The Arkell Museum is pleased to announce a paid internship opportunity for the summer of 2025; this is a ten-week internship in collections primarily for museum studies graduate students who have completed at least one year of a two-year program. Applications from recent museum program graduates or undergraduates with commensurate experience who are entering a museum studies graduate program will be considered.
The collections internship provides a dynamic learning experience in a supportive environment. You will participate fully in workplace activities and be expected to work independently as a contributing team member; you will have the opportunity to work closely with staff and outside museum professionals to hone practices and gain new skills. You will make important contributions to the museum.
Projects will include a balance of cataloguing and housing new acquisitions; handling registration paperwork; exhibit development, research, and writing; collections research, digital photography, and cataloging; and exploration of digitization for public access. The intern will also have the opportunity to focus on a project that benefits the collection and current need, but is of specific personal/academic interest.
The Arkell Museum is noted for an impressive fine art collection that includes work by 19th and early 20th century American artists, and 21 works by Winslow Homer alone. The museum also owns the substantial Beech-Nut Archive, and objects/ephemera related to Mohawk Valley history. The collections intern will work primarily with the fine art collection, but may have the opportunity to work with the Beech-Nut Archive and/or the Mohawk Valley collection.
The Arkell Museum is nearly equidistant between Utica and Albany, NY (about 45 minutes from each), and is minutes from NYS Thruway exit 29.
This is an onsite internship. The intern must commit to being fully present and onsite for the duration of the internship. They are not permitted to take courses, or hold/accept additional jobs or internships that coincide with their scheduled internship work hours. The intern will be directly supervised by the Curator of Exhibitions & Collections or the Executive Director.
The successful applicant will have superior investigative research and writing skills, some cataloging experience, the ability to work independently, familiarity with Past Perfect (or similar program), and the desire to learn through experience while making a difference for the Arkell Museum.
This internship is fulltime and offers some flexibility:
June 10 – August 19, 2025
Ten weeks with one week off or adjusted start/end date
Four days per week (T-F); 28 hours per week
Total stipend $4,480
To apply, send a cover letter, resume with two professional references to: humanresources@arkellmuseum.org
(one may be a current or former professor/instructor), and three writing samples (the strongest samples will indicate evidence of primary and/or secondary source research).
Human Resources
Arkell Museum & Canajoharie Library
2 Erie Boulevard
Canajoharie, NY 13317
www.arkellmuseum.org
www.canajoharielibrary.org
Application Deadline: May 1, 2025 5:00 PM
This internship is made possible by the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of the Office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature
