McMullan Arts Leadership Internship, Collections and Loans

McMullan Arts Leadership Intern, Collections and Loans Job Category: Curatorial Affairs Requisition Number: MCMUL002866 Employment Status: Intern Job Classification: Hourly Location 111 S Michigan Avenue Chicago, IL 60603, USA Position Summary The Art Institute of Chicago’s department of Collections and Loans seeks an enthusiastic, organized, and detail-oriented intern to work with the Permanent Collection team. The Permanent Collection area coordinates all registration aspects of permanent collection management, including accessions, deaccessions, inventory, collection displays and limited‑loan exhibitions, insurance, and loans. The team drives strategy and care of the collection, collaborating with curatorial, conservation, science, strategy and analytics, legal, facilities, and protection services to implement museum best practices. This position will review recently scanned museum registration documentation to help the department better understand historic workflows, document accession numbers used, update the collection database (CITI), and improve overall collection data accuracy, benefiting ongoing curatorial research. The intern will join a museum‑wide intern cohort and have access to a range of development programs. Mentorship is provided throughout the experience, with connections to an intern alumni network. Duration: 32 weeks, September 2026 – April 2027 (start anytime during week of September 21–25; end anytime during week of April 26–30) Internship Outcomes Learn about the processes through which the museum brings items into its collection and removes objects from the collection Gain familiarity with museum collection data, relational databases (CITI), and digital asset management systems (NetX) Discover historic museum registration methods by reviewing documents now housed in Archives, gaining archival research experience and using Adobe Acrobat and the Google software suite Develop systematized documentation about those methods for current and future use with ongoing object and donor research Develop mentor relationships with field practitioners Build peer‑to‑peer relationships with fellow interns Responsibilities Review scanned records to determine accession numbers used each year Document gaps and unique situations with the numbering Review and create collection database records to produce a complete indexed reference for all accession numbers used and skipped within the database Assist with other historical records research, as needed Participate in regular meetings with department members and position mentors (Director, Collections and Manager, Collection Systems) Attend intern cohort professional development programs and museum practice seminars Qualifications Undergraduate or graduate student, or recent graduate (within one year of graduation) Residing in the Chicagoland area or attending school in the area during the internship term Familiarity with Google Professional Suite and Adobe Creative Suite Eagerness to learn software programs, including databases and digital asset management systems Vigorous attention to detail and organizational skills General understanding of museum acquisition procedures preferred Compensation and Benefits Hiring Range: $17.50 per hour (maximum 14 hours per week; up to 448 hours over the course of the internship) This position is not benefits eligible. Schedule Part‑time, 32‑week position for a currently enrolled or recently graduated student. Intern will work 14 hours per week, Monday–Friday. Schedule determined upon agreement with the candidate and host department. Accessibility If you are a job seeker with a disability and require a reasonable accommodation to apply, please contact the Department of Human Resources at View email address on click.appcast.io. Equal Opportunity Employer The Art Institute of Chicago is an Equal Opportunity Employer that recruits, hires and promotes qualified individuals in compliance with federal and state laws. #J-18808-Ljbffr School of the Art Institute of Chicago