Internships

UMOCA’s internships are a great way to gain professional experience while earning class credit. Our internships range from communications and social networking assistance to education and the Art Truck.

  • Communications
  • Curatorial/preparatorial
  • Development
  • Documentation
  • Education – Art Truck
  • Education – teaching assistant
  • Office/administrative
  • Visitor services and special events

Internships are based on semester schedules (depending on the accrediting institution’s requirements).

  • Spring semester: early/mid January – mid/late April
  • Summer semester: early/mid May – mid/late August
  • Fall semester: early/mid September – mid/late December

Due dates for applications (application deadlines may be extended if positions are unfilled by the 30th of the month).

  • Spring semester: December 15
  • Summer semester: March 15
  • Fall semester: August 17

Please send internship availability questions and application inquiries to Sam Bontempo.

Job/Project Descriptions and Requirements

Art Truck Internship

Hours/Days per week: Approximately 5-15 hours weekly on average (dependent on how often the Art Truck is scheduled for visits). Art Truck hours are random and range from partial to full day visits. The hours are irregular, but flexible. One in-house event per month in the Museum required.

Project/Job Description: Recognized as best educational program in the State of Utah, the Utah Museum of Contemporary Art/337 Project Art Truck brings exciting and accessible contemporary art, created by leading local and national artists, directly to schools and community venues along the Wasatch Front-all inside one very large truck! Please visit our website for more details: http://www.utahmoca.org/art-truck/

Intern will drive with the Art Truck Educator to schools and community events, help set up the truck for school tours and events, count and monitor all participants that enter the truck, take photos during Art Truck activities, and help manage & tour school groups.

Specific Skills/Requirements: The strongest candidates enjoy working with children, with either an education or arts background. Must be friendly, have ability to accept direction in working with youth, be highly punctual and reliable. Some light lifting is required, and interns should plan to wear clothing that may become dirty during set up.

Additional Information: This internship is best for an individual who loves art and is interested in art education. This internship can also be split with the Education or Visitor Services internship if the student desires, or has required hours.

For more information about the Art Truck: http://www.utahmoca.org/art-truck/

Communications Internship

Hours/Days per week: 20 hours per week (16 hours in-house and 4 flexible). Event hours including First Fridays are also desired, and can count towards flex hours. Assistance with at least one event per month is required.

Project/Job Description:

  • Basic website maintenance
  • Drafting press releases
  • Pitching bloggers and other media contacts about events
  • Tracking and archiving both electronic and physical media coverage
  • Updating event listings and community calendars
  • Creating events on UMOCA’s Facebook page, Twitter account and blog, as well as interacting with followers
  • Creating and maintaining a list of contacts and updating these individuals with information about upcoming UMOCA events
  • Distributing posters and postcards throughout the downtown area to advertise for larger events
  • Document various events at UMOCA, by video and still photography, as needed (upload and document on server, equipment will be provided)
  • Also, some general help around UMOCA when preparing for exhibitions, and other duties as needed

Specific Skills/Requirements: Prefer candidates with some communications background, and some experience in online marketing and comfortable in web-based applications (WordPress, Constant Contact, Facebook, etc.). Would like someone detail-oriented and able to analyze systems and figure out how to make them work better, but who is also interested in the bigger goals of both the department and the organization. Candidate should show strong interest in art, or in the general workings of a non-profit. Experience in Adobe Creative Suite a plus.

Additional Information: Intern will work on a few ongoing projects, such as the Media Archive and organizing electronic files, throughout the semester, and help out with communications related to exhibition openings and events.  Some activities, such as pitching bloggers and scanning the Google Alerts, can happen remotely or at UMOCA. Supervisor is open to discussing.


Curatorial Internship

Hours/Days per week: 10-12 hours per week (8 hours in-house and 2- flexible). Event hours including First Fridays are also desired, and can count towards flex hours. Assistance with at least one event per month is required.

Project/Job Description:

  • Research and development pertaining to current and upcoming exhibitions
  • Helping to produce short-form didactic texts for exhibitions
  • Assisting curatorial department in the installation of exhibitions
  • Giving tours if necessary
  • Assisting with events, performances, or lectures related to exhibitions
  • Assist in the production of artworks when necessary
  • Filing paperwork or performing data entry as it relates to the department
  • Assisting in editorial discussions and content management as it relates to exhibitions and related events
  • Preparing exit packages for lenders

Specific Skills/Requirements: The department would like someone with a degree in art history with experience in studio (not required). Must have an understanding of Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, Powerpoint) and if possible Photoshop and InDesign. Excellent organizational and communication skills with an ability to adapt and/or problem-solve as it relates to writing, production, and fine-tuning of all aspects involved in presenting art. Should be enthusiastic and open-minded to all forms of art but have a vested interest in art from the last ten years.

Development Internship

Hours/Days per week: 1-2 days per week would be ideal for general in-office internships. Days and times are quite flexible and can be adjusted as necessary. Some projects can be completed from home. Assistance with at least one event a month is required.

Project/Job Description: Various office & event tasks including: proofreading, filing, archiving, event planning & event management, grant & sponsorship research, information management, occasional design work, and some safe detective work.

Specific Skills/Requirements: The strongest candidates have solid reading & writing skills, are able to work unsupervised, and are self-starters. Also, interns will be lifting tables, boxes, and other objects for events and office duties.  All candidates should be comfortable working with Microsoft Office and experience with Adobe InDesign or Photoshop is a plus.

