Conservation: Artist Material Collection Intern
Internship 7000 - 7000 USD one-timeJob Overview
The San Francisco Museum of Modern Art is one of the largest museums of modern and contemporary art in the United States and a thriving cultural center for the Bay Area. We cannot imagine life without art; it inspires and connects us every day. Now more than ever, these connections matter and are aligned with our values.
Inclusive: We strive to be a museum of many voices in dialogue.
Passionate: We believe working with art is more than a job or trusteeship - it's a way of life.
Brave: We are committed to approaching our work with courage and a sense of adventure, always ready to explore new perspectives.
Empathic: We aim to act like a person, not an institution.
SFMOMA is a place for the infinitely curious to explore, support, and experience the art of our time. We believe that modern and contemporary art can influence the way we think, view the world, and embrace the many voices and perspectives around us. We aspire to foster an environment that elicits joy, nurtures a sense of belonging and purpose—where difference is seen as a strength, and every one is appreciated for their whole self.
Schedule: Full Time, 35 hours/week, Monday, June 15 - Friday, August 14, up to five days working onsite
Department Description
The Elise S. Haas Conservation Department of the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art is a multi-disciplinary team. The department focuses on the preservation, conservation, research and display of modern and contemporary artworks, and on the exploration and documentation of artists’ practices.
Position Description
The Internship will focus on developing the Artist Material Collection (AMC) which is managed by the Conservation Department. The project would include review and processing of gifts of artist materials relating to Marvin Lipofsky, Steve Wolfe and Frederick Hammersley among others. These materials directly relate to works made by these artists in the Permanent Collection. Working with a supervisor and Conservation staff, the Intern will enter the materials into the Collection database, photograph the items and implement storage housing for the items and move them into storage locations.
Additional potential projects include photographing and re-housing catalogued artist materials as well as digitizing color slides from past conservation treatment or research projects.
Project Plan
Over the 9- week program, the Intern will:
· Review and examine items slated for the AMC
· Create digital records for the items and enter descriptive information into the Museum Collection Database
· Participate in documentary photography of the items
· Select and implement appropriate storage housing for the items
· Move the housed items to storage locations and document the location in the database
· Re-house catalogued AMC items
· Photograph catalogued AMC items
· Digitize color slides and save files in Digital Garden, our digital assets management system
Educational Objectives
We hope that through this internship, the AMC Intern will expand their understanding of what it means to be a part of a multidisciplinary conservation team at a large museum. The project will help the Intern experience the full process of ingesting items into a collection including initial review, data entry, photo documentation, housing and storage.
Additional Internship Programming
The Summer 2026 Internship will offer 9-weeks of hands-on experience and mentorship along with weekly presentations and discussions with various departments in the museum, off-site educational visits within the Bay Area community, and access to various tours and events within the museum.
Requirements
· Applicants must be currently enrolled in a graduate program (preferably Museum Studies) or a recent graduate.
The SFMOMA recognizes a graduation date within 6 months of the internship start date as a recent graduate.
· If you are a current employee of the SFMOMA applying for an internship, you must be a current student or a
recent graduate, within 6 months of the internship start date.
· Ability to safely handle delicate artworks
· Aptitude to closely examine artworks and describe materials
· Work independently on detail-oriented tasks such as database entry
· Work collaboratively with staff to determine appropriate housing for items in the AMC
The San Francisco Museum of Modern Art is one of the largest museums of modern and contemporary art in the United States and a thriving cultural center for the Bay Area. We cannot imagine life without art; it inspires and connects us every day. Now more than ever, these connections matter and are aligned with our values.
Inclusive: We strive to be a museum of many voices in dialogue.
Passionate: We believe working with art is more than a job or trusteeship - it's a way of life.
Brave: We are committed to approaching our work with courage and a sense of adventure, always ready to explore new perspectives.
Empathic: We aim to act like a person, not an institution.
