Remote Emerging Arts Leader Internship: Public Engagement

TITLE
Emerging Arts Leader Internship: Public Engagement
Temporary, Part-Time | September 22 – December 4, 2025
$20.76 per hour | Approx. 15 hours/week, up to 150 total hours | FLSA Status: Non-Exempt

PROGRAM OVERVIEW
SAM strives for its employees, volunteers, and interns to reflect the community in which it exists. Emerging Arts Leader internships are intended to open career pathways for individuals who bring dynamic backgrounds and perspectives to their work in art, museums, or community engagement.

While diversity encompasses many identities and lived experiences, Emerging Arts Leader internships aim to create pathways for individuals from backgrounds historically underrepresented in the museum field — including, but not limited to, those who identify as Black or African American, Asian, Latino/a/x or Hispanic, Native American, or Pacific Islander.

All internships are funded by the IMLS Emerging Arts Leader Grant and are structured around a 150-hour commitment over approximately 10 weeks. Interns will receive hourly compensation at Seattle’s minimum wage and are eligible for an ORCA card and other temporary employee benefits. All internship work must be completed by December 31, 2025 , in accordance with the grant funding timeline.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES
The Public Engagement Intern will work closely with the Public Engagement Coordinator and Associate Director of Public Engagement to support SAM’s Community Pass Program . This role focuses on community engagement, program outreach, and administrative support to expand access to museum programming for underserved audiences.
Responsibilities will include the following, but are not limited to:

Department Project Execution - 100% Working closely with the Public Engagement Coordinator and Associate Director of Public Engagement, this intern will explore the museum’s engagement with community partner organizations via SAM’s Community Pass program by:

Engaging with existing partners and new program applicants with outreach efforts, emails, research, and participation in group visits.
Developing new communication materials for partners including email campaign content for Community Pass newsletters.
Coordinating the distribution of Community Passes and ensuring smooth redemption with ticketing staff.
Collecting and summarizing demographic and usage data to evaluate program reach and impact.
Presenting a summative report on the program to the Education and Public Engagement team
WE ARE LOOKING FOR
Required Qualifications Minimum of a high school diploma or equivalent
Strong communication and interpersonal skills
Ability to clearly articulate goals, progress, and outcomes to a professional audience
Understanding of concepts related to racial equity, intersectionality, and social justice
Preferred Qualifications Demonstrated interest in arts programming, community engagement, or museum education
Some familiarity with public engagement or working with community partners is helpful but not required
Ability to articulate how this internship supports your professional goals in museums or the broader arts and culture sector
INTERNSHIP PROGRAM PARTICIPATION
All EAL Interns will: Develop and deliver a brief presentation related to internship work or professional interests
Complete a one-page reflection, blog post, or interview about the internship experience
Participate in scheduled workshops, check-ins, and informational interviews with staff
APPROACH TO WORK
We are committed to creating an inclusive and welcoming environment that reflects our community. Interns will be expected to align with SAM’s core values and contribute to a culture that values collaboration, learning, and innovation.

WORK SCHEDULE
This internship will run from September 22 to December 4, 2025 , for approximately 15 hours per week. Flexibility is available to accommodate academic schedules, and some remote work may be possible depending on team needs.

COMPENSATION
$20.76 per hour (Seattle minimum wage)

BENEFITS
Temporary SAM Staff have access to an onsite fitness facility and SAM’s museum library, can access a no-cost Employee Assistance Program resource, enjoy a 20% discount at the SAM Museum Shop and a 10% discount at SAM’s MARKET café, receive 2 SAM guest passes per quarter worked, can access 8 Home Free Guarantee cab rides home per year, and accrue paid sick leave at a rate of 1 hour for every 40 hours worked, per Washington State law.
SAM Interns are also eligible for a Tier III membership to the American Alliance of Museums, access to member rates for ticketed events at SAM, and access to a subsidized ORCA card.

ACCOMMODATION

The Seattle Art Museum will consider reasonable accommodations for employees with disabilities to perform the essential functions/duties of this position. If you would like to request a reasonable accommodation to best enable your success in the role, please discuss this possibility with a member of our HR team at [email protected] .

Celebrating difference . At Seattle Art Museum, our members, visitors, and local community come from all walks of life, and so do our employees, volunteers, and interns. The plurality of our identities and experiences strengthens our mission: connecting art to life. Our mission and vision call us to be responsive to a multitude of cultural contexts and lived experiences, and as such, our Strategic Plan directly addresses the role art plays in empowering and elevating social justice movements, and promoting structural change to further equity in our society. SAM is particularly dedicated to racial equity in the workplace, because we know that people of color are the most impacted when it comes to both historical and present inequities. We know that equity is not a single fixed destination, it’s ongoing reckoning. As SAM continually strives to be a more inclusive and equitable workplace, we are particularly interested in engaging with those who have been historically underrepresented in the museum field. We are dedicated to building a diverse workplace, and a sense of belonging for each and every employee, because we know our organization is at its best when we celebrate difference.

SAM is an equal opportunity employer . We are an equal opportunity employer, and consider qualified applicants for employment without regard to race, color, creed, religion, national origin, age, sex (including pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions), marital status, ancestry, sensory, physical, or mental disability, genetic information, military or veteran status, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, citizenship or immigration status, or other applicable legally protected characteristic. If you need assistance applying for a role due to a disability or additional need, please let us know at View email address on click.appcast.io. The Seattle Art Museum will consider reasonable accommodations for all employees with disabilities to perform the essential functions/duties of the role. If you need an accommodation during the application or interview process, please contact View email address on click.appcast.io. For candidates, we ask that, if possible, you wait until youre invited to a screen, online technical assessment or interview before requesting an accommodation.

We encourage you to apply . We are dedicated to building a diverse workplace, and a sense of belonging for each and every employee, because we know our organization is at its best when we include, celebrate and embrace difference. We encourage you to submit an application, even if your experience doesn’t feel like a 100% match with the position. We know applying for a job can be intimidating, and research tells us that womxn and folks of color are less likely to apply if they dont see themselves meeting or exceeding every single qualification listed. We encourage you to apply, even if you feel unsure about whether you meet every requirement in this job post. You could very well be a great fit for this role or others.

Requirements for employment. In order to be employed by the Seattle Art Museum, you must reside in the state of Washington. Employment at SAM is contingent upon successful clearing and maintenance of clearance in both a federal and state criminal background check.

Want to learn more? If you havent already, check out our Careers page for more on working at SAM.

Though wed love to be able to reply to every question that crosses our desk, due to the high volume of applications we receive, our HR team is unfortunately unable to offer a response to inquiries requesting search status updates, inquiries about hiring timeline, or requests to be put in touch with directly with the Hiring Team. If your experiences and capabilities are well suited to an open role, our Recruiter or the Hiring Manager will reach out directly to schedule an interview. Thanks for your understanding!