Prints, Drawings, and Photographs Graduate Research Intern

Museum of Fine Arts•Boston, MA

11d•$0 - $20•Onsite

About The Position

The MFA’s collection of prints and drawings is one of the deepest and broadest in the United States, containing almost 250,000 works that range from the beginnings of printing in the fifteenth century to today. The department embraces its responsibility as a place of training and engagement with works on paper and in its activities highlights the special role the printed image plays as a mirror of society and means of communication. Highlights include works on paper by iconic figures such as Cassatt, Dürer, Goya, Rembrandt, and Sargent as well as unexpected areas of depth: a major gathering of rare books, one of the world’s finest collections of postcards, and works by Boston-area artists including Allan Rohan Crite, Blanche Lazzell, Michael Mazur, and John Wilson. In recent years, the Department of Prints and Drawings has committed itself to presenting narratives, creative voices, and perspectives traditionally underrepresented at the MFA, among them women and LGBTQIA+ artists, Black artists and artists of color, self-taught and folk artists, and Indigenous and Latin American artists. The Department of Prints, Drawings, and Photographs seeks a graduate-level intern to assist with research on the collection through an ecocritical lens, with a particular focus on two areas: nature printing and representations of birds. Nature printing is a technique that utilizes plants, animals, rocks, and other natural materials to create an image. With applications ranging from historical scientific illustration to contemporary art, numerous examples of nature printing reside in the collection. An even broader area of focus for the internship will involve a survey of birds across the collection of works on paper. The intern will help curators research and catalog a broad array of avian images, ranging from early modern representations to contemporary ones. Alongside direct work with the collection, the intern will also assist curators in developing bibliographies and other scholarly tools related to these works on paper. The internship will provide experience in collections handling, management, and research, as well as exhibition development. Supervised by the Pamela and Peter Voss Curator of Prints and Drawings, the graduate research intern will have the opportunity to join the curatorial team in close looking, cataloging, and interpretation of the collection as well as various exhibition development activities. The intern will gain insight into curatorial work and exhibition planning, as well as mentorship and networking opportunities through their work with museum staff.

Requirements

Enrolled in a graduate program in art, art history, history, literary studies, museum studies, environmental humanities, visual culture studies, or related field of study concurrent with the internship period.
Experience working in museums or related setting.
Expertise in environmental humanities, animal studies, or related discourses, demonstrating scholarly ability through publications, conference papers, coursework, or other activities.
Proven ability to work as part of a team as well as comfort to work independently.
Excellent organizational skills with keen attention to detail.
Demonstrated written and communication skills with strong research abilities.
Ability to work onsite 15 hours per week, within Monday through Friday, 9am-5pm parameters, between September 11 – December 11.
Ability to attend orientation on Fri, Sept 11, 2026, 10am to 3:30pm.

Nice To Haves

Graduate interns are required to attend the following professional development sessions during the semester: Orientation on Sept 11, Meet the Leadership Team (date to be announced at orientation), and Final Presentations on Dec 4. They are welcome to attend any other sessions that appeal to them.

Responsibilities

Work directly with a curator in the Department of Prints, Drawings, and Photographs to ensure substantial first-hand experience in museum curatorial work.
Conduct library, internet, and primary archival research on artists and objects.
Compile resources and scholarship related to environmental humanities/animal studies to aid research and interpretation of the collection.
Assist with and participate in key aspects of early-stage exhibition planning.
Help create a more robust presence for relevant works on our website by writing object descriptions and uploading them in the MFA’s database, TMS.
Build object files with artist and artwork information.
Prepare and offer a 3-minute final synoptic presentation of the internship as part of the Museum Pathways & Practices professional development course.