Undergraduate Internships
The Benton Museum of Art at Pomona College aspires to make the visual arts an essential part of the Pomona College student experience. The Museum’s exhibitions, collections, and related programs encourage active learning and creative explorations across disciplines. Paid internships at the Museum offer many different opportunities to become familiar with museum work.
Application closed
An internship is available for a student to work full-time at the Benton Museum of Art at Pomona College for a ten week period between June 2nd and August 22nd, 2025.
To be eligible, individuals must be a member of a group underrepresented in careers related to museums and visual arts organizations, which can include groups defined by – among other things - socioeconomic status, cultural background, physical or other disability, geographical origin and/or any life experiences that add diverse and underrepresented perspectives.
The internship will specifically focus on assisting the Associate Director/Registrar and Collections Manager in projects specifically focused on Collections Management and Collections-focused education outreach. Working with Museum staff, the intern’s responsibilities will include assisting the Collections team in a variety of tasks related to collection care, including object photography, cataloguing, database management and rehousing. This summer’s internship may also focus on the development of collections-based educational programming for K-12 programs.
Depending upon the skills and interest of the intern, other opportunities may include working with curatorial staff with research in the collection and its potential curricular connections to courses across college departments.
The intern will attend learning events sponsored by the Getty Trust during the internship period and will be required to submit a detailed report at its conclusion.
REQUIREMENTS: Applicants are not required to have previous museum experience but must be currently enrolled undergraduates who will have completed one semester of college by June 2025. Seniors may apply. Interns must be residents of, or attending college in, the Los Angeles area. Previous Pomona College Museum of Art/Benton Museum Getty interns are not eligible for consideration. The internship carries a stipend of $7,675.00, which is subject to payroll taxes.
HOW TO APPLY: Interested students should submit 1) a resume and 2) a letter of application that explains why the internship is of interest, describes relevant study and/or experience, and lists the names, telephone numbers, and email addresses of three references who may be contacted. These should be sent to:
Steve Comba, Associate Director/RegistrarBenton Museum of Art Pomona College150 E. 8th StreetClaremont, CA 91711-6344
Email applications are preferable: scomba@pomona.edu
Please call 909-621-8106 or send an e-mail message to scomba@pomona.edu if you have any questions.
DEADLINE: Monday, April 14, 2025
Filled, no longer accepting applications
The Benton Museum of Art has a paid Curatorial Internship, supervised by Assistant Curator of Collections, Salim Moore, available for both fall and spring semesters. This intern position will support the Museum’s curatorial projects and will engage with the campus community and the general public on a regular basis.
Responsibilities include: Undertaking collections related research on specific artists and objects in the museum’s collection, writing artist biographies and interpretive texts for the museum database, and creating public programs for both academic audiences and the general public.
Curatorial Intern(s) serving in this role will work alongside the Assistant Curator of Collections and may collaborate on projects with the museum’s collection manager, associate director/registrar, and other staff as needed.
Interns working in this position should be prepared to undertake collections related research, assisting students, researchers, and interested members of the general public. Other important skills include a strong background in art history and the visual arts, comfort with engaging individuals and groups in a museum setting, and curiosity to conduct research across the broad range of permanent collections holdings housed at the museum. The intern should have strong reading and writing abilities.
For specific questions about this internship, you may contact supervisor Solomon Salim Moore at salim.moore@pomona.edu. Interns can work up to 8 hours per week.
Filled, no longer accepting applications
The Benton Museum of Art has a paid Curatorial Internship available for both fall and spring semesters. This intern position will support the Museum’s upcoming curatorial projects and will engage with the campus community and the general public on a regular basis.
Responsibilities include: Undertaking collections related research on specific artists and objects in the museum’s collection and exhibitions on view, hosting gallery talks for the general and campus public during the ongoing run of exhibitions, and writing interpretive labels and audio guide scripts for individual artworks.
Curatorial Intern(s) serving in this role will work alongside the Curatorial Assistant and may collaborate on projects with the museum’s collection manager, associate director/registrar, exhibitions coordinator, and other staff as needed.
