McMullan Museum Scholar (Two Year Placement)

Art Institute of Chicago; Chicago (IL); Hybrid; USD 9,500 - 12,000; Part time

Benefits offered by this job

Research opportunities

Mentor guidance

Job summary

The Art Institute of Chicago invites two undergraduate students to join the Museum Scholars program within its Academic Engagement and Research department. You will work closely with mentors, participate in host department placements, and engage in projects that build research, writing, and public program skills.

Expect a structured schedule including on-site and hybrid activities, workshops, and collaboration with museum staff.

Qualifications

• Undergraduate student who has completed the McMullan Family Foundation Summer Intensive program.
• Strong written and oral communication skills.
• Interest in museum studies, research, and public engagement.
• Willingness to work in a hybrid on-site/remote environment.

Responsibilities

• Weekly meetings with museum mentor and program staff.
• Work on meaningful, host-department projects.
• Off-site visits with mentors and host department.
• Weekly cohort programs and activities.
• Completion of a capstone project and cohort research travel as applicable.

Skills

Written communication

Oral communication

Research

Public engagement

Team collaboration

Education

Undergraduate student

McMullan Summer Intensive completed

Tools

Collection management systems

Job description

About the Art Institute of Chicago

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.

About the Department

A hub for scholarship and training the Art Institute Research Center brings together the museum’s Ryerson and Burnham Libraries, the Art Institute of Chicago Archives, and the department of Academic Engagement and Research with the aim of fostering engagement and access to wealth of research offerings at the Art Institute of Chicago. The Research Center stewards resources that illuminate the histories and contexts of the museum’s vast art collection, as well as primary sources that are singular or rare works of paper-based art, archives, and historical documentation. The Research Center supports museum staff in all of their research endeavors and maintains public hours to serve the art research community, faculty and students, artists and architects, and inquisitive scholars from around the world. The division of Academic Engagement and Research (AER) supports art research training and development for emerging museum professionals and scholarly innovators. AER oversees the museum’s internship and fellowship programs, and creates opportunities to network professors, students, scholars and artists with museum staff. The AER team manages transformative grants and partnerships, workshops and scholarly events, and fosters equity and inclusion in shaping the next generation of museum professionals.

Museum Scholars Program Overview

The Museum Scholars 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. The museum’s emerging professional programs, among them internships, fellowships, and the scholars programs, are stewarded by the Department of Academic Engagement and Research (AER) in the Research Center. Our aim is to nurture dynamic, interdisciplinary thinkers that will be empowered changemakers equipped with the tools and networks to do great work in the world.

The Museum Scholars position is awarded to two undergraduate students who’ve completed the McMullan Family Foundation Summer Intensive program.

Goals:

Museum Scholars gain awareness and further their development in the following areas:

• Broader understanding of individual and collaborative work within the museum
• Practice in museum professional skill sets (software, collections work, project development)
• Improvement in written and oral communication skills in a professional and interpersonal context
• Opportunities for self-directed work
• Confidence in their abilities to advocate for themselves and issues important to them
• Enhanced connections between their museum experiences and personal interests
• Refinement of their personal and professional paths and goal-setting for their next steps.

Time Commitment:

Museum Scholars commit to a program lasting twenty-three months, beginning October 5, 2026 and concluding August 18, 2028. They are expected to fulfill all aspects of the program, including:

• Regular activities with their mentor that may require on-site or remote presence at the Art Institute of Chicago 10-14 hours per week during the academic year
• Full-time (30 hours per week) participation over the course of two 11-week terms in summer 2027 and summer 2028 respectively
• Meeting with AER staff on a regular basis (biweekly in the academic year, and weekly in the summer).

Regular Engagement Activities:

Mentors assist Museum Scholars in the following:

• Introduction to: departments across the museum, collections, gallery rotations, cross-departmental meetings, studio visits, host department programs, etc.
• Training on: collection management systems, object handling, research, writing, public engagement, oral communication (public, philanthropic, and interdepartmental), receiving and relaying professional feedback, etc.
• Off-site visits to: opportunities for the student to connect with art professionals, including museums and/or collections, artist spaces, auctions houses, etc.
• Discussions on: curatorial and museum studies, social justice issues at the museum, academic/career advising, wellness, etc.
• Travel funds usage for: research associated with their fellowship or academic studies, school visits, networking, attending conferences, etc. Travel funds may also be used to align with a mentor’s business travel plans.

