Design Fellow

Node Foundation; Palo Alto (CA); On-site; USD 27,000 - 36,000; Part time

Benefits offered by this job

Stipend for the fellowship

Direct experience with artists

Access to NODE's creative network

Reference and recommendation based on contributions

Job summary

A nonprofit foundation in Palo Alto is seeking a Design Fellow for an eight-week spring fellowship. The position offers hands-on experience in designing artist exhibitions, collaborating with a team, and contributing to production logistics. Ideal for Stanford students, the fellowship emphasizes learning and involvement in real production processes. Candidates should have visual sensitivity, attention to detail, and a willingness to learn on the job. A stipend is provided for the duration of the fellowship.

Qualifications

• Must be a Stanford student from any year or major.
• Comfortable working with hands and learning on the job.
• Able to commit 15-20 hours weekly during the fellowship.
• Hands-on working and learning on the job

Responsibilities

• Assist with design and fabrication for exhibitions.
• Support production logistics and material sourcing.
• Document production processes for NODE's design archive.
• Collaborate with artists, engineers, and the NODE production team on active projects
• Help prepare the space for openings, events, and programming
• Document production processes and contribute to NODE's design archive
• Participate in exhibition planning meetings and creative reviews

Skills

Hands-on work

Visual sensitivity

Attention to detail

Time management

Portfolio review

Education

Currently enrolled at Stanford University

Job description

NODE is looking for a Design Fellow to join the team for Spring Quarter 2026. This is an eight-week fellowship for a current Stanford student interested in the intersection of physical design, art production, and exhibition-making.

You'll work hands-on with the NODE team at our flagship location at 180 University Ave in Palo Alto, contributing to the design and production of artist exhibitions in a space that treats digital art with the same seriousness and craft as any other medium. You'll be involved in real production decisions, physical builds, and the day-to-day work of running an active exhibition space.

Responsibilities

• Assist with physical design and fabrication for artist exhibitions and installations
• Support production logistics including material sourcing, vendor coordination, and on-site builds
• Contribute to spatial design decisions for exhibition layout and visitor experience
• Collaborate with artists, engineers, and the NODE production team on active projects
• Help prepare the space for openings, events, and programming
• Document production processes and contribute to NODE's design archive
• Participate in exhibition planning meetings and creative reviews

Requirements

• Currently enrolled as a Stanford University student (any year, any major)
• Comfort working with your hands and learning on the job
• Visual sensitivity and attention to detail
• Ability to commit approximately 15-20 hours per week for eight weeks during Spring Quarter 2026
• Portfolio or examples of past work appreciated but not required

Stipend provided for the duration of the fellowship.

• Direct experience producing exhibitions alongside professional artists and a dedicated production team
• Exposure to the full lifecycle of exhibition-making, from concept through opening night
• Access to NODE's network of artists, technologists, and cultural leaders
• A reference and recommendation based on your contributions

About NODE

NODE is a nonprofit foundation dedicated to transforming how digital art is experienced. NODE is both an idea and a place -- built with artists, by artists, and for artists.

NODE is the antidote to sterile galleries and stagnant institutions. NODE is part exhibition space, part learning lab, part cultural engine -- designed to give digital art a home that matches its energy and potential. It challenges how we think about art, who gets to create it, and how we engage with it. It celebrates code as culture, and believes the future of art is collaborative, alive, and always evolving.

From Palo Alto to every connected device worldwide, NODE brings together a network of creators who understand that art has the power to bring us closer. We host experiences that evolve and deepen as more people engage. We create spaces -- both physical and digital -- that invite interaction, experimentation, and dialogue. We partner directly with artists to protect and preserve their code and creative legacy. We collaborate with universities and forward-looking institutions to nurture and inspire the next generation of digital creators. Because it takes a network to make art work.

Our Ten Commandments

• Have serious fun
• No one leaves empty-handed
• Bring a beginner's mindset
• Make people feel at home
• Everyone has something to offer
• Rules are meant to be broken
• Experience comes from doing
• There's always a place for Punks

Interview Process

• On-site visit & portfolio walkthrough (60 min)