Seattle Art Museum – Paid Summer Internships

Seattle Art Museum connects art to life. SAM strives for its employees, volunteers, and interns to reflect the community in which it exists. We want to develop careers for individuals interested in the arts who bring dynamic backgrounds and perspectives to this paid internship program. While diversity can embody many characteristics, we are particularly interested in engaging with historically under-represented groups in the museum field.

Emerging Arts Leader Internship – click here to apply

This interdisciplinary position is designed to provide emerging arts leaders from diverse backgrounds with an in-depth understanding of SAM’s operations, programming and audiences. This internship will develop the skill set of the emerging arts leader while also providing them the opportunity to contribute their unique insights and perspectives.

Two home departments will be chosen based on the interns’ professional or academic experience and career objectives. During the 10 week program, the emerging arts leader will work across these departments to complete a project, develop a community engagement program inspired by SAM’s special exhibitions and permanent collection, and deliver a portfolio presentation that reflects the multidisciplinary work developed throughout the course of the Internship.

Emerging Arts Leader Internship (Conservation) – click here to apply!

This departmental internship will focus on caring for SAM’s collections, with points of focus on the new installation of SAM’s American galleries, outdoor sculpture conservation at Olympic Sculpture Park, and additional project work on other parts of the collection, as needed. During this 10-week program, the intern will gain hands-on experience with preventive conservation, and the examination, documentation, and care of works of art.

This internship will provide the candidate with a better understanding of professional conservation work and may prepare the intern for a future career in curation, collections management, or graduate study in conservation. The intern will have the opportunity to develop their skill set under the supervision of a staff conservator and will learn more about SAM’s operations and programs through enrichment sessions, job shadowing with frontline staff, and creation of a short tour, presentation, or gallery talk relevant to their work.

Betty Bowen Award Administration Internship – click here to apply!

The Betty Bowen Award Intern assists with the planning, organization, and implementation of the annual Betty Bowen Award, an award granted to outstanding visual artists currently living and working in the Pacific Northwest.

Under the direction of the Assistant Curator for Modern and Contemporary Art, the Betty Bowen Intern will assist with the organization and administration of the Betty Bowen Award, now in its 45th year. The intern will coordinate and attend committee meetings, promote the call for entries, organize artist applications, correspond with artists about the award, manage communication with the Committee, and produce press releases and mailings related to the award.

This internship position reports to the Assistant Curator of Modern and Contemporary Art. The intern will also work with the Jon and Mary Shirley Curator of Modern and Contemporary Art and the Betty Bowen Committee. They will also coordinate with artists living in the Northwest and other SAM Departments.

More information about the Betty Bowen Award can be found on our website at www.visitsam.org/betty-bowen.