The Art Institute of Chicago shares its singular collections with our city and the world. We collect, care for, and interpret works of art across time, cultures, geographies, and identities. We are a place of gathering and learning, committed to fostering an inclusive understanding of human creativity.
Position Summary
The Art Institute of Chicago’s department of Experience Design is excited to offer a McMullan Arts Leadership intern position to work with their Visual Design team.
The Experience Design team is the creative studio at the heart of the museum, hosting a multidisciplinary team of visual designers, video and audio producers, developers, project managers and integration specialists. The Visual Design team is responsible for all things visual in the museum—ranging from exhibits, to print materials, digital products, environmental and service design, and brand.
The McMullan Arts Leadership Internship in Visual Design offers the opportunity for a designer early in their career to explore their interests and refine their skills through a broad range of creative design projects.
The intern will join a museum-wide intern cohort and have access to a range of programs to support their development in addition to their placement in Visual Design. Mentorship is provided throughout the experience, and connections with an intern alumni network will be established.
McMullan Arts Leadership Internship Program Goals
The McMullan Arts Leadership internship program is part of a museum-wide effort to provide students the opportunity to gain experience, career awareness, networks, and skills that will position them to thrive as future art museum leaders.
This program specifically aims to support students who encounter economic challenges when considering a career in the arts. Aligned with this goal, we aim to help shape a diverse group of leaders whose actions are informed by a wide range of perspectives, varying career paths, and values inspired by their own lived experiences.
Internship Outcomes
In this position, the intern will have the opportunity to:
- Establish familiarity with stakeholders, projects, and processes within the Visual Design department
- Research and develop longer-term design projects, and present these to key stakeholders across the museum
- Generate a portfolio of design projects documenting work created during the internship
- Develop mentor relationships with field practitioners;
- Build peer-to-peer relationships with fellow interns.
Responsibilities
Under the mentorship of the Design Operations Manager, Senior Designer, Associate Designer, and Creative Director, The McMullan Arts Leadership Intern will gain experience by contributing to the responsibilities shared by the Visual Design team:
- Support creative concepts.
- The McMullan Arts Leadership Intern will support design inspiration research, interpreting creative briefs, and generating design ideas that interpret the goals for exhibitions, printed material, campaigns, and brand work.
- Support production design.
- The McMullan Arts Leadership Intern will support the design team with production across many visual design formats including: exhibition graphics, wayfinding and campus signage, marketing campaigns, digital products, moving image, and printed materials.
- Participate in the design process.
- The McMullan Arts Leadership Intern will collaborate with other members of the Visual Design team and participate in group design crits and feedback sessions. They will be regularly encouraged to provide and receive constructive feedback.
- Contribute to authentic and original creative work.
- The Art Institute has a unique voice and identity. The McMullan Arts Leadership Intern will support the brand and the museum’s dynamic programming. They will help explore a rich visual vocabulary to find the best solution for the design challenge.
- Support the museum in its commitment to creating a diverse, inclusive, and equitable institution.
- Our team treats all colleagues and visitors equitably and respectfully, recognizing the value that diverse backgrounds and perspectives bring to our organization.
- Participate in regular meetings with members of the Visual Design team;
- Attend intern cohort professional development programs and museum practice seminars.
Qualifications
- Undergraduate or graduate student; recent graduates (within one year of graduation) will also be considered;
- Applicants must be based in the Chicagoland area and/or attending school in the Chicagoland area over the course of the internship term;
- Strong interest in developing typographic skills and understanding of grid systems;
- Creatively approach to the use of typography, image, and color;
- Proficiency in Adobe’s Creative Suite (InDesign, Photoshop, Illustrator, Acrobat Pro);
- Comfortable working in a team environment and contributing to group discussions as well as receiving feedback;
- Collaborative approach to problem solving + problem solving mindset;
- Ability to balance multiple projects in a fast-paced studio environment.
Compensation & Benefits
Hiring Range: $17.50/hour (Maximum 14 hours per week, for a total of up to 448 hours over the course of the internship.)
This position is not benefits eligible.
- Job Classification: Hourly
- Employment Category: Intern
Schedule: This is a part-time, 32-week position for a currently enrolled or recently graduated undergraduate or graduate student. The intern will work 14 hours per week, for a total of up to 448 hours over the course of the internship. Work days will occur between Monday–Friday; the start date and schedule will be determined upon agreement with the candidate and the host department.
Hourlong virtual and in-person intern professional development programs will be scheduled throughout the internship term that the student is strongly encouraged to attend. These programs will occur during the week; we ask that the intern make this part of their internship schedule.
Format: The internship will be fully onsite. Due to onsite necessity, applicants based or attending school in the Chicagoland area during the internship timeframe will be prioritized. Internet access and appropriate technology will be necessary to complete this internship; technological accommodations will be provided by the Art Institute of Chicago based on necessity.
Application Instructions
You must upload all of the requested materials below (resume and essay responses) into only one pdf document and list your last name and “AY 26-27” in the title of the file (example: [LAST NAME]_AY 26-27.pdf.) Please upload your materials where asked in the online application.
PLEASE NOTE: You will not be considered if any requested application element is missing.
To apply for this internship, tell us your story. We want to understand who you are, what motivates you, how you think, and where you’re coming from. Please submit the following materials:
- Resume
- Short Essays: Instead of a cover letter, please respond to the following questions in short essays (no more than 300 words per essay.) We encourage you to provide specific examples to support your answers or to illustrate your ideas:
- What about this job description interests you the most?
- With the mission of the McMullan Arts Leadership intern program in mind, what perspectives might you bring to this role that you think museums need more of?
- How do you envision this opportunity helping you towards your professional goals?
- Digital Portfolio: A website, Dropbox, or Google Drive hyperlink made accessible on your résumé showing examples of design work
DEADLINE: The deadline to submit an application to this position is Monday, July 27 at 11:59 pm CDT. We will not accept late applications.
Selected applicants will be invited to participate in a video interview approximately two weeks after the application deadline.
Accessibility
If you are a job seeker with a disability and require a reasonable accommodation to apply for one of our jobs, you will find the contact information to request the appropriate accommodation by visiting the following page:
Accessibility Accommodation for Applicants (https://recruiting2.ultipro.com/ART1010AICH/JobBoard/d263cd2b-c4ef-4e10-8876-a2896406a573/Accessibility)
Equal Opportunity Statement
The Art Institute of Chicago is an Equal Opportunity Employer that recruits, hires and promotes qualified individuals compliant with federal and state laws. If reasonable accommodation is needed to participate in the job application or interview process, please contact the Department of Human Resources at [email protected] (mailto:[email protected]).
Equal Opportunity Employer
This employer is required to notify all applicants of their rights pursuant to federal employment laws. For further information, please review the Know Your Rights (https://www.eeoc.gov/poster) notice from the Department of Labor.
