Internships & Student Opportunities
Internships at the Nasher Museum of Art at Duke University offer students hands-on experience in the world of museums, arts, and cultural programming. From curatorial research and education to community engagement and programming, interns gain valuable professional experience while contributing to the museum’s mission of making art accessible and engaging.
Students with internships at other major art museums are eligible for support through the Mary Duke Biddle Award.
There are currently no internship openings.
Academic Year Internships (For Course Credit)
ARTHIST 310 and ARTHIST 311 are internship practicums held at the Nasher Museum, designed to provide Duke students professional museum experience and the opportunity to explore the museum and its operations from a variety of viewpoints.
For fall 2026, we are still accepting applications for the education intern, who will help make learning about enjoyable for all audiences and facilitate activities for adult audiences at the museum, such as the Reflections program for individuals with Alzheimer’s disease.
This practicum introduces students to museum work in the context of art-historical, ethical, philosophical, and economic issues related to the presentation of art in museums. Under direction of museum staff, students engage in this practicum to gain first-hand knowledge of museum operations. Students produce exhibition reviews, sample exhibition writing, blog posts, and final presentations.
For ARTHIST 310, Duke students must be available for a total commitment of 6 hours per week: a weekly one-hour seminar and five hours in their assigned department (individual intern schedule to be arranged between the student and supervising staff). Students are evaluated on their completion of tasks as assigned by their internship department, participation in the weekly seminar, contribution to the group project and fulfillment of individual final research project. Grades are assigned by the supervising staff in consultation with the seminar instructor.
This practicum provides additional depth or breadth of experience in museum work in the context of art-historical, ethical, philosophical, and economic issues related to the presentation of art in museums. Under the direction of museum staff, students engage in practicum to gain first-hand knowledge of museum operations. Students produce documents related to a museum department. Prerequisite: Art History 310.
For ARTHIST 311, Duke students must be available for a total commitment of 8 hours per week. In contrast to ARTHIST 310, there is no weekly class meeting; students work all eight hours within their assigned department (individual intern schedule to be arranged between the student and supervising staff). Students are evaluated solely on their completion of tasks as assigned by their internship department. Therefore, grades are assigned solely by the supervising staff.
Summer Internships (Paid)
We are no longer accepting applications for summer internships, but please check back in the fall for opportunities.
This internship program is a special opportunity for Duke juniors and seniors who study art, art history, or related disciplines—and are able to converse in English and Italian. Students will gain first-hand experience while immersing themselves in an amazing collection of modern art at this unique museum, housed in an 18th-century palace on the Grand Canal. Activities include managing the galleries during public open hours, assisting visitors, staffing the ticket office, cloakroom, and other visitor facilities, supporting the museum staff in various departments and participating in the educational activities of the museum, including presentations to the public, guided tours and workshops with children. The program includes educational activities such as seminars, conferences, educational trips, and guided tours for interns.
To apply for the Nasher-Duke-sponsored two-month (June – July) summer internship at the Peggy Guggenheim Collection in Venice, Italy students must meet the following criteria:
- be a Duke junior/senior by spring 2026
- be studying art, art history, or related area
- be able to converse in English and Italian; for applicants with limited Italian, please show evidence in your application of previous Italian coursework or exposure and continued efforts to learn the language. For example, coursework as demonstrated on transcripts and/or a supplemental letter from a language instructor that testifies to your language ability.
For consideration, please submit:
- Cover letter explaining interest and reasons for participating in the internship program at the Peggy Guggenheim Collection.
- CV including internships and work experiences, a list of relevant academic courses, and language abilities (English and Italian).
- University transcripts to date.
- Two letters of reference (academic and/or professional reference).
PLEASE DO NOT submit your application to the Peggy Guggenheim Collection.
More information about the Internship Program at the Peggy Guggenheim Collection.
Buona fortuna!
From curatorial research and education to community engagement and programming, interns gain valuable professional experience while contributing to the museum’s mission of making art accessible and engaging.
The Nasher has summer internship opportunities for Duke and non-Duke students.
Graduate Student Opportunities
Graduate student opportunities at the Nasher Museum of Art offer meaningful ways to engage with art, teaching, and museum practice while building professional experience.
Graduate students with internships at other major art museums are also eligible for support through the Mary Duke Biddle Award.
There are currently no graduate student openings.
Student Gallery Guides
Duke students are invited to apply for the Gallery Guide Program in the Nasher Museum’s Education department. Student Gallery Guides play a vital public-facing role at the museum, leading interactive and engaging tours for various audiences including, but not limited to, the general public, university classes, K-12 groups and/or people with dementia (as part of our Reflections program). As a gallery guide, students participate in trainings with educators, curators and other museum professionals to learn about pedagogy and the Nasher’s collection and exhibitions. This is an hourly paid position. Please review the Student Gallery Guide description and application.
To apply, email a resume and responses to the short answer questions to Ruth Caccavale, Gallery Guide Manager and Museum Educator, at ruth.caccavale@duke.edu.
Nasher Intern Spotlight: Hailey Kasney
Hailey Kasney (she/her), a rising senior at Duke University, is studying history and art history with a concentration in museum theory and practice. This summer as the Nasher’s Carmichael intern she developed an installati...
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