Arts Intern College program

Turn Your Passion into Opportunity: Apply for a paid summer internship at a museum or cultural arts institution!

The Arts Intern College Program offers paid internship opportunities to skilled college undergraduates with financial needs, allowing them to explore careers in the arts.

Through these summer internships, students can gain valuable experience in visual and performing arts, as well as cultural organizations within their cities. Opportunities are available in various departments, including archives, community engagement, curatorial, collections, design, education, marketing, and more. Expand your possibilities for a brighter future with a paid internship that aligns with your interests in the arts.

    • Cleveland: June 4 - August 4

    • New York City: June 8 – August 7

  • Thank you for completing your application for the 2026 Arts Intern College program.

    We expect a high volume of applications this year, so only candidates selected for interviews will receive direct communication about the status of their application.

    To be considered, applicants must submit the following:

    • Unofficial Transcript for current academic year.

    • Resume

    • A cover letter

    • FAFSA 2025-26: SAI Documentation.

    • Portfolio, images of work or writing sample.

    • Interns must commit to 28 hours per week for the entire 9-week program duration.

    • Interns are required to be on-site 4 days a week and 5th day with full-day attendance on Fridays.

  • To qualify for the Arts Intern College program, you must meet these requirements:

    • Currently enrolled full-time at a college or university.

    • Currently a junior or senior pursuing a bachelor’s degree (only).

    • Completed the FAFSA for 2025-26 with an EFC/SAI between $0 and $10,000.

    • Legally authorized to work in the U.S. without visa sponsorship now or in the future.

    • Reside in Cleveland or New York for the entire 9-week summer program.

    • Available to work from June 1 to August 7 during the 9 weeks.

    • Able to work effectively both independently and as part of a team.

    • Able to adapt quickly within a museum or cultural arts organization.

    • Possess strong written and verbal communication skills.

  • Intern compensation based on the MIT Living Wage Calculator. 

    Cleveland: $23/hour

    • Interns in Cleveland will receive a final stipend of $500

    NYC: $28/hour

    • Interns in NYC will receive a final stipend of $600.

    The final stipend is contingent upon completing all educational requirements, including attending every Professional Development Day and submitting evaluation surveys.

    Housing or Travel stipend is not provided!

The Arts Intern College Program

application opens on December 15, 2025.

End of Summer Interview: Insights from Our 2025 Arts Interns

Here’s what our 2025 cohort has to say about their recent summer internship experience as Arts Interns.

Arts Intern Alumni Chat with Kasssandra Gonzalez

Kasssandra talks about their Arts Intern experience at The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts and the Brooklyn Museum.

2026 Arts Intern College Worksites:

Are you a nonprofit arts and cultural organization interested in hosting an Arts Intern for summer 2026? Learn more.

For more information, please email us, artsintern@studioinstitute.org

Summer 2025 Arts Intern College Worksites:

Baltimore: Baltimore Museum of Industry, The Valerie J. Maynard Foundation
Boston: Institute of Contemporary Art/Boston
Chicago: ART WORKS Projects, Griffin Museum of Science and Industry, Haitian American Museum of Chicago, Heritage Museum of Asian Art, Media Burn Archive, Museum of Contemporary Photography, National Public Housing Museum, The Polish Museum of America, Smart Museum, Ukrainian National Museum
Cleveland: Art House, Inc., Artists Archives of the Western Reserve, Chagrin Documentary Film Festival, Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland Public Library, Cleveland Public Theatre, Foluké Arts, Inlet Dance Theatre, Julia De Burgos Cultural Arts Center, Waterloo Arts
Memphis: Art Museum of the University of Memphis, Carpenter Art Garden, Memphis Brooks Museum of Art, Metal Museum

New York: A.I.R. Gallery, Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts, Brooklyn Children’s Museum, Brooklyn Museum, Developing Artists, Harpo Foundation, The Helen Frankenthaler Foundation, The Kitchen, Madison Square Park Conservancy, Poster House, Renee & Chaim Gross Foundation, Roy Lichtenstein Foundation/Toshiko Takaezu Foundation, Staten Island Museum, Woodman Family Foundation
Newark: EqualSpace, GlassRoots, Newark Arts Council, Newark Public Library, Newark Symphony Hall
Philadelphia: The Fabric Workshop and Museum, Founder’s Hall Museum at Girard College, Free Library of Philadelphia, Paul Robeson House & Museum, The Rosenbach

“This internship highlighted my appreciation for cultural organizations and their importance for our community. It is a place to bring people together from all backgrounds through diverse arts and cultural programming. Lastly, it opened my eyes to various museum career paths I had not previously considered, such as digital curation and archival documentation.”

- Arts Intern College Alumni