Intern - Textile Conservation Intern

Minnesota Historical Society; Saint Paul (MN); On-site; USD 23,000 - 25,000; Part time

Job summary

The Minnesota Historical Society is seeking a Textile Conservation Intern in Saint Paul to gain hands-on experience with textile artifacts, preservation techniques, and museum documentation standards. You will assist with handling artifacts, condition assessments, simple hand sewing, and entering records into the collection database.

This part-time, temporary internship runs January 4–31, 2027, with seminars and final presentations.

Qualifications

• Currently enrolled as an undergraduate or graduate student, or graduated within the past 12 months.
• Interest in textile conservation.
• Some experience handling fragile museum artifacts.
• An understanding of what a condition report is and how it is used within a museum.
• Some experience in entering information into a database.
• Good hand skills.

Responsibilities

• Careful handling of artifacts.
• Executing condition assessments.
• Hand sewing.
• Database entry.
• Writing reports.

Skills

Hand sewing

Artifact handling

Condition assessments

Database entry

Attention to detail

Writing reports

Education

Undergraduate or graduate student

Job description

TITLE: Intern - Textile Conservation Intern

LOCATION: History Center - 345 W Kellogg Blvd., St. Paul, MN 55102

COMPENSATION: Typical starting salary $17.02 hourly

HOURS: This is a part-time, temporary position from approximately January 4, 2027 to January 31, 2027. A part-time intern must be available to work 15 hours per week. This position offers a flexible work schedule, coordinated with the intern’s school schedule and operational needs. Preferred working hours are Monday through Friday.

POSTING DATE: October 7, 2026

DEADLINE DATE: October 26, 2026

SEMINAR EVENTS: Interns are required to participate in three, in-person seminars focused on professional development, learning how cultural organizations operate, and building a network of industry professionals. At the end of the semester, interns complete a final presentation to share their work.

Please ensure you are available for these dates when applying:

• Thursday, February 4 from 11:30am-1:00pm
• Thursday, March 18 from 1:00-3:00pm
• Thursday, April 22 from 2:00-4:00pm
• Final Presentations: May 23 from 11:30am-1:00pm

DESCRIPTION

This internship position within the Collections department provides practical, hands-on experience in textile conservation and museum collection care. The Textile Conservation Intern will assist with the careful handling and condition assessment of textile artifacts, perform basic hand sewing, and enter records into a complex collection database. Through these activities, the intern will gain key insight into long‑term preservation needs and museum documentation standards while working under professional guidance.

RESPONSIBILITIES

1. Careful handling of artifacts
2. Executing condition assessments
3. Hand sewing
4. Database entry
5. Writing reports

QUALIFICATIONS

• Currently enrolled as an undergraduate or graduate student, or have graduated within the past 12 months at the time of application.
• Ideal candidates might be currently pursuing, or a graduate with a degree in the following areas: textile conservation pre-program.
• Interest in textile conservation.
• Some experience handling fragile museum artifacts.
• An understanding of what a condition report is and how it is used within a museum.
• Some experience in entering information into a database.
• Good hand skills.

At MNHS, we don’t just accept difference - we celebrate it, we support it, and we thrive on diversity for the benefit of our employees, interns, volunteers, our products and services, and our community. The Minnesota Historical Society believes that an inclusive culture among our team members is critical to our success as a historical society and museum, and we seek to recruit, develop and retain the most talented people from a diverse candidate pool. The Minnesota Historical Society is proud to be an equal opportunity workplace and employer.