Internships in the Arts: NYC

Students majoring in Art and Art History gain invaluable experience by working as interns in the museums, galleries, auction houses, graphic design and photography studios, advertising and publishing companies, and other art-related businesses in metropolitan New York, and beyond.

In doing so, students can test their hand in professions in which they are considering careers and learn first-hand how professionals in the art world developed their areas of expertise. Serve as a Studio Assistant to a professional artist and learn how they balance the work of running a studio with their work as curators, writers, and educators. Work at an art institution and learn about all of the many career opportunities available to you there: curator, registrar, exhibition designer, fundraiser, publicist, etc. Here is a partial list of leading NYC institutions that offer art-related internships, many of which MMC Art and Art History majors have held.

Studio assistantships in the studios of artists, photographers, and designers

Melanie Baker

Ellie Ga

Stan Gaz

Katy Martin

Matt Mullican

Robert Polidori Studio

Viviane Silvera

Tim Steele

Aaron Wexler

Jo-Wood Brown

Jason Woodside

Art Galleries & Exhibition Spaces

Art in Odd Places

Clamp Art Gallery

Culture Push

Derek Eller Gallery

Hauser & Wirth

Paul Kasmin Gallery

Eli Klein Fine Art Gallery

Marlborough Gallery

Pier 59 Studios

Printed Matter

Staley-Wise Gallery

David Zwirner Gallery

Art-Related Businesses

Abrons Arts Center

Castel (interior & fabric design)

Condé Nast

Creative Time

The Elizabeth Foundation for the Arts

Free Arts: NYC

Kim Heirston Art Advisory

Museums

Asia Society

American Folk Art Museum

American Museum of Natural History

The Bronx Museum

Brooklyn Museum

Children’s Museum of Manhattan

Cooper Hewitt Museum

The Drawing Center

El Museo del Barrio

Fotografiska

The Frick Collection

Guggenheim Museum

Hispanic Society of America

International Center of Photography

The Jewish Museum

Leslie-Lohman Museum

Metropolitan Museum of Art (including the Cloisters)

Morgan Library and Museum

Museum of Arts & Design

Museum of Chinese in America

Museum of the City of New York

Museum of Modern Art / PS1

Museum of the Moving Image

National Museum of the American Indian

Neue Galerie

New Museum of Contemporary Art

Merchant’s House Museum

New-York Historical Society

9/11 Memorial & Museum

Noguchi Museum

Queens Museum

Rubin Museum

Studio Museum in Harlem

Tenement Museum

Whitney Museum of American Art

Auction Houses

Bonhams Auction House

Christie’s

Selected list of departments

-American Art Department

-Antiquities Department

-Creative Department

-Japanese and Korean Art Department

-Museum Services Department

-Prints And Drawings Department

-Proposals Department

-Public Relations Department

-South Asian Art Department

-Watches & Wristwatches Department

Phillips

Sotheby’s

Fashion & Entertainment

Bloomingdale’s

Bloomingdale’s

Fat Beats Records

GenArt

Mashable

Paramount

Rachel Ray Show

Relix Media Group

Sony Music Entertainment

Times Square Alliance

Newspapers, Magazines, Publishing Houses

Cosmopolitan Magazine

Essence Magazine

Marie Claire Magazine

More Magazine

National Geographic

Nylon Magazine

Parents Magazine

Redbook Magazine

Seventeen Magazine

Simon & Schuster

Teen Vogue

US Weekly

W Magazine


Hear it from our students:

  • Brooke Bell ’20

    Class of 2020,  Art Major, Photography Concentration

    “My internship at Benrubi Gallery in the gallery district in Chelsea placed me in a real work environment where I earned credit toward my photography degree and prepared me for a career after graduation.”

  • Jamie Allen ’14

    Class of 2014, Art Major, Studio Art concentration

    After her internship with multi-media artist Jo Wood-Brown, Class of 2014’s Jamie Allen not only gained a mentor-student relationship but also a “special and important friendship” she’ll cherish for the rest of her life. “Without Marymount Manhattan, I would never have had such a life-changing experience.”

  • Janine Florio ’12

    Class of 2012, Art Major,  Graphic Design concentration

    “I still cannot believe that I have had this amazing experience. I remember the first day like it was yesterday. Walking into the Conde Nast building on August 22nd was the beginning of a brilliant experience that I will never forget. Successful people surrounded me as I stood on the elevator waiting to reach my destination. I read all of the businesses on each floor as the numbers reached higher to Teen Vogue. Finally the elevator stopped ant the 10th floor. The doors opened and I nervously but excitingly entered….On my right side were the doors to Allure Magazine, to my left the beautiful glass doors of TEEN VOGUE. This began my journey of the most nerve wracking, but brilliant internship yet.”

  • Vanessa Gonzalez-Bunster ’13

    Class of 2013, Major in Art, Photography concentration

    “Working at Pier 59 Studios has given me valuable technical knowledge of digital equipment as well as business knowledge. My understanding of the commercial photography business has broadened from working with clients and my co-workers to help projects flow smoothly. Above all I value the relationships and connections I have created that will continue to help me after my internship is complete.”

  • Amy Pekal ’15

    Class of 2015, Art History and Business Management double-major, Studio Art minor

    “On the first day of economics class, we were taught that time is limited and resources are scarce. My solution: make art, a lot of it, in whatever form. Marymount Manhattan makes it easy for students to curate their own paths.”

  • Jordan Anderson Smith ’12

    Class of 2012, Major in Art History

    “During my time at MMC, I was able to complete four internships. The first was at Free Arts NYC, followed by the Antiquities Department at Christie’s, then the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and finally, The Solomon R Guggenheim Museum. The hands-on experiences and the combined support from my Art History professors at Marymount and my internship supervisors gave me a strong base on which to begin my career.”

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