Social Sciences and Humanities

The Association of Art Museum Directors (AAMD) announced that it has selected the 10 art museums, including the Palm Springs Art Museum (PSAM), which will host its class of 2020 interns, the second year of the Association's paid internship program. Each institution will host an intern for 12 weeks between June – August 2020 and provide a focal point for those interns' work and career development in different museum departments, as well as create a mentorship opportunity to support the student during their internship.

AAMD's program is designed to engage college students from underrepresented backgrounds, to encourage and nurture their career opportunities in the art museum field-while providing the financial support necessary to make participation in an internship possible.

The interns will receive a stipend of $6300 (gross), paid bi-weekly, and will be encouraged to attend two professional development seminars (with costs covered through a paid travel grant).

Palm Springs Art Museum (PSAM) creates transformative experiences that expand our understanding of ourselves and the world. Our collections, exhibitions, and programs connect people to the art and culture of our community and time. We foster and inspire reflection and renewal for local, national, and global audiences.

An American Alliance of Museums accredited institution, Palm Springs Art Museum, founded in 1938, presents exhibitions and special installations; acquires or commissions works for the permanent collection; screens films of international origin; hosts live theatre and solo performances; and last year welcomed a quarter million visitors, including over 6,000 schoolchildren who participated in tours and arts education programming.

The main museum facility in Palm Springs opened in 1976. Palm Springs Art Museum in Palm Desert-a LEED-certified structure-opened in 2012. In 2014, the Architecture and Design Center opened, helping to revitalize downtown Palm Springs and preserve the community's Mid‐Century architectural heritage.

Exhibitions range from major special exhibitions to smaller focused presentations, in all media and all of the museum's areas of emphasis: Architecture and Design, Art of the West in the Americas, Modern & Contemporary Art, and Photography.

Public Programs relating to all of our exhibitions feature artists, curators, and scholars in lectures and gallery talks. Gallery talks also highlight unique works in the collection.

The Internship main mentor will be Rochelle Steiner, Chief Curator & Director of Curatorial Affairs and Programs, who leads the newly integrated content departments – curatorial, collections, exhibitions and education – however, the intern will interact with various senior staff members.

The intern will be hosted within either the Curatorial or Education department, depending on the successful applicant's interests and strengths. This match will be determined during the recruitment process.

The role may include the following:

If focused on Curatorial, working in conjunction with a curatorial staff member to:

If focused on Education, working in conjunction with an education department staff member to:

Each AAMD intern will have the opportunity to participate in two professional development gatherings during their internship with the intern's mentor from the Palm Springs Art Museum. This will give the interns opportunities to network with each other and with other museum professionals. The first professional development gathering will occur during the American Alliance of Museum's (AAM) annual conference in San Francisco. The orientation program will take place on May 17, 2020. Interns will also be registered for a one year membership to AAM and for the entirety of the conference. The second professional development gathering will take place TBD on a Friday in August 2020. Exact date and location will be made known as soon as possible.

The internship is open to undergraduate students pursuing a degree in art history, arts education, museum studies, architectural studies, or other art-related fields. Familiarity with, and interest in modern and contemporary art, art of the West, and/or Native American art is strongly desired. Writing skills are important.

Palm Springs Art Museum welcomes applicants of all backgrounds and expressions, and strongly encourages individuals from historically underrepresented communities to apply for this internship.

As PSAM is the largest cultural institution in the Coachella Valley, applicants who are residents of the Coachella Valley and greater Riverside County are encouraged to apply.

The intern will be selected through an application and interview process to work closely with the curators, educators, and other staff members on projects relating to the museum's collections or education programs.

Please submit the following:

 Your resume

 Your academic transcript

 Names and contact information for two references

 Brief letter (one page) stating why you are interested in the internship and why it would be of value to you.

Applicants need not be a U.S. citizen, however the successful applicant must make his/her own arrangements to legally enter the U.S. for the period of the internship.

A full time commitment of 12 weeks is required.

Please submit application materials by email to curatorial@psmuseum.org.

Application deadline: March 15, 2020 and a selection will be made by April 10, 2020 after a Skype interview and reference checks.

The AAMD intern is expected to reside in Palm Springs or greater Coachella Valley for the duration of the summer internship, and will receive an honorarium of $6,300 (gross), paid bi-weekly.

Additional funds will be provided for the Professional Development travel opportunity.