All participants who successfully complete the summer workshop are then eligible to apply for one of 8 fully supported 10-week internships. These internships take place the year after the summer workshop, and are meant for those who decide that conservation of cultural heritage is a career path they wish to pursue through application to a graduate program in conservation. You cannot participate in the Internship portion of the program without having previously completed the summer workshop.
Our program staff work closely with the candidates to determine the area of conservation they are most interested in and the type of mentoring they wish to receive. Based on this, we will reach out to museums and institutions around the country to find a suitable placement.
The grant financially supports air or ground transportation to the internship site, provides a stipend for the duration of the internship (subject to tax), and some additional funding for housing. Program staff seek out affordable housing options to recommend to interns.
The internship schedule is flexible and may take place as a full-time, 10-week internship, or it may be part-time and take place over a longer period than 10 weeks. The internships can take place in the Spring, Summer, or Fall. This is always subject to the institution being able to accommodate that request.
“This internship has allowed me to learn that conservation is not always about treatments and restoration of an object. The maintenance and long term care of the collection is also important. I also learned about the conservator’s role in exhibition preparation.”
Nhat Quyen Nguyen about her internship at the Textile Museum at George Washington University
Previous Internships
The six selected participants from the 2018 Summer Workshop completed internships at The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, the National Gallery of Art in Washington D.C., the Smithsonian American Art Museum in Washington D.C., the Autry Museum of the American West in Los Angeles, the National Museum of the American Indian in Washington D.C., and the Textile Museum at George Washington University in Washington D.C.
Due to COVID-19, the six selected participants from the 2019 Summer Workshop will complete their internships in 2021.
“She demonstrated a quiet but steadfast interest in everything I threw her way and displayed tremendous staying power in the face of sometimes challenging physical tasks.”
Internship Supervisor Jennifer Perry, Conservator of Japanese Art at the Metropolitan Museum about Kei Takahashi
Internship Celebration
We invite our internship participants to return to Los Angeles in the fall— following completion of their internships—to present about their internships activities to a group made up of fellow cohort members who have also completed internships as well as internship supervisors and invited guests. The program financially supports lodging and travel to and from Los Angeles for the participant, their internship supervisor, and an invited guest of their choosing. Following presentations, we hold a festive dinner where participants and guests can mingle and celebrate their accomplishments.
Our 2019 talks were held at UCLA Cotsen Institute of Archaeology and the celebration was held on the rooftop terrace of the Fowler Museum at UCLA.
Congratulations to the 2018 Workshop/2019 Internship participants (below) on completing their internship presentations! (L-R) Cheyenne Caraway, Ana Garcia, Noemi Bustamante, Kevin Torres-Spicer, Kei Takahashi, and Nhat Quyen Nguyen.
Andrew W. Mellon Opportunity for Diversity in Conservation 