Graduate Music and Performing Arts Curatorial Internship

Collections That Care; Washington (District of Columbia); Hybrid; USD 18,000 - 27,000; Part time

Job summary

The National Museum of African American History and Culture is offering a Graduate Music and Performing Arts Curatorial Internship for graduate students focused on African American history and culture, with emphasis on music and the performing arts. The internship develops research, writing, and professional communication for curatorial work.

This hybrid position combines remote work with onsite days at NMAAHC in Washington, DC, and a Maryland storage facility.

Qualifications

• Graduate student focused on African American history and culture.
• Interest in developing research and writing skills in a museum setting.
• Prior curatorial/archival experience is a plus but not required.

Responsibilities

• Conduct research related to African American music and performing arts history.
• Assist with curatorial and archival tasks and documentation.
• Support writing and communication for exhibitions and programs.
• Contribute to project management and coordination with teams.

Skills

Research

Writing

Critical analysis

Project management

Professional communication

Education

Graduate student in African American history/culture

Tools

Word processing

Spreadsheets

Collection management systems

Job description

Summary

The Graduate Music and Performing Arts Curatorial Internship is an opportunity to do meaningful curatorial work at one of the most prominent cultural institutions in the country building advanced skills in African American collecting and cultural preservation while expanding professional networks. As part of NMAAHC’s commitment to strengthening the museum talent pipeline, this position is designed to support graduate students in deepening the knowledge and experience that advance careers in African American history and culture. The skills developed through this internship (research, writing, critical analysis, project management, and professional communication) directly support careers across a wide range of museum positions, including curatorial, collections, education, public programs, and outreach, as well as related fields such as publishing, journalism, archival work, cultural policy, and the broader nonprofit and public humanities sectors.

The NMAAHC Music & Performing Arts Collection includes over 5,000 objects from celebrated artists, institutions, and historical events, as well as artifacts that reflect the role of creative expression in the everyday lives of individuals in their homes, churches, schools, and local communities.

This is a hybrid internship, combining remote work with scheduled onsite days at NMAAHC in Washington, DC, and a storage facility in Maryland. Start and end dates are to be determined in coordination with the intern and supervisor.

Key Details

Compensation: $425/week

Duration: January 25 – April 23, 2027

Schedule: PT (20 hours/week or less)

Deadline:October 15, 2026

Eligibility

The ideal candidate is a graduate student with coursework or a research focus in African American history and culture, specializing in music, performing arts, popular culture, or museum studies. A genuine curiosity about Black history and culture, and their relationship to music and the performing arts, is essential. An interest in developing advanced research and writing skills in a museum setting is important. Prior experience with curatorial or archival work is a plus but not required. Comfort with word processing and spreadsheet software is expected; experience with collection management systems is welcome but not necessary.

About

The National Museum of African American History and Culture is the only national museum devoted exclusively to the documentation of African American life, history, and culture. It was established by an Act of Congress in 2003, following decades of efforts to promote and highlight the contributions of African Americans. To date, the museum has collected more than 45,000 artifacts, and nearly 300,000 individuals have become members. The museum opened to the public on September 24, 2016, as the 19th museum of the Smithsonian Institution.