PA Museums invites applications from individuals interested in museum careers to be part of our Qualifying Diversity project. We will consider students, workers in career transition, and the inexperienced.
PA Museums will connect individuals from diverse backgrounds with Pennsylvania museums in work experiences to qualify future museum professionals for entrance into museum workplaces through a museum internship program called Qualifying Diversity. PA Museums designed this paid internship opportunity for a cohort of people of color to work in museums in Pennsylvania for six weeks in meaningful support positions with supervision from PA Museums, paid staff at museums, and partners from educational institutions in some cases to qualify them for professional positions with museums.
Candidate interviews will take place in March 2022. Interview experience is key to career success, and even candidates who are not selected to be part of the cohort will receive valuable experience and feedback. PA Museums will also connect with member museums to participate in the program at around the same time as host museums. Once the cohort is identified, future interns will attend the annual statewide PA Museums conference, April 23-25, 2022, to learn more about what Pennsylvania’s museums are doing and to network with other attendees. Following the conference, PA Museums will provide a pre-internship experience exploring a few various types and sizes of Pennsylvania museums with the cohort.
The Internship Phase will commence when individuals who are part of the cohort begin working at one of PA Museums’ member museums for approximately six weeks. The internship timeframes will vary by intern and institution, and can be completed between June and August 2022. During this phase there will be weekly Zoom meetings with the Project Manager, museum staff, and interns to discuss, manage, and support their work. PA Museums will wrap up the Internship Phase with a cohort meeting to share experiences, discuss the program, and gather feedback from the cohort.
Interns will receive a stipend of $4500 for approximately 300 hours of time based on a rate of $15/hour. PA Museums may, depending upon the requirements of host museums, require state background checks for some of the interns; PA Museums will pay the cost of these background checks if required by host museums.
To apply: Please send a letter of interest and at least 2 of the 5 listed supporting materials by email to rusty.baker@pamuseums.org or by mail at Rusty Baker, Executive Director and Project Manager, PA Museums, 300 North Street, Room 504, Harrisburg, PA 17120 by March 4, 2022. Acceptable supporting materials may include: 1. a resume 2. a letter of support/recommendation from someone familiar with you or your work as a student such as a former supervisor, teacher, or leader in your community; 3. a list of paid or volunteer work or activities, 4. a writing sample; 5. a short, 2-3 minute video in which you describe why you should be considered.
PA Museums is also interested in talking with member museums and other partners about Qualifying Diversity. If your organization is interested in partnering with us, please email us soon.
