Helen Frankenthaler Foundation
Two Positions: Climate Initiative Intern & Prints Initiative Intern
Background | Details | Eligibility
Background
Helen Frankenthaler Foundation is dedicated to promoting greater public interest in and understanding of the visual arts and the work of Helen Frankenthaler (1928–2011).
It supports the artist’s legacy through a variety of initiatives, including exhibitions, loans of artwork, research, publications, conservation, grants, educational programs for the public and the scholarly community, and through the Helen Frankenthaler Catalogue Raisonné, LLC, the publishing of a catalogue raisonné.
Persistently experimental and courageous over some sixty years, Frankenthaler produced an impressive oeuvre comprised of paintings on canvas and paper, ceramics, sculpture, tapestries, and prints. The Foundation’s holdings include an extensive collection of works by Frankenthaler and other artists, as well as original papers and materials pertaining to her life and work.
Details
INTERNS MUST BE AVAILABLE FOR THE DURATION OF THE PROGRAM.
Climate Initiative Intern
The Frankenthaler Climate Initiative (FCI), established in 2021 by the Helen Frankenthaler Foundation in collaboration with RMI and Environment & Culture Partners, is the leading private national grantmaking program in the United States dedicated to addressing climate change within the visual arts sector.
As the first nationwide initiative to support energy efficiency and clean energy adoption for cultural institutions, FCI has awarded over $14 million to 200 museums and arts organizations across 37 states to date, funding 244 energy efficiency and clean energy projects: including solar panels, new HVAC and LED lighting systems, building improvements, and climate action plans.
This $15-million ongoing program empowers visual arts organizations to assess their environmental impact, reduce energy costs, and implement clean energy solutions. By supporting initiatives such as net-zero designs, retrofitting historical buildings, and creating climate action plans, FCI demonstrates how arts institutions can lead in combating climate change.
This internship will focus on assisting the Education Department and the Foundation's Deputy Director with the organization and dissemination of public-facing information about the program's current grantees and their projects as the Foundation publicly announces its 2025 award cycle.
The Intern will play a key role in requesting, organizing, and preparing materials that highlight the impact of FCI-funded projects, contributing to the program's communications and outreach strategy. This role will provide the Intern with a unique opportunity to engage with the Foundation’s educational and philanthropic work at the intersection of sustainability and the arts. They will gain practical experience in managing program communications, supporting outreach efforts, and documenting grant achievements.
Responsibilities
Conduct research on past and current grantees
Develop promotional materials for website and social media platforms
Contribute to and participate in an ongoing public relations campaign
Communicate with FCI collaborators and partners (including grantees) regarding project updates
Process and organize image and text files
Overview
Requirements, Skills, and Qualifications
Ability to work independently as well as collaboratively with accuracy and consistency
Highly detail-oriented
Excellent communication skills
Enthusiasm and interest in art and research
Excellent organizational skills and the capacity to prioritize workload and multiple tasks
High degree of discretion and willingness to sign a confidentiality agreement, employee handbook, and equipment agreement
Compensation
$22.50 per hour
INTERNS WILL WORK 28 HOURS PER WEEK AND ATTEND A MANDATORY OFFSITE PROGRAM DAY ONE DAY PER WEEK WITH THEIR COHORT.
Internship Period: June 2 – August 4
Total Weeks: 9 weeks
Work Hours per Week: 28
Total Hours: 252
Workdays: Hybrid position; the intern will work from home on Mondays and be in the office Tuesdays – Thursdays. On Mondays we will have a check-in zoom meeting to discuss the week ahead and answer any questions. We will also be available to connect at any point that the Intern needs assistance or feedback.
PROGRAM DAY:
On Fridays, intern will attend an offsite program day with their cohort.
These hours are separate from the internship hours.
Prints Initiative Intern
The Frankenthaler Prints Initiative (FPI) was launched in 2018 with a mission to enrich academic institutions’ collections and resources and promote scholarly research on Frankenthaler’s innovative contributions to the field of printmaking. Our twenty FPI grantees were selected based on a demonstrated commitment to prints as a significant collecting area and teaching tool.
Each institution was gifted a selection of Frankenthaler’s prints that represent the range of media Frankenthaler used in her printmaking, including etching, lithography, monotype, monoprint, pochoir, screenprint, woodcut, and other techniques, as well as combinations of these methods. In addition to these gifts, institutions were provided with funding to generate new scholarly investigation, exhibitions, and programming surrounding Frankenthaler’s printmaking practice.
FPI continues to generate new scholarship and public access to this rich body of work and amplifies the impact of Helen Frankenthaler’s legacy both as one of the most important American abstract painters of the 20th century and as an outspoken champion of arts education.
The Prints Initiative Intern will support our ongoing partnership and communications with our Frankenthaler Prints Initiative grantees. The educational materials developed during this internship will enhance our internal research resources on Frankenthaler’s prints and assist the Foundation’s efforts to increase awareness of FPI and Frankenthaler’s contributions in the field of printmaking to the broader public.
The Prints Initiative Intern will also gain an understanding of the role and activities of the Foundation and the career paths available in this sector.
Responsibilities
Conduct research on Frankenthaler’s printmaking practice
Develop educational materials for our website and social media platforms
Contribute to a bibliography and chronology
Communicate with our FPI partners regarding project updates and collate information into a spreadsheet
Learn to handle archival materials and conduct archival research
Process and organize image files and metadata
Overview
Requirements, Skills, and Qualifications
Ability to work independently as well as collaboratively with accuracy and consistency
Highly detail-oriented
Excellent communication skills
Enthusiasm and interest in art and research
Excellent organizational skills and the capacity to prioritize workload and multiple tasks
High degree of discretion and willingness to sign a confidentiality agreement, employee handbook, and equipment agreement
Compensation
$22.50 per hour
INTERNS WILL WORK 28 HOURS PER WEEK AND ATTEND A MANDATORY OFFSITE PROGRAM DAY ONE DAY PER WEEK WITH THEIR COHORT.
Internship Period: June 2 – August 4
Total Weeks: 9 weeks
Work Hours per Week: 28
Total Hours: 252
Workdays: Hybrid position; the intern will work from home on Mondays and be in the office Tuesdays – Thursdays. On Mondays we will have a check-in zoom meeting to discuss the week ahead and answer any questions. We will also be available to connect at any point that the Intern needs assistance or feedback.
PROGRAM DAY:
On Fridays, intern will attend an offsite program day with their cohort.
These hours are separate from the internship hours.
Eligibility
To be eligible for Arts Intern 2025, you must be pursuing a bachelor’s degree and:
Currently enrolled as a full-time rising junior (a current sophomore)
– or –Currently enrolled as a full-time junior – or –
Currently enrolled as a full-time senior graduating by fall 2025.
You must either reside or attend college in New York City.
Click HERE to apply now!