Placements:

Two separate host department placements will occur twice over the course of two years:

• 2026-27 Academic Year (October-May) and subsequent Summer (June-August)
• 2027-28 Academic Year (October-May) and subsequent Summer (June-August).

Placements will be coordinated by AER in conversation with the Museum Scholars and potential mentors.

First Academic Year

Duration: October-May

Program Hours*: Approximately 280-392 hours; average of 40-56 hours/month

The Museum Scholar is asked to commit to the following:

• Weekly meetings with museum mentor
• Work on meaningful projects as assigned by host department
• Off-site visits with museum mentor and host department
• Bimonthly check-in meetings with AER staff
• Monthly museum scholars cohort programs and activities (including orientation, field trips, museum practice seminars, etc.)
• An academic year capstone project (see below).

*Program hours may occur in a hybrid combination of virtual and in-person formats

Museum Scholar Output:

Mentors will be in charge of assigning and organizing their Museum Scholar’s projects. These projects must be meaningful to the Museum Scholar by stimulating growth in new skill sets while also being connected to their interests and academic objectives. These projects must also contribute to the department’s/mentor’s overall productivity and mission.

This may include: written visual analysis/object description; collections review; provenance research; writing an artist biography; writing object chat labels; creating a bibliography; public speaking; public program ideation and facilitation; survey and evaluation; and documentation of museum questions and reflections. This may also include goal-oriented, Museum Scholar-developed projects tied to their academic studies.

First Academic Year Capstone Project: Co-Leading a Gallery Talk

Museum Scholars will lead one gallery talk together at the end of their first academic year. Museum Scholars develop the theme for their talk and select museum spaces, objects, and their audience. To support the Museum Scholars, AER will coordinate training sessions for public speaking while mentors will offer guidance.

First Summer

Duration: June-August

Program Hours*: Approximately 330 hours; average of 30 hours per week for 11 weeks

The Museum Scholar is asked to commit to the following:

• Weekly meetings with museum mentor
• Work on meaningful projects as assigned by host department
• Off-site visits with museum mentor and host department
• Weekly check-in meetings with the fellowship program managers
• Biweekly Museum Scholar cohort programs and activities (including orientation, field trips, museum practice seminars, etc.)
• A summer term capstone project (see below)
• Cohort research travel trip (see below).

*Program hours may occur in a hybrid combination of virtual and in-person formats

Museum Scholar Output:

Similar to the academic year, mentors will be in charge of assigning and organizing their Museum Scholar’s projects. Ideally, Museum Scholars should receive one substantial department project that they can work on throughout the summer.

First Summer Term Capstone Project

Museum Scholars will be asked to create a project that speaks to their areas of interest, individually or in collaboration. This might look like a blog post, gallery activation program, organizing a roundtable/presentation, or another publication or programming opportunity.

Museum Scholar Funded Opportunities

Group Research Trip

In late July, 1st-year Museum Scholars, their mentors, and AER will travel to another city for a week to learn about arts institutions outside of Chicago. In addition to meetings and tours, Museum Scholars and their mentors will have ample opportunities to conduct their own meetings and research. Museum Scholars are required to attend this research trip. Mentors’ flights, accommodations, and per diem will be funded by McMullan if joining this trip.

Research Travel

Museum Scholars are given a stipend to support individual research travel. Museum Scholars must consult with their mentors around planning travel and submit a proposal to AER with budget lines for airfare, accommodations, and other travel incidental expenses.

Fellowship Support Funds

Museum Scholars also have access to a broad pool of funds meant to support their work and academic studies (such as conference registration, book purchases, or extracurricular coursework and supplies.)

Compensation & Benefits

Hiring Range: $10,500 annual stipend

This position is not benefits eligible.

• Job Classification: Non-exempt
• Employment Category: Part time Intern

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Accessibility Accommodation for Applicants

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 [e-mail].

Equal Opportunity Employer

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For further information, please review the Know Your Rights notice from the Department of Labor.

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