Oklahoma Arts Council Job Opportunities

Visual Arts Department Internship

The Oklahoma Arts Council is seeking an intern for its Visual Arts Department. The department oversees the following agency responsibilities: The Capitol Art Collection, which encompasses the art on view in the public areas of the Oklahoma State Capitol and grounds; the Oklahoma State Art Collection; the art in the public areas of the Governor’s Mansion; and, the Oklahoma Art in Public Places program.

The Oklahoma Arts Council Visual Arts Department Internship program provides participants with hands-on experience working with several of the most important art collections in the state of Oklahoma. The program enables interns to work closely with staff professionals and is tailored to accommodate one intern in the spring and one intern in the fall of each year.

Although focusing primarily on collections care and maintenance under the supervision of the Director of Visual Arts and Capitol Collections, the experience also broadens awareness of the role of collections management as a modern information science and an essential component of overall museum operations. Interns are given the ability and the opportunity to attend cultural events at the Capitol and assist in cultural programming sponsored by the Oklahoma Arts Council. In addition, interns will assist with the day-to-day operations of the Visual Arts Department of the Oklahoma Arts Council and the Oklahoma Art in Public Places program. Each intern will undertake at least one special project of their own design under the guidance and supervision of the Director of Visual Arts and Capitol Collections.  

Objectives

Interns obtain practical experience regarding collections care and management that typically include:

• Proper art handling & object handling

• Museum ethics, policies, and procedures

• Proper storage methods and environments

• Collections inventory and control

• Cataloging and documentation

• Integrated pest management

• Effective communication with staff and public

Interns are generally assigned to a focused collections management project. Interns coming from graduate programs will also prepare and present a short public gallery talk discussing an item on exhibit in the Betty Price Gallery or in one of the other public exhibition areas of the Oklahoma State Capitol. Ongoing instruction, discussions, exercises and assigned readings reinforce hands-on work and offer best practice insights and provide accurate and comprehensive introduction to collections management and care. Through their interaction with the Oklahoma Art in Public Places Program Interns also receive a general introduction to the processes involved in the management of a large scale public arts program.

Requirements

Students pursuing degrees in Museum Studies, Art History, History, Ethnological Studies, Planning, or other public policy disciplines and who have completed three hours of museum studies-related course work or 12 credit hours of history and/or art history courses are qualified to apply for an internship. Prior experience working with art works or cultural materials is helpful, but not required.

Due to the Oklahoma Arts Council’s commitment to delivering high quality programing to the artists, art educators, art professionals and the art going public of Oklahoma, and due to our full schedule and limited staff, it is important for our interns, regardless of education or experience level, to possess the following attributes:

Good attention to detail
Effective working alone and with others
Able to lift up to 30 lbs.
Able to sit/stand for extended periods mutually respectful work style
Flexibility!

How to Apply:

Send a letter outlining your interest in this internship to the address below. Include any museum relevant experience and contact information for at least one professional and one academic reference.

Oklahoma Arts Council
c/o Director of Visual Arts and Capitol Collections
PO Box 52001-2001
Oklahoma City, OK 73152-2001

As an agency of equal opportunity, the Oklahoma Arts Council strives to increase opportunities that foster a culture of diversity, equity, and inclusion. We welcome and strongly encourage applications from students of different race, ethnicity, culture, religion, language, socioeconomic status, citizenship, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, age, physical ability, and veteran status.

While we sincerely appreciate all applications, only those candidates selected for interview will be contacted. No phone calls please.

The Oklahoma Arts Council is an Equal Opportunity Employer.