Jackson, MS…The Mississippi Museum of Art (MMA) announced today that it has been chosen as one of 10 art museums to participate in the Association of Art Museum Directors (AAMD) annual paid internship program. For the program, which focuses on college students from underrepresented backgrounds, MMA will host an intern for 12 weeks and provide opportunities for work and career development in different museum departments. In addition, the Museum’s intern will be supported by a mentor from the leadership team.
AAMD’s paid internships are available to undergraduate students in their sophomore, junior, or senior years, and are designed to provide an opportunity for students who have begun to solidify their academic interests and potential career path. In 2023, interns will receive a stipend of $6,720 over 12 weeks, equivalent to an hourly wage of $16 for a 35-hour work week. Each intern is also paired with a mentor—a member of the Museum’s senior leadership team—who is responsible for directing their activities and providing overall counsel on their professional development. Because mentors can be so crucial to the development of a person’s career, this approach encourages the kind of long-term relationship-building that is often essential to an individual’s success in the field. During the term of their internship, mentors ensure that there are opportunities for conversation, feedback, direction, and questions.
“MMA is honored to be awarded the AAMD’s college internship program grant. Through the generosity of AAMD, we can provide a Mississippi student with a critical opportunity to engage with museum work, to get to know our institution from the inside, and to learn more about their own interests and future opportunities in this field,” said Betsy Bradley, Director, Mississippi Museum of Art. “We are eager to learn from and engage with the next generation of critical thinkers about the work we do every day and how we can best serve our diverse audiences.”
MMA’s internship program will focus on the administrative and operational side of working at an art museum with a focus on providing an inclusive and accessible visitor experience. For more information about how to apply, please visit our website. Applications must be submitted by April 14; the Museum will make its selection and contact the candidate by April 28.
“We are excited to welcome the class of 2023 internship hosts and grateful to Mississippi Museum of Art for embracing this program as a way to support students,” said Christine Anagnos, AAMD’s Executive Director. “Persistent financial limitations remain a barrier to accessing career-building summer work experiences, especially for students from Asian, Black, Hispanic, Native American, or multiracial backgrounds. Our paid internship program, which covers much of the costs the museums would otherwise need to bear on their own, is a benefit we can offer to our members while also investing in the future of the museum field. Mississippi Museum of Art was among those institutions selected because they proposed a compelling proposal that we are sure will be of interest to local college students.”
About AAMD’s Paid Internship Program
The museums participating in AAMD’s paid internship program this year includes the second Canadian institution in the program, along with three museums—the Mississippi Museum of Art, San Jose Museum of Art, and Speed Art Museum—that have hosted an intern previously. An 11th museum, the Georgia O’Keeffe Museum, will also host an intern this year after deferring from 2022. The 10 participating museums for 2023 are:
Hillwood Estate, Museum & Garden
Mississippi Museum of Art
Rollins Museum of Art
Royal Ontario Museum
San Jose Museum of Art
Speed Art Museum
Spencer Museum of Art
The Bass
The Newark Museum of Art
Weisman Art Museum
Financial and logistical support for this program is provided by AAMD and by the participating member museums. This is only one of a number of steps AAMD has taken to increase equity and diversity in the field, where research has consistently shown that fewer than 20% of leadership positions are held by people of color. In 2019, the Association issued a resolution calling on museums to offer a stipend with all internships, recognizing that the limited financial resources often available to students from diverse backgrounds also becomes a limitation on access to career development opportunities. Recognizing that it is also difficult to address problems that are not properly evaluated, AAMD has also been an active partner with the Mellon Foundation, Ithaka S+R, and other organizations on a series of research projects exploring elements of museum staff, leadership, and trustee diversity and participation. This includes, most recently, the Art Museum Staff Demographic Survey 2022.
About the Mississippi Museum of Art
Established in 1911, the Mississippi Museum of Art (MMA) is dedicated to connecting Mississippi to the world and the power of art to the power of community. The Museum’s permanent collection includes paintings, photography, multimedia works, and sculpture by Mississippi, American, and international artists. The largest art museum in the state, the Mississippi Museum of Art offers a vibrant roster of exhibitions, public programs, artistic and community partnerships, educational initiatives, and opportunities for exchange year-round. Programming is developed inclusively with community involvement to ensure that a diversity of voices and perspectives are represented. Located at 380 South Lamar Street in downtown Jackson, the Museum is committed to honesty, equity, and inclusion. The Mississippi Museum of Art and its programs are sponsored in part by the City of Jackson and Visit Jackson. Support is also provided in part by funding from the Mississippi Arts Commission, a state agency, and in part by the National Endowment for the Arts, a federal agency. For more information, visit msmuseumart.org.
About AAMD
The Association of Art Museum Directors advances the profession by cultivating leadership capabilities of directors, advocating for the field, and fostering excellence in art museums. An agile, issues-driven organization, AAMD has three desired outcomes: engagement, leadership, and shared learning. Further information about AAMD’s professional practice guidelines and position papers is available at www.aamd.org.
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