Written by Arts Management Intern Diana Kate Karsanow
It’s been my pleasure and honor to intern at the Miami University Art Museum this past academic year. For the Fall 2019 semester, I worked under the direction of Curator of Exhibitions Jason Shaiman as a Curatorial Intern and in Spring 2020 I am working with Sherri Krazl the museum’s Marketing and Communications Coordinator as an Arts Management Intern.
As a Curatorial Intern, I worked on an upcoming exhibition called The World in Which We Live. First, I conducted preliminary research on the Earthworks Movement, Land Art Movement, Eco-art, and Remediation Art. From this research I discovered numerous artists whose work could be featured in the exhibition. I compiled a list of potential artists and artworks and then grouped them into three themes to make up the overall narrative for The World in Which We Live. The final portion of my Curatorial Internship was spent contacting the artists and galleries about acquiring their artwork for the exhibition.
Throughout this process, I learned from Mr. Shaiman how to think visually and apply my research into the gallery space. I learned about loan agreements, the acquisition process, and how vital grants are for developing an exhibition. Mr. Shaiman explained how his job is different from many other curators’ because he works at a university museum that is dedicated to teaching college students and collaborating with classes. Therefore, The World In Which We Live was created to target students in art disciplines, the natural sciences, political science, and anthropology to name a few.
Being a Curatorial Intern helped me improve my communication skills, my organization and research skills, as well as opened my mind to new ideas such as the importance of layout and design in museum galleries and the extensive amount of work that goes into an art exhibition.
Similarly, my current role as an Arts Management Intern is helping me improve my professional skills and learn more about the behind-the-scenes operations of an art museum. As an Arts Management Intern, I contribute to the art museum’s social media and blog; I manage the art museum’s pop-up marketing campaign Donuts & Dali, I am in charge of publicity for the Student Response Exhibition currently on display, and so much more. Some of the communication platforms I work with are Canva, WordPress, InDesign, and Emma Email Marketing.
Learn more about my Arts Management Internship here.
Overall, I’ve had a plethora of amazing experiences at the Miami University Art Museum as a student intern and I highly recommend the opportunity to anyone interested in museums, research, art history, event planning, marketing and communications; graphic design, or arts management.
Besides Curatorial Interns and Arts Management Interns, there are open positions for Collections Interns, Marketing & Communications Interns, and Emerging Technologies (IMS) & Web Interns for the Summer 2020 and Fall 2020 terms. Applications are open until Apr. 15th so make sure to apply!
Internships for Academic Credit
DEADLINE TO APPLY IS APR. 15!
Internship opportunities at MUAM are offered in the following areas. They provide students the opportunity to become familiar with a range of art museum careers.
- Collections Intern
- Curatorial Intern
- Video/Interactive Media Studies (IMS)/Web Interns
- Arts Management/Marketing/Communications Interns
Applications are accepted year-round. Deadlines are November 1 for Winter and Spring internships and April 15 for Summer and Fall internships. Click here to learn more!