Additional Information: This internship is best for an individual who loves art and is interested in non-profit management and fundraising. Development internships can be tailored to fit individual students’ interests and goals.  Hours can also be split with Gallery Attending and Visitor Services Internships if the candidate needs more hours for credit than are available with documentation projects.


Documentation Internship

Hours/Days per week: Varies. 5-12 hours a week. Heavy on Friday nights.

Project/Job Description:

  • Document various events at the Museum, by video and still photography, as needed, including:
    • Panels and talks
    • Openings (First Fridays)
    • Artwork
    • Various educational programs (Family Art Saturdays)
  • Upload the files onto our servers and maintain a clear and consistent file structure so that we always know where to find them.
  • Document the photos so we know what they are.
  • Must be willing to sign a release agreeing that all images taken of UMOCA related events over the course of internship are the property of the Museum.
  • Equipment will be provided, but intern is welcome to use their own equipment.
  • Intern may use images for their own portfolio and to promote their own work, but may not sell images.  There may be tighter restrictions on photos of artwork.

Specific Skills/Requirements: Candidate must be proficient in the use of a digital camera and recorder.  Must come equipped with an “I can figure it out” attitude and know how to do a Google search. Basic Photoshop skills are important and a little bit of Illustrator and InDesign doesn’t hurt.

Additional Information: Hours can also be split with Gallery Attending and Visitor Services Internships if the candidate needs more hours for credit than are available with documentation projects.


Education Internship

Hours/Days per week: 2-10 hours per week + special event hours. Assistance with at least one event per month is required.

Project/Job Description: Interns would be serving as support in UMOCA’s educational programming. Interns would be responsible for set up/cleanup and preparation of teaching materials, and assistance with classroom management & instruction within the program. Other duties as required for preparation of educational activities could include research, lesson, program, and material preparation outside or during regular internship hours.  Internships may also include assisting with tours and other educational programming.

Preferred dates to work if possible on the following dates:  January 12, February 9, March 9, and April 13 from 1:30-4:30pm for our Family Art Saturday program.

Additional hours may also be available if applicant is interested in our Art Truck Internship as a combined position. Please specify when applying.

Specific Skills/Requirements: Preferable experience and interest in working with youth, with either and education or arts background. Must like working with young people, be friendly and have ability to accept direction in working with youth. Must be highly punctual and reliable.

Additional Information:  Intern may be required to meet at alternate locations occasionally within the Salt Lake area.


Gala Internship

Specific Dates: The Gala falls on June 1, 2013, and attendance is mandatory. Although the bulk of the projects will fall in Summer Semester (late May and early June), the ideal candidate will be available to attend some gala meetings that may fall during Spring Semester (March, April & Beginning of May), and possibly available be involved in projects before the start of summer semester. These hours will be counted towards the summer internship. It is likely that many of the required internship hours will be fulfilled during the Gala time frame, however if they are not, additional hours are available throughout the summer to help in General Development with the opportunity to cross over to Visitor Services.

Hours/Days per week: 1-3 days per week would be ideal, with hours increasing as the Gala draws closer. Days and times are quite flexible and can be adjusted as necessary. But the ideal candidate will be readily available during the two weeks leading up to the Gala (May 20-June 1). Some projects can be completed from home.

Project/Job Description: Various office & event tasks including: proofreading, design work, filing, archiving, event planning & event management, grant & sponsorship research, filing, archiving, information management, and some safe detective work.

Specific Skills/Requirements: The strongest candidates have solid reading & writing skills, are able to work unsupervised, and are self-starters. Also, interns will be lifting tables, boxes, and other objects for events and office duties. All candidates should be comfortable working with Microsoft Office and experience with and willingness to learn Adobe InDesign or Photoshop is strongly preferred.

Additional Information: This internship is best for an individual who loves art and is interested in non-profit event management and fundraising.

Visitor Services and Special Events Internship

Hours/Days per week: Weekday and Saturday hours are flexible working at the Front Desk 1-4 times per week 3-5 hours a day. Availability evenings and some weekend nights for Special Events is preferable, at least one event per month is required. Most events are 4-5 hours in duration.

Project/Job Description: Visitor Services Interns have two separate but related positions: Front Desk/Gallery Assistant and Special Events.

Our first contact with UMOCA guests is our Front Desk/Gallery Assistant staff. During our regular gallery hours (11am-6pm Monday-Saturday, 11am-9pm Friday) duties include greeting patrons and answering questions about the exhibitions, the UMOCA school (Photography classes, assisting with class registration), and Salt Lake in general. Duties also include answering phones and transferring calls; selling merchandise, memberships, and art objects in our Art Shop; visitor survey database entry; and helping to open and close the galleries; as well as Gallery Attending.

Utah Museum of Contemporary Art holds several Special Events each month including, but not limited to: exhibition openings, lectures, films, music concerts and performance pieces, workshops, non-profit fundraisers, and private events for businesses. Special Event Intern duties include: assisting with set up and tear down, acting as crowd liaisons, providing information about exhibitions to the public, as well as Front Desk duties such as selling merchandise during events and assisting with opening/closing of the space.

Specific Skill/Requirements: Students should be enthusiastic, friendly, proactive, and familiar with basic operating systems such as Word, Excel, and Microsoft Office. Customer service-related experience including answering phone calls, and fielding a variety of questions in an efficient and helpful manner is preferred but not required. Any previous familiarity working retail and running cash registers and credit card machines is ideal.

 

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