Museum Education & Collections Intern

The Company

With 20 historic buildings and a working farm and garden, Hancock Shaker Village in Pittsfield, MA is open April through December for self-guided tours, demonstrations, talks, and programs ranging from concerts to goat yoga. The museum, open to the public since 1960, celebrates the history and legacy of the Shakers, a religious group that lived communally and sought to realize the perfection of heaven on earth by espousing values of equality and pacificism. The year 2024 marks the 250th anniversary of the Shakers’ arrival in America from their founding country of England; the year offers opportunities for reflection and celebration of the Shakers’ significant influence on American culture and design. To learn more about the Village, visit our website at hancockshakervillage.org.

The Opportunity

We are looking for an enthusiastic and people-oriented Museum Education and Collections Intern to join the Education and Curatorial Department staff and volunteers as we share the Shakers’ history, beliefs, material culture, and continuing relevance with visitors. As an intern in these departments, you will gain valuable experience in public speaking and interpretation (both formal and informal), historical research, visitor services, curatorial and collection management, and program planning. Your tasks will include working as an interpreter (staffing historic buildings and giving public talks) alongside seasoned staff to support daily public programming at the Village; providing significant support to the Village’s summer programs (including four weeks of children’s programs); and undertaking an independent project (nature of which is mutually determined by the intern and the supervisor) that will benefit the department. Examples of such projects include researching and developing a new special-topic talk, developing and implementing a craft workshop, or creating training materials. Additionally, you will spend time in the curatorial and collections department where you will maintain current exhibits, update the collection donor files, work within the collection to update the database, and learn curating skills as the department prepares for the fall exhibits.

Desired Qualifications 

A Museum Education and Collections intern must have demonstrated experience successfully working with people of all ages, especially children; demonstrated ability both to take direction and to work independently; and excellent communication skills, both oral and written. You must be patient, flexible, organized, hard-working, and have a good sense of humor. A strong foundation in history, American studies, art history, religion, sociology, cultural studies, or another related subject is helpful; prior museum experience and/or craft skills a plus but not required.

Compensation and Application Instructions

The internship is full-time (35-40 hours/week) and may include weekend shifts. Weekly schedules will be determined in advance of arrival by the intern and their supervisor.  Interns receive a stipend of $2,500, paid in weekly installments of $250. Interns are also offered on-site housing in the shared intern apartment in one of our historic buildings. Interns must provide their own meals and transportation. Because of the distance from shopping and other amenities, access to a car during the internship is highly recommended for a better experience but is not required. 

Applicants should submit 1) a letter of interest explaining why the internship is a good fit for you, 2) a resume, and 3) the names and contact information for two professional or academic references.  Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis but must be received no later than Friday, March 29, at 5 pm.