 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 family artmaking programs and learning installations for visitors to the Ryan Learning Center. This internship role will support daily facilitation in the Art Exchange, our public drop-in space for 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 the Ryan Learning Center. Mentorship is provided throughout the experience and connections with an intern alumni network will be established.

• Expected Range: $16.73
• Job classification: Intern
• Grade level: Not applicable

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:

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

• Learn about Ryan Learning Center’s guiding pedagogy and teaching strategies for multigenerational audiences;
• Become familiar with the tools and processes for designing large-scale art-making programs at a museum;
• Practice facilitating creative engagements that center the interests and needs of children and family audiences;
• Develop professional skills in a collaborative, creative, and supportive environment.

DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:

Working with Creative Spaces staff, the intern will:

• Contribute to the development of art-making programs for multigenerational audiences; attend design and planning meetings;
• Support monthly family events, assisting teaching artists and interacting with family visitors;
• Work regular shifts in the Art Exchange during public hours; welcome and assist children and their caregivers with art-making and play-based learning;
• Prepare art supplies for programs and large-scale events;
• Assist with the installation, care, and maintenance of interactive learning displays in the Art Exchange;
• Support with administration of evaluation tools to audiences, collect and analyze data;
• Participate in department meetings and museum-wide intern programming to expand their understanding of other departments and work across the museum.

QUALIFICATIONS:

• Undergraduate or graduate student; recent graduates (within one year of graduation) will also be considered;
• Applicants must be based in the Chicagoland area and/or attending school in the Chicagoland area over the course of the internship term;
• Studying arts education, studio arts, and/or museum studies;
• Experience teaching, assistant 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;
• 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;
• Occasionally lifts and moves packages of up to 30 pounds, with or without assistance;
• Operates computers, printers, and other standard office equipment.

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 “AY 25-26” in the title of the file (example: [LAST NAME]_AY 25-26.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:

o What about this job description interests you the most?

o 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?

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

DEADLINE: The deadline to submit an application to this position is Friday, July 25 at 11:59 pm CDT. We will not accept late applications. We will contact the candidates we want to interview within three weeks of our deadline.

INTERNSHIP INFORMATION

Duration of Position: 32 weeks / September 2025 (start date anytime during the week of September 22–26) through April 2026 (end date anytime during the week of April 27–May 1)

Compensation: Paid / $16.73/hr

Schedule: This is a part-time, 32-week position for a currently enrolled or recently graduated undergraduate or graduate student. The intern will work 14 hours (2 days) per week, for a total of up to 448 hours over the course of the internship. In this role, Saturdays are required as this is a regular programming day, the other day each week will be determined by the intern; 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 fully onsite. 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; technological accommodations will be provided by the Art Institute of Chicago based on necessity.

Number of openings: 1

Equal Opportunity Employer

This employer is required to notify all applicants of their rights pursuant to federal employment laws. For further information, please review the Know Your Rights notice from the Department of Labor.

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