Job Information
Seattle Art Museum Frances Blakemore & Griffith Way Intern, Japanese & Korean Art in Seattle, Washington
2024-2025 Frances Blakemore & Griffith Way Internship
Application Deadline: December 16, 2024
For Master’s and PhD students enrolled at University of Washington
Fields of study include East Asian art and Chinese, Japanese, or Korean art history
Quarterly stipend estimated at $2,863
20 hours per week, for 12 weeks during Spring 2025 Academic Quarter
OVERVIEW
Seattle Art Museum is committed to offering meaningful career development opportunities to graduate and advanced undergraduate students at the University of Washington. The Blakemore Foundation supports our goal of furthering scholarship in Asian art and culture by generously sponsoring the Frances Blakemore & Griffith Way Internship Program. These internships enable students at the University of Washington to gain professional research experience, work directly with SAM’s East Asian art collection, and participate in major exhibition and publication projects.
The unwavering goal of this program is to provide promising students of Asian art and Asian studies with outstanding opportunities to intern at a top ranked Asian art museum. The internship program furthers the Blakemore Foundation’s mission of advancing the study of Asian art and culture by fostering new scholarship in the field.
Under the mentorship of SAM’s Asian art curators, interns will gain intimate knowledge about the day-to-day responsibilities of a curator, enhance their knowledge of Asian art, and gain practical experience in an area directly related to their studies. All interns in this program will have opportunities to work with the Gardner Center for Asian Art and Ideas (CAAI) (https://www.seattleartmuseum.org/gardnercenter/) and network internationally with top scholars in their field, to plan and implement scholarly programs and symposia, and to engage the public through gallery talks and docent training presentations.
Frances Blakemore & Griffith Way Intern for Japanese & Korean Art
This intern will work closely with Dr. Aaron Rio, Tateuchi Foundation Curator for Japanese & Korean Art, to complete detailed cataloging for the Japanese and Korean art collections at Seattle Asian Art Museum. This intern will primarily focus on cataloging a small subset of the collection which relates to their own specific academic interests.
Please note: The scope of this project may adjust based on intern’s academic interests and skill set, and a strong knowledge of Japanese or Korean art history is required. No prior experience with museum collections or databases is required.
EXPECTED TIME COMMITMENT
The internship period is for the Spring quarter of the 2024-2025 academic year. The expectation is that this intern will work 20 hours per week.
COMPENSATION
Interns will receive a quarterly stipend through the University of Washington equivalent to a Level 2 UW graduate teaching assistant rate, estimated at $8,589 ($2,863 per month for pay periods running through Autumn 2024, Winter 2025, or Spring 2025).
Each internship will include a waiver of tuition and most fees for the quarter, including the resident operating fee, the building fee, and the technology fee.
ELIGIBILITY
All candidates are required to be active students at University of Washington during the full term of their internship, and must have completed at least two art history classes in Chinese, Japanese, or Korean art prior to applying.
Graduate students currently enrolled at University of Washington in the Art History or Henry M. Jackson School’s Asian Studies departments are preferred.
Students enrolled in other UW programs will also be considered, including those skilled in East Asian languages or experienced with the study of material culture.
ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS
Accurately classify, describe, and catalog a selection Japanese or Korean art objects from SAAM’s permanent collection, following provided standards.
Research provenance, exhibition history, and related data for individual art objects. This may include accessing internal object files or translating artist names, labels, and seals from physical objects.
Review established standards for descriptive cataloging and apply those standards to new records in SAM’s collections management database (TMS).
Complete a one-page reflection, blog post, or interview about your internship experience.
Attend Enrichment Sessions, informational interviews, and check-ins as available.
KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS, AND ABILITIES REQUIRED
Strong knowledge of Japanese or Korean art and art history is required.
Ability to accurately classify, describe, and record information about a work of art to a high level of detail.
Some familiarity with descriptive cataloging best practices or museum collections databases is preferred, but not required. Training with SAM’s collection management system (TMS) will be provided.
Knowledge of Japanese or Korean language is preferred. Alternative skills include proficiency in Classical Japanese or Chinese, experience with seal scripts, or experience translating from Classical Chinese, Kanbun, or Classical Japanese into English.
Demonstrated proficiency in general computer use, including Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, Outlook, PowerPoint) and the internet.
Ability to ask for help and accept supervision and evaluation of your work.
Ability to work with others professionally and tactfully.
Ability to adhere to museum policies and support management decisions in a positive, professional manner.
APPLICATION PROCESS
All application materials are due by December 16, 2024. This includes:
Blakemore internship application (attached below, or submitted online).
Resume
Personal statement explaining your reasons for applying for the Blakemore Internship. Statement should include:
What you feel you can contribute to the department in which you are applying
What you hope to gain from the experience.
Writing sample (10 pages max.)
Current transcript (Unofficial transcripts are allowed)
Please note : Letters of Recommendation are NOT required for the Frances Blakemore and Griffith Way Internships Program but are welcome.
Online applications are only accepted through the SAM Careers page at https://seattleartmuseum.applytojob.com/apply or by email to internships@seattleartmuseum.org
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