2026 MoMA 12-Month Internship - Painting and Sculpture

About the 12-Month Internship Program

Full-time, 12-month internships with stipends are offered for recent college graduates interested in pursuing a museum career. The focused departmental training is integrated with the fall, spring, and summer lecture series and complemented with financial provisions for the interns to create a research trip related to their field of interest. Additionally, monthly activities are designed specifically for this cohort to receive greater exposure to the museum and art fields.

The Painting & Sculpture Intern will be a part of a larger cohort of interns from various MoMA departments. Twelve-month internships provide training in specific museum fields through close work with professional staff members, familiarity with modern and contemporary art through seminars and discussions, and an educational program that exposes interns to the workings of the Museum as a whole, while considering the role of museums in the broader cultural context.

More about Painting and Sculpture

MoMA’s Department of Painting and Sculpture maintains a world renowned collection of modern and contemporary painting and sculpture with more than 4,000 works dating from the late nineteenth century to the present. It provides an outstanding overview of the major artists and movements since the 1890s, to masterworks of today.

This internship will be within the Collection section of the P&S Department, which is responsible for collection care, cataloging of new additions to the collection and improving and updating cataloging for works already in the collection to reflect new scholarship and information.

In addition to Painting & Sculpture collection tasks, the 12-month intern will also assist with curatorial tasks for an upcoming collection-based exhibition scheduled to open in May 2027. The focused presentation will feature artworks that trace connections between Asia, Africa and their diasporas, focusing on networks of solidarity and community formation. The intern will participate in assisting with exhibition data entry and record keeping, contribute to exhibition research, observe the exhibition design process, and learn about the exhibition production process from planning to gallery installation.

This internship will:

• Enhance an understanding of the following curatorial collection practices and provide firsthand experience working with a curatorial collection team’s work in collection care and management.
• Develop skills in Museum Collection File Management and build skills in creating and maintaining archival files per protocols at MoMA as well as current industry standards.
• Support the department's deaccession & provenance research and contribute meaningfully to the collection team by assisting in research related to ongoing reviews of the P&S Collections (permanent collection, study collection, and assets), as well as research related to the provenance of works in the collection.
• Expand knowledge of art and cultural contexts and deepen understanding of the artworks, themes, and historical/cultural contexts of P&S exhibitions and collection works to support public engagement and interpretation.
• Strengthen professional development and provide transferable skills in research, organization, and communication to prepare for future roles in museums, galleries, or other cultural institutions.

The ideal candidate should be a recent BA or MA graduate in an art history program with excellent writing skills and knowledge of Microsoft Suite and Google Suite. The intern should have a strong work ethic and eagerness to learn. 

Required Commitment
This program will run from approximately September 14, 2026 to August 27, 2027. This program requires a full-time commitment (Monday-Friday, 9:30am to 5:30pm).

Eligibility
Recent graduates of bachelor’s or master’s degree programs. The Museum encourages candidates from all academic disciplines to apply.

Salary
$42,000 salary (gross), subject to applicable tax withholdings. Health benefits, two weeks paid vacation, and an additional $2,000 to cover travel expenses for an approved research trip related to the intern’s field of interest.

Application Deadline
All 12-Month intern applications are due by Sunday, May 3rd by 11:59 PM EST.

How to Apply

Application Requirements

The following items are required as part of your online application through MoMA's UKG Recruiting Portal:

• A résumé/curriculum vitae in PDF format
• At least 1 letter of recommendation, in PDF format, directly uploaded to your application
• A transcript, in PDF format, directly uploaded to your application (unofficial transcripts are accepted).
• A essay submitted in PDF format. Essay should be no longer than 650 words and answer the prompt below as follows:
  • Why are you interested in participating in an internship at The Museum of Modern Art? In response, be sure to address both:
    a) The role of museums and how you envision their potential for evolution.
    b) Individual or an experience that has influenced your perception of the arts.

If you have any questions or concerns regarding your application, please reach out to internships@moma.org.

Please note: we will not review applications received after the deadline, and we will only review complete applications.

Select applicants will be contacted to arrange interviews in mid-July. If we request an interview with you, we will contact you to arrange a convenient date and time for you.

Candidates may apply for up to three (3) departments in the same cohort. For a complete list of available internships at MoMA, please go to www.moma.org/about/careers/internships.

Equal Employment Opportunity Policy Statement: Equal Employment Opportunity has been, and will continue to be, a fundamental principle at the Museum, where employment is based upon personal capabilities and qualifications without discrimination because of race, color, religion, sex, age, national origin, disability, pregnancy, genetic information, military or veteran status, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity or expression, marital and civil partnership/union status, alienage or citizenship status, creed, genetic predisposition or carrier status, unemployment status, familial status, domestic violence, sexual violence or stalking victim status, caregiver status, arrest or conviction record to the extent required by applicable law, credit history, or any other protected category as established by applicable law, including the New York City Human Rights Law (“NYCHRL”).