The Colonial Williamsburg Summer Internship
About the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation
The Colonial Williamsburg Foundation operates the world’s largest living history museum in Williamsburg, Virginia—the restored 18th-century capital of Britain’s largest, wealthiest, and most populous outpost of empire in the New World. The mission of Colonial Williamsburg is to be a center for history and citizenship, encouraging national and international audiences to learn from the past through the preservation, restoration, and presentation of 18th-century Williamsburg and the study, interpretation, and teaching of America's founding democratic principles.
The Colonial Williamsburg story of a revolutionary city tells how diverse peoples, having different and sometimes conflicting ambitions, evolved into a society that valued liberty and equality. Americans cherish these values as a birthright, even when their promise remains unfulfilled.
Overview of the Curatorial Studies Internship at Colonial Williamsburg
Current undergraduate students are invited to apply for a ten-week summer internship in museum studies at Colonial Williamsburg. Students interested in a career in decorative arts, fine arts, historic preservation, museums, or historic sites will have the opportunity to work directly with Colonial Williamsburg staff and gain professional experience through hands-on training. An internship with Colonial Williamsburg provides the opportunity to assist with research, management, interpretation and preservation of the Foundation’s fine art, decorative arts, architectural, and folk art collections. For 2021, the successful candidate will be assigned to the architectural preservation and research department to assist with architectural research and field documentation.
Duties (include but are not limited to):
- Undertake the cataloging, indexing, and scanning of the architectural preservation and research department archives of photographic slides, architectural drawings, and paper documents.
- Assist with the cataloging, organization, and care of the architectural fragment collection, which includes architectural artifacts from North America and Europe.
- Support staff in architectural fieldwork, documentation, and preservation of the buildings in the Historic Area.
- Undertake research to aid department projects.
- Perform other duties as assigned.
Qualifications:
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Strong research skills, including ability to use primary documents.
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Patience, orderliness, logic, curiosity, and thoroughness in work habits.
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Previous coursework in American history, art history, American Studies, a plus.
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Interest in museums and learning about career opportunities in them.