Interns working in this position should be prepared to undertake collections related research, assisting students, researchers, and interested members of the general public. Other important skills include a strong background in art history and the visual arts, comfort with engaging individuals and groups in a museum setting, and curiosity to conduct research across the broad range of permanent collections holdings housed at the museum. The intern should have strong reading and writing abilities.
Collections Management
Filled, no longer accepting applications
The Benton Museum of Art has paid Collections Management Intern positions, supervised by Associate Director/Registrar Steve Comba, and Collections Manager Karen Hudson, available for both fall and spring semesters. The Intern(s) will maintain and document the Museum’s permanent collection of approximately 19,000 objects. Tasks include documentation of collections, conducting physical rehousing projects and completing object inventory. Additional tasks may include ongoing photography and collections database projects. The ideal candidate should be collaborative, organized, and detail-oriented. For specific questions about this internship, you may contact supervisor Steve Comba at steven.comba@pomona.edu. Interns can work up to 8 hours per week.
Filled, no longer accepting applications
The Benton Museum of Art at Pomona College has paid Academic Programming/Course Connection Intern positions, reporting directly to Academic Curator Claire Nettleton to support academic programs and integrate the Benton's collections and exhibitions into classes. Tasks include: researching the Benton's permanent collection and exhibitions for virtual class visits, researching potential course connections with the museum, assisting with digital presentations of material for classes, and assisting the Academic Curator with researching, planning, advertising and executing academic events, symposia, gallery talks and intern program events at the museum. Interns will attend weekly meetings with their cohort.
For specific questions about this internship, including when it might be posted again, you may contact supervisor Claire Nettleton at claire.nettleton@pomona.edu. Interns can work up to 8 hours per week.
No longer accepting applications
The Benton Museum of Art has a paid Community Arts Engagement Internship, supervised by Assistant Director for Engagement, Justine Bae Bias and K-12 Education Specialist, Rich Deely, available for both fall and spring semesters. This intern position will support and implement creative engagement events and programs for local/regional communities and community partner agencies.
Responsibilities include: developing art-making experiences inspired by the Benton’s collections and current exhibitions, facilitating planning across Pomona College departments with Benton staff to provide visitors with a variety of visual arts-based activities, recruiting other Claremont Colleges students to deliver programming; and implementing plans working on-site at various local community centers teaching children and youth. During the academic year, The Community Arts Engagement Intern serving in this role will work alongside staff at the Benton Museum of Art and with partner organizations serving this population. Students working in these positions will collaborate with the museum’s education and engagement team. Intern will be required to attend bi-weekly Friday meetings with their cohort, and attend museum functions as necessary.
Please prepare a cover letter and resume of relevant work and academic experience, and upload it to this application form. For specific questions about this internship, you may contact supervisor Justine Bae Bias at justine.bae@pomona.edu. Students who are bilingual or have an interest in serving Spanish-speaking populations are encouraged to apply. Interns can work up to 8 hours per week. The rate of pay is $17.27 an hour.
No longer accepting applications
The Benton Museum of Art has paid year-long internships, supervised by Associate Director/Registrar, Steve Comba and K-12 Education Specialist, Rich Deely, to plan, practice, and present exhibition and collection based lessons, as well as other new initiatives. This internship is envisioned as a year-long teaching position, and is tasked with delivering content throughout fall and spring semesters intended for elementary audiences. Interns will revise and teach our existing Changing Landscapes and Continuity of Native Arts curricula in classrooms at school sites and in the Museum’s galleries and Native American Collection Study Center (NACSC). EO Interns will research collections, develop/revise lesson plans, and team teach lessons with the education specialist.
In addition to regular work with children, interns will develop art-making experiences and new lessons that will provide teachers and students with a variety of visual arts-based activities. Interns may also produce filmed content or collateral publications for use in classrooms or The Benton’s galleries, and work with various partner community organizations serving K-12 audiences. EO Interns will attend bi-weekly Friday meetings with their cohort, and attend museum functions as necessary.
Candidates should have a background or declared interest in working with K-12 audiences, and have availability to teach museum programs on Fridays. The nature of our work is collaborative. Those with prior experience or interest in public presentations, museum/art education, Native art and art history, or have personal knowledge of/connections to indigenous communities are encouraged to apply. Please prepare a cover letter and resume of relevant work and academic experience, and upload it to this application form. For specific questions about this internship, you may contact supervisor Steve Comba at steven.comba@pomona.edu. Interns can work up to 8 hours per week. The rate of pay is $17.27 an hour.
