University Students

Duke University students can gain important work experience at the Nasher Museum in many ways: internships for academic credit, paid summer internships and museum study grants, or work at the museum.

UNDERGRADUATE INTERNSHIP COURSE

ARTHIST 310 is a practicum at the Nasher Museum designed to provide professional museum experience as well as an opportunity to explore the museum and its operations from a variety of viewpoints.  Students must be available for a total commitment of 6 hours/week: the one-hour weekly seminar with museum staff, plus 5 hours working in an assigned department (schedule to be arranged between the student and supervising staff). Interns may be assigned to the following departments: curatorial, academic programs, museum education, development/external relations, registrar/collections management, or communications/marketing. NOTE: only one student each semester will be assigned to the curatorial department.

Students are evaluated on their work in their assigned departments, participation in the weekly seminar, and the completion of short, written assignments: a blog post, artwork spotlight, and exhibition analysis. Grades are assigned by the supervising staff in consultation with Molly Boarati, Academic Program Coordinator, at 919-684-9243 or molly.boarati@duke.edu.

To apply for the internship send a resumé and cover letter with a statement of interest, including first and second choices for departments and how a museum internship would further your career goals, to Marianne Wardle, Andrew W. Mellon Curator of Academic Programs (marianne.wardle@duke.edu). Students will be interviewed by the pertinent museum department, and if selected will be given a permission number to enroll.

SUMMER INTERNSHIPS IN MUSEUM STUDIES

Duke students can apply for paid internship positions or funds to support internships at other museums:

Deadlines for these internships have passed for 2013. More information about each internship and how to apply will be posted at the beginning of the fall 2013-2014 semester.

DUKE STUDENT JOBS
Students fill many part-time paid positions at the museum. Work-study students are welcome.

VISITOR SERVICES REPRESENTATIVE
Visitor Services Representatives handle admissions fees, answer the telephone and direct calls, greet and keep an accurate count of visitors, assist visitors with the purchase of museum memberships and answer visitors’ questions. If interested contact David Eck, Visitors Services Supervisor, (david.eck@duke.edu).

GALLERY GUIDE
Gallery Guides lead tours of the museum for K-12 students, adult groups and the public. Students must commit to 3 semesters. Recruiting is held at the end of the spring semester. If interested contact Juline Chevalier, Curator of Education, (juline.chevalier@duke.edu).

OFFICE/RESEARCH ASSISTANT
Periodically, work-study positions are available with specific museum departments, including curatorial, education, membership, registrar, special events and public affairs. For information about possible openings, contact Nikki Reeb, Human Resources Manager, (nikki.reeb@duke.edu) or 919-684-3307.

SECURITY GUARD
Security guards patrol the galleries to ensure the protection of artwork, report safety violations and answer visitors’ questions during business hours, including weekends, and for evening events. If interested, contact Sgt. Jimmie Jones, Protection Services Manager, (jimmie.jones@duke.edu) or 919-684-3352.

For general information on application and hiring procedures, please contact Nikki Reeb, Human Resources Manager, (nikki.reeb@duke.edu) or 919-684-3307.

Collection Research

Only a small portion of the museum’s permanent collection is on view at any time, so a variety of tools are available to help you explore the Nasher’s artworks, whether currently on view or in storage.

View the online database of our collection.

Information about artworks in a range of media, styles, periods, and cultures can be found at our new website promoting visual literacy How Do You Look?

STUDY STORAGE

The Nasher Museum’s Study Storage offers faculty and students up-close experience with works of art not currently on view in the exhibition pavilions. Facilities include works on paper with more than 3,000 prints and drawings; painting storage with works from the Renaissance to the present; and object storage with Greek and Roman pottery and glass, Ancient American ceramics and African and European Medieval and Renaissance sculpture and artifacts. Study Storage is a gift of Christine and Pierre Lamond and Alice Martin Whelihan.

A wide range of departments have visited Study Storage including

  • Art, Art History and Visual Studies
  • Asian and Middle Eastern Studies
  • Classical Studies
  • Cultural Anthropology
  • Dance
  • Duke Divinity School
  • Engineering
  • Environmental Sciences
  • Foreign Languages
  • History
  • Kenan Institute for Ethics
  • Philosophy
  • Religion
  • Thompson Writing Program
  • Theater Studies
  • Women’s Studies

To arrange a visit to Study Storage contact Marianne Wardle, Andrew W. Mellon Curator of Academic Programs, at 919-684-5203 or marianne.wardle@duke.edu, or Molly Boarati, Academic Program Coordinator, at 919-684-9243 or molly.boarati@duke.edu. Most visits to storage take place on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays between 10 AM and 5 PM.

Please note that all visitors are requested to leave bags and backpacks in the lockers by the Lecture Hall when they arrive. Only pencils are allowed for use in the exhibition pavilions and Study Storage and no food or drinks are permitted in these areas.

Nasher Student Advisory Board

The Nasher Student Advisory Board (NSAB) of the Nasher Museum of Art at Duke University is comprised of undergraduates, graduate students and professional students who serve as the student voice of and for the Nasher Museum. The NSAB acts as a bridge between the widely diverse student body and the Nasher at Duke. The NSAB fosters student ownership of the museum, advises museum staff on effective ways to engage the student body, and is proactive in promoting the museum throughout the Duke community and beyond.

Connect with the NSAB through the NSAB Facebook page.

The NSAB helps:

  • plan one large party each year
  • plan smaller, more casual, Art for All events 2-3 times per year
  • partner with other student organizations on campus and at nearby colleges/universities to spread the art love around

The NSAB doesn’t plan or select exhibitions for the museum.

PLEASE NOTE: Membership in the NSAB requires a significant time commitment to attend weekly meetings, plan programs and staff programs/events. Members spend time outside of weekly meetings (2-4 hrs. per week) to plan and promote events. Attendance at monthly events is also required.

The application deadline has passed for the 2013-2014 school year. For more information please contact Juline Chevalier or call 919-684-8071.