Internships

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Chesterwood, a Historic Site of the National Trust for Historic Preservation and a Massachusetts and National Historic Landmark, is currently offering full / part-time curatorial internships to undergraduate and graduate students during both the spring and summer.  Internships are available for academic credit, and a stipend of $1,500 is available to one summer intern.

Responsibilities

Curatorial and collections interns will work closely with the Director and Curatorial Assistant on collections care and management of the permanent collection, exhibition preparation, educational programming, and other tasks relating to the interpretation of the site. 

Interns may:

• Assist with collection management projects, such as researching, accessioning, cataloguing, photographing and deaccessioning collections materials.
• Answer correspondence relating to the life and art of Daniel Chester French and his family as well as Chesterwood’s fine art and decorative arts collections.
• Write and/or edit object descriptions for our internal collections management database.
• Develop education materials for the public, including brochures and labels.
• Help coordinate or research temporary exhibitions at Chesterwood and/or other historic sites and museums, including the facilitation and processing of loan requests.
• Act as an interpreter or guide by leading tours or answering questions from the public.
• Additional day-to-day responsibilities and long-term projects can be tailored to fit interns’ interests.

Qualifications

• Undergraduate (rising juniors or seniors preferred), graduate, and/or recently graduated students in art, art history, history, and/or historic preservation.
• Excellent research, writing and verbal skills.
• Ability to work independently, set priorities, meet deadlines, and manage a number of concurrent projects in a timely and efficient manner.
• Excellent computer skills, including thorough knowledge of Word, Excel and Power Point.

Hours/Compensation

• Spring internships are part-time and unpaid.  Weekly commitment, start date, and length of internship to be determined on a case-by-case basis. 
• Summer internships are full / part-time and paid / unpaid.  One paid intern will receive a stipend of $1,500 and is expected to work 35 hours per week for a minimum of twelve weeks.  Unpaid internships can be part-time.  For all summer interns, some nights and weekends will be required to assist with special events and programming.  Weekly commitment, start date, and length of internship to be determined on a case-by-case basis.
• We may be able to offer free housing.  Please indicate in your cover letter whether you require housing.
• College credit can be offered to students who make the necessary arrangements with their respective schools.  (Final decision as to whether credit will be provided is at the discretion of your school.)

How to Apply

Please send your resume, cover letter, and a brief note outlining your availability to chesterwood@nthp.org.  Please address your letters to Donna Hassler, Director of Chesterwood.  In either your cover letter or note about availability, please specify whether you: (a) are interested in a spring and/or summer internship, (b) can work full and/or part-time, and (c) would like to be considered for an unpaid internship if you do not receive the one paid summer internship that we are able to offer this year.

Application Deadline: February 28, 2011

For more information, please contact Anne Cathcart, Curatorial Assistant, at Anne_Cathcart@nthp.org or 413-298-3579, ext. 25216.  Thank you!

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Located in Stockbridge, Massachusetts, Chesterwood is the country home, studio and gardens of America’s foremost sculptor of public monuments, Daniel Chester French (1850-1931).  Best known as the sculptor of the Minute Man in Concord, MA, and Abraham Lincolnfor the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, DC, French lived and worked at Chesterwood nearly every summer for over thirty years.  Chesterwood is the home of one of the largest collections of works by a single American sculptor.  For more information, please visit www.Chesterwood.org.

Chesterwood is a Historic Site of the National Trust for Historic Preservation.  The National Trust for Historic Preservation helps people protect, enhance, and enjoy the places that matter to them.  Learn more at www.PreservationNation.org.