Internship Guide

Finding work experience and training through internships in the art crime/cultural heritage field is not a clear cut path. Much of the time, the key to finding the work experience that you want with an organization that you value means asserting yourself regardless of whether or not the website says there will be an opportunity for you. No internship section? Email them, attach your CV, and tell them why you’re passionate about these issues, why you want to learn from them, and what you have to offer, even if that’s simply a knowledge of Microsoft Word/Excel and the ability to smile at difficult people.

So it’s not a complete uphill battle for you, here are some organizations that definitely have opportunities waiting.


Resources:


Heritage Resources
Heritage Resources is a great place to find internships, especially if you follow them on Twitter or Facebook.


Organizations:

The Association for Research into Crimes Against Art

ARCA’s website doesn’t explicitly offer an internship application, but I know for a fact that they do have interns. The best way to express your interest in working with them (which can mean spending your summer in the beautiful Umbrian town of Amelia, Italy, what a sacrifice) is to contact them directly at info@artcrime.info or fill out their prospective volunteer form.

U.S. Embassy in Lima, Peru Museum Internship Program

If you’re an American grad student, you can apply to this program, which helps to support the Memorandum of Understanding between Peru and the US. This program helps grad students do research in Lima and Lambayeque, which brings skilled professionals (you) to museums that house rich collections but lack proper support. “Long term possibilities for collaboration” a happy term in the description.


International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS)
ICOMOS does not hold a specific program for interns, but "does periodically accept students as unpaid trainees, especially at our UNESCO-ICOMOS Documentation Centre." To apply for something, send in your CV any old time and they'll get back to you when they're ready to interview you.

International Centre for the Study of the Preservation and Restoration of Cultural Property (ICCROM)

Internships open to those interested in archaeology, architecture, art history, conservation/restoration, engineering, library science, museology, public administration, and urban planning. It looks like they only really take grad students and you need to have a good knowledge of both English and French, but the wording sounds like they might make an exception for an exceptional undergrad.

National Park Service Jobs and Internships

The NPS has a crap load of internships AND jobs for all different kinds of students in many different areas.

Smithsonian Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage

Since I’m an alum of this amazing internship program, I can tell you from experience that working here means working with some really fascinating, kind people on fascinating, all-consuming projects. Interning at CFCH is a great opportunity to dive into the cultural heritage field.

UNESCO

Unfortunately for undergrads, you have to be a graduate or postgraduate student to intern with UNESCO.