Graduate Music and Performing Arts Curatorial Internship

The Graduate Music and Performing Arts Curatorial Internship is an opportunity to do meaningful curatorial work at one of the most prominent cultural institutions in the country building advanced skills in African American collecting and cultural preservation while expanding professional networks. As part of NMAAHC’s commitment to strengthening the museum talent pipeline, this position is designed to support graduate students in deepening the knowledge and experience that advance careers in African American history and culture.

The skills developed through this internship (research, writing, critical analysis, project management, and professional communication) directly support careers across a wide range of museum positions, including curatorial, collections, education, public programs, and outreach, as well as related fields such as publishing, journalism, archival work, cultural policy, and the broader nonprofit and public humanities sectors.

The NMAAHC Music & Performing Arts Collection includes over 5,000 objects from celebrated artists, institutions, and historical events, as well as artifacts that reflect the role of creative expression in the everyday lives of individuals in their homes, churches, schools, and local communities.

This is a hybrid internship, combining remote work with scheduled onsite days at NMAAHC in Washington, DC, and a storage facility in Maryland. Start and end dates are to be determined in coordination with the intern and supervisor.

Compensation: $425/week

Duration: January 25 – April 23, 2027

Schedule: PT (20 hours/week or less)

Deadline:October 15, 2026

The ideal candidate is a graduate student with coursework or a research focus in African American history and culture, specializing in music, performing arts, popular culture, or museum studies. A genuine curiosity about Black history and culture, and their relationship to music and the performing arts, is essential. An interest in developing advanced research and writing skills in a museum setting is important.

Prior experience with curatorial or archival work is a plus but not required. Comfort with word processing and spreadsheet software is expected; experience with collection management systems is welcome but not necessary.

The National Museum of African American History and Culture is the only national museum devoted exclusively to the documentation of African American life, history, and culture. It was established by an Act of Congress in 2003, following decades of efforts to promote and highlight the contributions of African Americans. To date, the museum has collected more than 45,000 artifacts, and nearly 300,000 individuals have become members.

The museum opened to the public on September 24, 2016, as the 19th museum of the Smithsonian Institution.