Filled, no longer accepting applications
The Benton Museum of Art at Pomona College has paid Gallery Talks Co-Director Intern positions, reporting to Director Victoria Sancho Lobis and Academic Curator Claire Nettleton to organize and run the ongoing gallery talk series from a student-centered perspective.
Tasks include: organizing speakers to present recurring 20-minute focused talks in the museum galleries, researching exhibition content, researching and contacting potential speakers, including 7C students and faculty and the Claremont community, overseeing and moderating the talks and discussion, and advertising the gallery series.
Interns will attend bi-weekly meetings with their cohort.
For specific questions about this internship, including when it might be posted again, you may contact supervisor Claire Nettleton at claire.nettleton@pomona.edu. Interns can work up to 8 hours per week.
No longer accepting applications
The Benton Museum of Art has a paid Museum Ambassador Internship, supervised by Visitor Services Manager Nilofar Naraghi, available for both fall and spring semesters. This intern position will support the Museum’s front of house operations and will engage with both fellow students and the general public on a regular basis. Students must be available for two 3+ hour shifts, up to 8 hours per week.
Responsibilities include:
During the academic year, Museum Ambassador Intern(s) serving in this role will work alongside staff at the Benton Museum of Art and those from other departments who have events scheduled for the Museum’s spaces. Students working in these positions will collaborate with others on the museum’s education and engagement team, curatorial team, communications team, and director. Intern(s) will be required to attend bi-weekly Friday meetings with their cohort, and attend two or more museum functions.
The intern should have a strong interest in communications and events planning, be highly personable, and have a willingness to work with both academic and general public audiences. Those students who are language majors, or who are bilingual and have an interest in serving LA-based Spanish, Korean, Chinese, Tagalog, or Persian-speaking populations are especially encouraged to apply.
Please prepare a cover letter and resume of relevant work and academic experience, and upload it to this application form. For specific questions about this internship, you may contact supervisor Nilofar Naraghi at nilofar.naraghi@pomona.edu. Interns can work up to 8 hours per week. Internships are for one semester with the possibility of renewal. The rate of pay is $17.27 an hour.
No longer accepting applications
The Museum is offering paid internship positions to work with Assistant Director for Engagement, Justine Bae Bias to make the Benton an integral component of campus life through Student-Centered Programming.
Student-Centered Programming Intern(s) are required to attend weekly planning meetings (day/time to be determined) as well as Benton internship development meetings every other week culminating in a presentation at the end of each semester. Interns must be able to accommodate shifts during Art After Hours on Thursday and some Saturday late afternoons/evenings. Weekly commitment will vary, depending on Benton program scheduling, but interns will work an average of 4 hours/week.
Responsibilities include: publicizing Benton events by distributing flyers across campus and posting on student listservs; setting up and breaking down equipment including tables and chairs; hosting, introducing, and supporting collaborative partners for co-sponsored events; reaching out to other students and student groups across the consortium; organize student-centered events collaborating with Pomona College and other Claremont Colleges students through class years, 5C/7C groups, academic cohorts, mentorship programs, affinity groups, and other campus departments in student or academic affairs; and generate ideas for student-centered programs and events during Art After Hours.
Please prepare a cover letter and resume of relevant work and academic experience, and upload it to the this application form. For specific questions about this internship, you may contact supervisor Justine Bae Bias at justine.bae@pomona.edu. The rate of pay is $17.27 an hour.
Communications
Filled, no longer accepting applications.
Be creative in one of the most creative spaces on campus! The Benton is looking for an eager content creator who loves art. Our ideal candidate is detail-oriented, thoughtful, and has knowledge of digital tools and graphic design. Develop digital content for Benton website, social media, and other communication channels using photo, video, audio, and writing.
Expected projects/assignments
Skills and qualifications
The internship will start September 5. Interns can work up to 8 hours per week. The Intern will be required to attend bi-weekly Friday meetings with their cohort, and attend museum functions as necessary.
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