Summer Education - Public Programs and Engagement Internship at Whitney Museum of Americ

[Summer 2026] Education - Public Programs and Engagement Internship at Whitney Museum of American Art. New York, NY. The Whitney’s summer internship program is a full‑time, paid, nine‑week session primarily for undergraduate students. The program includes training, direct work experience, professional development, and a weekly speaker series. The 2026 Summer internship will be hybrid, meaning interns will work onsite at least three days per week.

The program will begin on Monday, June 1, and end on Friday, July 31. Participants must be available Monday through Friday for nine consecutive weeks, five days per week.

The application window for our Summer 2026 Hearst Family Internship is now open through Friday, January 16th. As all candidates will be considered on a rolling basis, some opportunities may close before the deadline.

The division offers audiences the opportunity to engage with artists, curators, writers, and scholars through innovative events that explore the Whitney’s exhibitions, collection and institutional mission and initiatives. We focus especially on developing programming for adult audiences and the academic community.

The Summer 2026 Public Programs and Academic Engagement Intern will help develop and implement programs that explore the exhibitions Whitney Biennial 2026, Roy Lichtenstein Retrospective and more. The role will also involve research and planning for future programming and ongoing initiatives for academic engagement. Projects include:

• Researching artists, curators, writers, filmmakers and scholars for panels, workshops, film screenings and other events
• Draft agreements, tracking invitations and coordinating logistics
• Assisting with the advance planning for public programs across departments including Curatorial, Digital Media, Marketing and Visitor Services
• Assisting with audience research projects as needed
• Helping to coordinate with museum staff, speakers and members of the public on the day of events
• Learning about accessibility at public programs and helping to ensure all programs are as accessible as possible
• Maintaining digital archives for the division
• Additional projects as assigned

• Demonstrated interest in art history, contemporary art, American studies and/or museum education
• Excellent attention to detail and organizational skills
• Excellent oral and written communication skills
• Ability to juggle a variety of tasks simultaneously and work in a fast‑paced work environment
• Strong collaborative and interpersonal skills
• Familiarity with MS Office and Photoshop

• Basic training on event production, research and administration will be provided.
• Knowledge of the current field of contemporary art in the U.S. through current and upcoming Whitney exhibitions and the artists, scholars and critics participating in Public Programs, as well as the broader field of modern and contemporary art history and related disciplines.
• Experience in developing and producing museum programming, including coordinating with museum staff, program documentation, program ticketing, preparing visual materials and engaging with audiences

Interns will be paid a stipend of $6,500 for full participation.

Generous support for Hearst Summer Interns is provided by the William Randolph Hearst Foundation.

The Whitney Museum of American Art is an Equal Opportunity Employer. The Museum does not discriminate because of age, sex, religion, race, color, creed, national origin, alienage or citizenship, disability, marital status, pregnancy, partnership status, caregiver status, veteran status, gender (including gender identity), sexual orientation, genetic information, predisposition or carrier status, arrest or conviction record to the extent required by applicable law, credit history, domestic violence, sexual violence or stalking victim status, or any other factor prohibited by law.

The Museum hires and promotes individuals solely on the basis of their qualifications for the job to be filled. The Museum encourages all qualified candidates to apply for vacant positions at all levels.