What are the responsibilities and job description for the Family Programs Intern (Winter-Spring) position at Seattle Art Museum?
Applications Due Date: Wednesday, November 12, 2025
Position Start Date: Monday, Dec 15, 2025
OVERVIEW
SAM is dedicated to racial equity and strives for employees, volunteers, and interns who are passionate, qualified, and offer diverse perspectives. SAM prioritizes racial equity in the workplace because we know that people of color are the most impacted when it comes to inequities. We are particularly interested in engaging with historically under-represented groups in the museum field as we strive to be inclusive and equitable. SAM is responsive to cultural communities and experiences, and our strategic plan goals address the role art plays in empowering social justice and structural change to promote equity in our society.
The Family Programs intern is a member of the Seattle Art Museum Education department. This intern will assist program staff to provide meaningful, hands-on experiences for children and families. They will help develop and execute programming for family audiences at Seattle Art Museum’s three locations and offsite, research and evaluate family resources at the museum, and offer programmatic support for children and families at the museum.
FLSA Status: Temporary, non-exempt
Compensation: $20.76 per hour
Reports To: Family Programs Manager
BENEFITS
Along with the above pay rate, this intern will be eligible for the following benefits:
Paid sick time accrued at a rate of 0.0385 per hour worked, estimated at 8.5 hours total for this internship.
SAM Savings & 403(b) Retirement Plan, with Roth option available.
Fringe benefits including two free guest passes to SAM, access to RIC Fitness Center, Tier III AAM membership, discounts for SAM memberships, SAM Shop, and MARKET, access to member rates for ticketed events at SAM, and a subsidized ORCA card.
EXPECTED TIME COMMITMENT
10 hours per week, for 25 weeks from December 15, 2025 – June 12, 2025.
Working hours will range from 8am – 4pm, Mondays – Saturdays at SAM’s three locations and offsite.
Community Family Fun Workshops & Family Saturdays/Festivals 9 am–3 pm:
- 1st Saturdays January–May 2026
- November 22
- December 13
- February 21, 2026
- February 28
- March 21
- April 25
- May 16
LEARNING OBJECTIVES
This internship offers an opportunity to develop a greater understanding of education programs at the Seattle Art Museum. In addition to gaining hands-on experience with families and visitors, this internship will provide an opportunity to evaluate museum programming and collaborate with museum staff to deliver an engaging, public-facing experience.
ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS
Assist the program staff in preparing for art studio sessions, workshops, and festivals by setting up supplies, managing SAM volunteers and helping with breakdown after programs.
Contribute to the planning, development, and execution of family programs across SAM’s three locations and offsite. Programs include Community Family Fun Workshops, Family Festivals, Family Saturdays, SAM Camp and offsite Art Adventures
Facilitate interactive and inclusive gallery tours for families with children ages 2–12 in collaboration with SAM education staff
Assist with administrative tasks involving supplies, registration, and survey and feedback collection after each program .
Research, develop and, evaluate educational resources for family audiences visiting the museum with an anti-racist and equity lens
Attend Enrichment Sessions and other professional development activities for interns.
Abide by the Standards for Museum Volunteers/Interns as outlined in the Volunteer/Intern Packet.
Support the Education Department on related family programming as needed.
KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS, AND ABILITIES REQUIRED
High school graduate, or GED required
Experience working with children in an art or educational setting.
Proficiency with Microsoft Office tools (Word, Access, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, Google Drive) and learning other online platforms
Interest in art and museum education .
Familiarity and understanding of childhood development in relation to program facilitation.
Ability to work efficiently, prioritize tasks, and ask for support or guidance
Ability to work independently on projects and as a collaborative team member for department priority tasks and group projects.
Ability to represent the Museum with a high level of integrity and leadership.
Ability to adhere to Museum policies and support management decisions in a positive, professional manner.
WORKING CONDITIONS
Exposure: Work areas are primarily inside, in a climate-controlled environment with light background noise. Work is occasionally performed at other indoor and outdoor sites.
PHYSICAL ACTIVITIES REQUIRED FOR ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS
Stationary Work: Approximately 60% of time is spent stationary while working at a desk. Balance of time (approximately 40%) is spent moving around the work area. Occasional extended periods of standing may be required when assisting at Museum events.
Communication: Clear and effective communication with volunteers, donors, members, the public, and co-workers is necessary.
Moving: The ability to move up to twenty pounds on occasion is necessary for moving equipment and supplies.
Office Work: Ability to effectively and regularly operate a computer, keyboard, and other office productivity machinery, such as copy machines and printers, and ability to inspect, prepare, and use paperwork, files, equipment, and supplies is necessary.
OTHER EMPLOYMENT REQUIREMENTS
Centering equity, diversity, and inclusion as an organization, and as individuals, Seattle Art Museum (SAM) is committed to ensuring that all employees and volunteers enjoy a respectful, inclusive, and welcoming workplace. SAM is proud to be an equal opportunity employer.
All qualified candidates will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, creed, color, national origin, sex, marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, disability, honorably discharged veteran or military status, or any other protected class.
Offers of employment are contingent upon successful completion of a criminal background check and proof that the applicant is fully vaccinated against COVID-19 or qualifies for a testing exemption or accommodation.
Please be aware that SAM does not sponsor work or study visas for interns at this time.
ACCOMMODATION
If you need assistance applying for a role due to a disability or additional need, please let us know at hr@seattleartmuseum.org
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 an accommodation, please contact hr@seattleartmuseum.org
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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 hr@seattleartmuseum.org. 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 hr@seattleartmuseum.org. For candidates, we ask that, if possible, you wait until you're 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 don't 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 haven't already, check out our Careers page for more on working at SAM.
Though we'd 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!
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