POLK MUSEUM OF ART AT FSC
2024 Summer Fellowship Program
Florida Southern College students are invited to apply for a competitive, paid 6-week Summer Fellowship Program at the Polk Museum of Art. The 2024 Summer Fellowship Program will run from Friday, May 31 through Friday, July 12, 2024. Undergraduate students majoring in any discipline at FSC and entering at least their sophomore year are eligible to apply. Graduating seniors are not permitted to apply.
Summer Museum Fellows will have the incredible opportunity to gain firsthand insight into how museums work behind-the-scenes and to begin to explore the many possible career paths available in both the museum and non-profit worlds.
Assigned to one or more departments (contingent on student interests and career paths), each Summer Museum Fellow will be immersed in the day-to-day activities of their area(s) of the Museum over the course of the 6-week program. Each Fellow will also join other Fellows weekly to work together on a communal project, and each Fellow will plan a culminating end-of-summer Gallery Talk of his/her/their own design to be offered to the public, honing their skills for interacting with the public in the galleries as faces of the Museum.
Ideally, a Summer Fellowship at the Museum will introduce Fellows to all areas of the Museum — in addition to their department(s) of specialization — and serve as preparation for a career in museums or non-profit organizations and/or a longer academic year internship in whichever area they find most suited to their interests.
Depending on departmental assignment(s) and needs, Summer 2024 projects may include: research and planning for permanent collection, temporary, and traveling exhibitions; collections management; hanging and installing exhibitions; summer camp support; store sales and merchandising; visitor services; designing marketing materials and creating social media posts; gallery guidance; and assistance with Frank Lloyd Wright campus tours.
For Summer 2024, the following 6 departments and specializations are available for the 6-week program (applicants should specify in their cover letters and/or essays their top two preferences):
1. Collections Management/Registration
2. Exhibitions/Curatorial
3. Education
4. Frank Lloyd Wright Center
5. Museum Visitor Services/Shop
6. Marketing/PR, Membership, and Graphic Design
Dates and Compensation
The 2024 Summer Fellowship Program will run from Friday, May 31 through Friday, July 12, 2024. Fellows generally work 5 days a week, although hours may vary from department to department. Certain departmental duties may require earlier starting hours than others.
Fellows accepted into the program will receive an honorarium of $1,200 for the 6-week duration of the fellowship. All Fellows must be available to work the entire 6-week period of the program from start to finish. Campus housing will be available at no additional cost for any student requiring it to participate in the program (NOTE: all applicants will need to pre-enroll for housing in advance of acceptance into the program).
How to Apply
Applications must include:
1. C.V. or résumé
2. Cover letter indicating the applicant’s specific interest in the Polk Museum of Art summer fellowship program and top two department choices from the 6 listed above
3. A separate essay describing academic, professional, and life experiences that have fostered the applicant’s interest in or preparation for this program and how a museum fellowship relates to the applicant’s longer-term educational and career goals.
Interviews will follow review of application materials. Candidates selected for interviews with museum staff will be notified early-April.
Applications will be accepted immediately. The deadline for receipt of all materials is 5 p.m. on Friday, March 22nd, after which point applications will be reviewed and finalists will be contacted for interviews with Museum staff. The application should be submitted electronically (in the form of a PDF) to Dr. Alex Rich, Executive Director and Chief Curator of the Polk Museum of Art and Chair of Art History and Museum Studies, at arich@flsouthern.edu.
For additional questions, please contact Dr. Rich.