The Museum offers unpaid internships for undergraduates, graduate students, as well as recent graduates, during the fall and spring semesters and in the summer. Availability is dependent upon departmental requests and specific responsibilities are determined by the needs of the department. Interns work on specific projects, but are introduced to all facets of museum work. Additionally, interns gain practical work experience and a chance to interact with their peers and Museum staff. Museum staff may assist in an intern’s pursuit of academic credit.
Summer interns generally work 20 hours per week beginning in late May and ending the last week in July.
Fall (September-November) and spring (February-April) semester internship hours are more flexible in order to accommodate class schedules.
Internships are offered in the following departments with availability depending on departmental needs:
Communications/Public Relations
Curatorial
Development
Education
Library Services/Archives
Photography
Preparation
Registration
Additionally, the Birmingham Museum of Art is able to offer two paid internship opportunities. Job postings can be found below.
The Carruthers Internship for Minorities
The Carruthers Internship for Minorities is awarded at the discretion of the Museum to an exceptional graduate or undergraduate student. The internship is designed to give minority students with a serious interest in a future museum career a semester-long exposure to the inner workings of and the various departments that exist in the Museum. A stipend of $3,000 will be offered for the semester.
The UAB/BMA Curatorial Fellowship
UAB/BMA Fellows are graduate students in the Art History department at the University of Alabama, Birmingham, who have already developed an area of concentration within their studies. The Fellowship gives students the opportunity to spend one year working in the Curatorial department at the Museum. It is designed to provide in-depth experience in the workings of a museum and in the nature of curatorial work. Interns are assigned specific projects and duties based on the needs of the department and work directly with the Museum’s Curatorial staff. The UAB/BMA Curatorial Fellowship begins and ends in August of each year.
Application Requirements:
To apply, all internship candidates should submit the following:
- application form (click link at the end of this section)
- a cover letter of interest. Cover letters should indicate which opportunity from the list below the applicant is applying for.
- a personal statement of no more than 500 words that explains why the applicant is interested in an internship at the Museum, why he/she is applying for a specific internship opportunity, what he/she hopes to achieve from the experience, and what he/she believes he/she can contribute
- two letters of recommendation
- copy of transcripts
- resumé (optional)
Application Deadlines:
Fall Semester (September-November)
Applications due: July 1
Spring Semester (February-April)
Applications due: November 1
Summer (May-July)
Applications due: March 1 (CLOSED for 2012)
Please send complete application to:
Birmingham Museum of Art
ATTN. Anne Forschler-Tarrasch
2000 Rev. Abraham Woods, Jr. Blvd.
Birmingham, AL 35203
or This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
Internship selection is competitive and is based on personal statement, letters of recommendation, academic standing, and interview (required for finalists in the selection process). For more information, please contact Anne Forschler-Tarrasch at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .
Current internship opportunities are listed below:
Education: Undergraduate or graduate student
Area of Study: Communications, journalism, public relations, or marketing
Purpose: Work with Department of Communications staff to promote the BMA and its exhibitions, events, and programs through varied media
Responsibilities:
- Maintain up-to-date BMA profiles on various external computer networks (which includes entering data)
- Fact finding and information gathering as need dictates
- Help create marketing, public relations, and internal communications materials (written, digital, photographic, etc.) as circumstances and skills dictate
- Delivering marketing, public relations, and internal communications materials
- Assist other museum departments and staff at the discretion of the Director of Communications
- Clerical duties as needed
Special Skills:
- Good verbal and written communication skills
- Proficiency with computers and computer software, including Microsoft Office, Open Office, or similar
- Rudimentary photography skills
- Proficiency with spreadsheets a plus
Education: Graduate student or recent graduate preferred. We will consider motivated undergraduates who want to learn more about working in a small, special collections library.
Area of Study: Library and information science or a related field
Purpose: Support the day-to-day operations of the Clarence B. Hanson, Jr. Library at the Birmingham Museum of Art
Responsibilities:
- Provide reference assistance to Museum staff and the public
- Get books shelf-ready
- Manage the Museum’s periodicals
- Assist with marketing and outreach
- Assist with shelving, filing, and general library maintenance
- Weed books as needed
Library interns also work on one major project, which is tailored to meet individual interests. Examples include:
- Processing archival collections
- Creating finding aids for archival collections
- Converting existing finding aids to EAD
- Grant writing
- Creating educational materials such as reading lists to accompany exhibitions
- Outreach projects
- Creating digital content for Museum website, Wikipedia, and other web pages
Library interns also interact with other Museum departments and participate in meetings and events in order to get a better understanding of the role of the library within the Museum.
Special Skills:
- Strong desire to work hard and engage in hands-on learning
- Computer literacy and experience doing research on the Internet
- Some art, art history or library experience is helpful, but not required
Library interns are accepted year-round. Please contact Librarian Tatum Preston for more information at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .
About the Library:
The Clarence B. Hanson, Jr. Library supports scholarly research on the Museum’s permanent collection and changing exhibitions. Holdings include over 30,000 books, 60 periodical subscriptions, artist files, databases, auction catalogs, archival collections, and a rare books collection. Our clientele include Museum curators, docents, students, and the general public. The Library strives to contextualize and strengthen the visitor’s experience and interaction with art.
The Carruthers Internship for Minorities is awarded at the discretion of the Museum to an exceptional graduate or undergraduate student. The internship is designed to give minority students with a serious interest in a future museum career exposure to the inner workings of and the various departments that exist in the Museum.
Fall 2012 opportunity: employment dates August 20 - December 7, 2012
Stipend: $3,000
Education: Graduate student
Area of Study: Art History, Visual Culture, History, African American Studies, or American Studies
Purpose: To support exhibition projects related to the 50th anniversary of the Sixteenth Street Baptist Church bombing.
Responsibilities:
- Assist with artist research which includes but is not limited to exhibition history, biographical information, and bibliographical history.
- Write artist biographies and descriptions of art for museum publications.
- Create artist files for artists involved with commemorative projects.
- Help coordinate performance projects.
- Other duties as assigned.
- Manage communication between the curatorial department and artists and exhibition lenders.
The Carruthers Intern will have the opportunity to contribute to the Museum’s public and support group programs. Examples include:
- ArtBreaks
Lunch & Learn
Gallery Talks
Special Skills
- Strong interest in African American art and history
- Good verbal and written communication skills
- Strong visual analysis skills
- Extensive experience with library, archival, and web-based research
Time period: August 20, 2012-December 7, 2012
Hours per week: 15-20 hours
Additional application material: 10-15 page writing sample from a research or seminar paper
See above for application guidelines. Application deadline: July 1, 2012.
UAB/BMA Fellows are graduate students in the Art History department at the University of Alabama, Birmingham, who have already developed an area of concentration within their studies. The Fellowship gives students the opportunity to spend one year working in the Curatorial department at the Museum. It is designed to provide in-depth experience in the workings of a museum and in the nature of curatorial work. Interns are assigned specific projects and duties based on the needs of the department and work directly with the Museum’s Curatorial staff.
The UAB/BMA Curatorial Fellowship begins and ends in August of each year.
See above for application guidelines. Application deadline: April 1 (closed for 2012).
If you would like to be involved with the Museum immediately, please contact Rhonda Hethcox, Volunteer Coordinator, at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it to learn about volunteer opportunities.
For more information, please view our menu items under ABOUT, VOLUNTEER.
