Tell me, I forget. Show me, I remember. Involve me, I understand
Benjamin Franklin
The Priva B. Gross Internship consists of a two-year internship in the Gallery along with an honorarium provided to the recipient. This internship is awarded to a student who demonstrates notable interest in the arts, particularly in museum studies. Written requests for the internship will be considered followed by an in-person interview.
The internship will provide practical career experience, especially in exhibition management. It will also encourage the development of aesthetic sensibility to museum-quality objects through hands-on experience with both objects on loan and QCC Art Gallery’s permanent collection.
The QCC Art Gallery will recruit candidates for this program through outreach from academic institutions and academic referrals. The interns will work closely with a member of the department specifically in mounting exhibitions. The recipient will participate in the planning and curating of an exhibition, as well as the installation and interpretation to the museum public.
Those who complete this extensive program will gain significant experience that will allow them to better understand and prepare for further education in the field of art. The internship will provided them with the necessary experience that will guide them to employment in the field of museum studies. Interns will engage not only with staff but become acquainted with outside curators and art collectors, and benefit them in their future endeavors.
Learning by Observation
Interns will assist museum curators in mounting at least one major exhibition and will be part of the entire process, from assembling the exhibition checklist to installing the artwork. In addition, they will be involved in planning exhibitions scheduled for future dates. They will work closely with staff in the development of grant proposals, visit private collections and research individual works of art under the guidance of the gallery’s librarian and registrar.
Learning by Teaching
Today’s curators are also educators. Curators must be able to communicate with a variety of audiences to help them more effectively engage with the work on view. The interns will actively participate in the museum’s education program for young people and adults in our ‘Learning to Look’ program, under the supervision of the curator. As docents themselves, the interns will have a unique opportunity to engage the students with the art we present and collect as well as lead special tours for our gallery members.
Learning by Doing
All the preparation in the world will not build an intern’s resume as much as the experience of curating their own exhibition. Using our Community Gallery as the venue, each intern will have the opportunity to curate a show at the end of their second year with selections of works from artists in our Community Exhibition Program.