SFMOMA is a place for the infinitely curious to explore, support, and experience the art of our time. We believe that modern and contemporary art can influence the way we think, view the world, and embrace the many voices and perspectives around us. We aspire to foster an environment that elicits joy, nurtures a sense of belonging and purpose—where difference is seen as a strength, and every one is appreciated for their whole self.
Schedule: Full Time, 35 hours/week, Monday, June 15 - Friday, August 14, up to five days working onsite
Department Description
The Elise S. Haas Conservation Department of the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art is a multi-disciplinary team. The department focuses on the preservation, conservation, research and display of modern and contemporary artworks, and on the exploration and documentation of artists’ practices.
Position Description
The Internship will focus on developing the Artist Material Collection (AMC) which is managed by the Conservation Department. The project would include review and processing of gifts of artist materials relating to Marvin Lipofsky, Steve Wolfe and Frederick Hammersley among others. These materials directly relate to works made by these artists in the Permanent Collection. Working with a supervisor and Conservation staff, the Intern will enter the materials into the Collection database, photograph the items and implement storage housing for the items and move them into storage locations.
Additional potential projects include photographing and re-housing catalogued artist materials as well as digitizing color slides from past conservation treatment or research projects.
Project Plan
Over the 9- week program, the Intern will:
· Review and examine items slated for the AMC
· Create digital records for the items and enter descriptive information into the Museum Collection Database
· Participate in documentary photography of the items
· Select and implement appropriate storage housing for the items
· Move the housed items to storage locations and document the location in the database
· Re-house catalogued AMC items
· Photograph catalogued AMC items
· Digitize color slides and save files in Digital Garden, our digital assets management system
Educational Objectives
We hope that through this internship, the AMC Intern will expand their understanding of what it means to be a part of a multidisciplinary conservation team at a large museum. The project will help the Intern experience the full process of ingesting items into a collection including initial review, data entry, photo documentation, housing and storage.
Additional Internship Programming
The Summer 2026 Internship will offer 9-weeks of hands-on experience and mentorship along with weekly presentations and discussions with various departments in the museum, off-site educational visits within the Bay Area community, and access to various tours and events within the museum.
Requirements
· Applicants must be currently enrolled in a graduate program (preferably Museum Studies) or a recent graduate.
The SFMOMA recognizes a graduation date within 6 months of the internship start date as a recent graduate.
· If you are a current employee of the SFMOMA applying for an internship, you must be a current student or a
recent graduate, within 6 months of the internship start date.
· Ability to safely handle delicate artworks
· Aptitude to closely examine artworks and describe materials
· Work independently on detail-oriented tasks such as database entry
· Work collaboratively with staff to determine appropriate housing for items in the AMC
Application Requirements
· Intern application on SFMOMA job site
· Resume, in PDF format
· Cover letter stating the specific internship of interest, in PDF format
· Describe the experience you bring, why you are interested in museum or nonprofit work, reasons for
applying to the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, and your goals for the internship.
· Two letters of recommendation from either a college professor or current/former employer, in PDF format
· College/university transcript, in PDF format
· Transcripts can be unofficial but must be legible
· If you are currently enrolled in a master's or PhD program, please provide the transcript for your current
program, not your undergraduate transcript
Application Deadline: February 6, 2026
Please note: You only need two letters of recommendation total, not separate letters for each internship. If you apply to multiple internships (up to three), simply inform your recommenders which positions you’re applying for. We’ll review the same two letters across all your applications.
Location: San Francisco, 151 3rd Street.
Pursuant to the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance, we will consider for employment qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records.
SFMOMA is an equal opportunity employer that is committed to diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility. No person shall be discriminated against based on race, color, religion, gender, gender identity, age, genetic information, ancestry/national origin, marital status, disability, medical condition, HIV status, sexual orientation, veteran/military status, and any other category protected by federal of state law.
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You can request reasonable accommodation by contacting the People Team at [email protected].