Exhibit Fabrication Intern

Children's Theatre Company; Saint Paul (MN); On-site; USD 21,000 - 25,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Free parking

Bus pass

Job summary

Minnesota Children’s Museum’s downtown St. Paul location is seeking an Exhibit Fabrication Intern to assist in the fabrication, design, installation and maintenance of exhibits, with supervision from the Exhibit Fabrication staff.

Interns gain hands‑on experience with exhibit components, CAD/CNC basics, and shop operations while developing responsibility, creativity and imagination. All hours are completed onsite during the 2026 internship session.

Qualifications

• Experience with power and hand tools and safe usage.
• Working knowledge of CAD and CNC machines.
• Ability to lift 50 lbs or more occasionally.

Responsibilities

• Assist in fabrication of exhibit components.
• Assist in exhibit design process.
• Install/uninstall traveling exhibits.
• Clean, repair and maintain museum exhibit components.
• Assist in maintaining exhibit shop.

Skills

Power tools

Hand tools

CAD

CNC machines

Job description

Minnesota Children’s Museum’s mission is sparking children’s learning through play. We believe that diversity, equity, and inclusion is integral to fulfilling our mission. As a community resource for thousands of families, Minnesota Children’s Museum is dedicated to providing children with a fun, hands-on and stimulating environment to explore and discover.

Minnesota Children's Museum's downtown St. Paul location has 74,000 square feet of exhibits space, in addition to being a leading producer of exhibit rentals for children's museums and having the largest collection of traveling exhibits on the road. The Exhibit Fabrication Intern will assist exhibit production staff in the fabrication and design of exhibits, installation of exhibitions, and exhibit repair and maintenance. Interns will be given the opportunity to exercise and strengthen their existing skills, to develop new skills of exhibit making, and to exercise responsibility, creativity and imagination. The internship requires hours to be completed at the museum.

PAY:$16.37 per hour plus free parking or bus pass

SCHEDULE:Requires 120 hours during the internship session (10-12 hours per week, September - December 2026). All hours are completed onsite.

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS

The exact duties and projects will be determined by mutual agreement of the intern and museum staff.

• Assist in fabrication of exhibit components.
• Assist in exhibit design process.
• Install/uninstall traveling exhibits.
• Clean, repair and maintain museum exhibit components.
• Assist in maintaining exhibit shop.

All duties will be carried out with the direction and supervision of Exhibit Fabrication staff.

IDEAL CANDIDATE

• Must have working knowledge and experience with power and hand tools and the ability to use them safely. (Examples: table saw, band saw, routers, miter saw, drills, etc. Prior carpentry and machine shop experience a plus.)
• Working knowledge of CAD and CNC machines. Services and materials like photos and illustrated images, text is a plus.
• Basic knowledge of cleaning supplies and their safe usage.
• Ability to lift 50 lbs. or more on an occasional basis.

TRAINING PROVIDED

• Exhibit component operation and maintenance
• Some on the job training of tools/techniques as time permits

ABOUT MINNESOTA CHILDREN’S MUSEUM

Located in downtown St. Paul, MN, we employ 55 full-time and 55 part-time employees and engage a variety of volunteers and interns. The workplace values that guide how we work together are: Play, Include, Grow, Serve, and Strive.

We are dedicated to growing a diverse and culturally competent team of highly engaged staff and volunteers to reflect and equitably serve the vibrant community around us. We embrace differences in age, ability, color, ethnicity, gender identity and/or expression, national origin, race, religion, and sexual orientation. We strongly encourage the application of individuals from diverse backgrounds, including but not limited to: Black, Indigenous, and people of color; immigrants and refugees; LBGTQIA individuals; people with disabilities; religious minorities; and the elderly.

Minnesota Children’s Museum is an Equal Opportunity Employer

committed to a culturally diverse work environment.