Collections Intern

Honolulu Academy of Arts•Honolulu, HI

5d•$20 - $20•Onsite

About The Position

The Collections Intern is one of three intern positions of the Spring 2026 cohort for the Ipu Kāʻeo Internship Program. The goal for this program is to offer opportunities for local talent to obtain valuable work experience within Hawai’i. Under the general direction of the Assistant Registrar, the Collections Intern will assist HoMA's Collections Department in its routine daily tasks as well as with long-term projects such as inventorying objects in storage and reorganizing object files. Training in the fundamentals of object handling and museum record keeping will be the priority of this internship, with opportunities for interns to also assist with exhibitions and collection rotations. This internship will provide hands-on experience and exposure to the broad variety of tasks a museum Collections Department is responsible for, and provides the opportunity to hone administrative skills, manual dexterity, and attention to close visual detail. This is a 9-week position from March 16, 2026 to May 15,2026 The Honolulu Museum of Art: Opened in 1927, the Honolulu Museum of Art is a home for art and education created for the benefit of the entire community. Founder Anna Rice Cooke envisioned a museum that would bring people together through the power of art and “the deep intuitions that are common to all.” The museum was conceived of as a place of meaningful exchange and dialogue, celebrating the diverse artistic and cultural traditions of Hawai‘i’s multi-ethnic population. From this founding intention grew the museum of today, with a world-class encyclopedic collection of more than 55,000 works of art, representing a stunning breadth of places and eras, from all corners of the globe and from the ancient past to the present day. To learn more about HoMA, please visit our website. [https://honolulumuseum.org/about-us-zpj4] Collections Intern – Project Summary Assists with collections projects by assessing object files and object storage. Intern’s main project will be assisting with a large-scale inventory project with no timeline as this is an extensive project. The goal is to complete as much as possible during the internship. Intern will also be involved in others task and projects as advised. Under the supervision of Collections staff, handles objects in the permanent collection. Spring Internship will be focused on Ceramics. Ipu Kāʻeo Internship Program – Mandatory Days Interns must be available for the following days in participation for the Spring 2026 cohort: HoMA Orientation Week - March 16th to March 20th Internship Presentation Showcase Practice – Wednesday, April 29th Internship Presentation Showcase – Wednesday, May 6th Celebration Lunch & Exit Interview – Friday, May 15th

Requirements

Graduated with a degree in Art History, Museum Studies, Library/Information Science, or enrolled in a similar undergraduate or graduate program.
Willingness and desire to learn, analytical and tech savvy.
Must demonstrate advanced knowledge of filing systems.
Excellent organizational skills and flexibility.
Possess the integrity to handle sensitive data with confidentiality.
Must have the ability to communicate effectively and participate with a diverse team.
The traits of honesty, integrity, enthusiasm, and perspective; a very strong work ethic, supported by commitment and follow-through.

Responsibilities

Assists with the reproduction and digitization of object files.
Performs data entry and updates the database as necessary.
Intern will work with and assist the installation department in installing an exhibition show.
Interns will spend 1 day with the Collections Tech to understand IPM and climate control.
The intern will work and assist the collection manger housing objects and prepping objects for exhibition and learn art handling.
Intern will speak with the Collections Exhibitions Manager about their work and will speak with the Head of Collections about their work as time allows.
Other internship-relevant duties as requested.
Assists with collections projects by assessing object files and object storage.
Under the supervision of Collections staff, handles objects in the permanent collection.