Internship

Established in 1979, The Museum of Contemporary Art is the only artist-founded museum in Los Angeles. We are dedicated to collecting and exhibiting contemporary art. We house one of the most compelling collections of contemporary art in the world, comprising over 8,000 objects, and have a diverse history of ground-breaking, historically-significant exhibitions.

Overview:

The Museum of Contemporary Art seeks a detail-oriented and self-starting team player to serve as a compiler and organizer of archival resources, working in the curatorial department. This person is responsible for assisting in tasks that lead to building an archive of catalogues, an updated artist contact list, and other resources that help to carry out the Museum’s mission. This role is designed to offer real-world, project-based experience in a contemporary art museum for those interested in learning about archives, recordkeeping, and institutional history. This intern will meet with the Director of Education and Visitor Engagement and other museum staff to identify opportunities to maximize their learning and advise on internship programming.

Essential Functions

• Working primarily with the Curatorial Administrator, the intern will regularly interact with a variety of curatorial staff to gather information and complete assignments
• Perform internet, library, and archival research for specific projects
• Assist in data entry to archives , collection-related research via The Museum System
• Organizing and locating MOCA catalogues within the museum offices
• Observe and participate in departmental and interdepartmental meetings as appropriate
• Participate in reflection and documentation of internship experience
• Perform other related duties as assigned

Requirements

• High school diploma required
• Must possess the ability to communicate and interact well with others
• Demonstrates an ability to learn quickly and independently
• Detail-oriented, with excellent grammar, writing, and organizational skills
• Interest in contemporary art required
• Interest in contemporary culture, and organizational structure and procedures at a museum or other non-profit arts institution preferred
• Ability to use Microsoft Office including Word, Outlook, Excel, PowerPoint and Google Workspace
• Commitment for the duration of the program
• Completion of an end-of-internship reflection

Hourly Rate: $17.28

POSITION COVERED BY MOCA/AFSCME COLLECTIVE BARGAINING AGREEMENT: NO

Schedule and location:

Beginning in January 2025 or later and concluding in May 2025, a mutually agreed-upon schedule not to exceed 280 hours; two full days per week. On-site in MOCA Grand Avenue staff offices or The Geffen Contemporary at MOCA, with some remote work.

Physical Demands

While performing the essential functions of this job, the incumbent must be able to do the following: sit for extended periods; bend and reach for filing and other job-related functions; climb up and down stairs; bend, stoop, and lift to move and retrieve materials; pull, push, and lift; reach both above and below shoulder height. Must be able to visually inspect work. Manual dexterity to operate a computer and other office equipment is required. Heavy usage of computers and phones required.

The Museum of Contemporary Art is an equal opportunity employer. We will extend equal opportunity to all individuals without regard to race, religion, creed, color, national origin, ancestry, disability, medical condition, genetic information, marital status, sex (including pregnancy, childbirth, breastfeeding, and related medical conditions), gender, gender identity, gender expression, age, sexual orientation, military status, veteran status or any other status protected under applicable federal, state or local laws. Our policy reflects and affirms the Museum of Contemporary Art’s commitment to the principles of fair employment and the elimination of all discriminatory practices.

Research shows that women and individuals from underrepresented backgrounds often apply to jobs only if they meet 100% of the qualifications. We recognize that it is highly unlikely that an applicant meets 100% of the qualifications for a given role. Therefore, if much of this job description describes you, then you are highly encouraged to apply for this role.

Established in 1979, The Museum of Contemporary Art is the only artist-founded museum in Los Angeles. We are dedicated to collecting and exhibiting contemporary art. We house one of the most compelling collections of contemporary art in the world, comprising roughly 7,500 objects, and have a diverse history of ground-breaking, historically-significant exhibitions. 

Overview:

The Museum of Contemporary Art seeks a detail-oriented and self-starting team player to support the ongoing work of the Environmental Initiatives department. Sitting at the intersection of climate and culture, this department braids environmental responsibility into the exhibitions, programs, and operations of the museum. It is the first of its kind for an American art museum and an exciting experiment in institutional climate action. 

We are looking for someone who is particularly interested in climate communication to assist with various projects relating to amplifying and sharing the museum’s sustainability work to internal and external audiences. Primary projects include a reboot of the quarterly environmental staff newsletter, expanding the MOCA Green Resources internal site, developing content for the internal bulletin MOCA Monthly, contributing to a proposal for a new environmental microsite and developing content from archival footage of public programs. The ideal candidate is someone who is passionate about climate storytelling and the role of culture in climate action.

This role will also contribute to ongoing departmental projects including formalizing institutional best practices, coordinating environmental programming, supporting climate impact reporting, and doing relevant research as needed. 

This role is designed to offer real-world, project-based experience in a contemporary art museum for those interested in institutional change and culture’s role in climate action. As one of two participants in MOCA’s recently established internship program, this intern will report to the Environmental & Sustainability Strategist and work closely with a variety of staff within the Public Engagement, Learning & Impact division to identify opportunities to maximize their learning.

Through this experience, the Environmental Initiatives Intern will gain a basic understanding of the emerging field of art world sustainability, and play a meaningful role in developing compelling communication and storytelling around these efforts. 

Essential Functions

• Review climate communication on existing MOCA channels (websites, newsletters, social media) and at other cultural institutions to support an updated climate communication strategy. 
• Review archival content and documentation of public programs to create content for the newsletter, website, social media, and YouTube.
• Support on the redesign of the quarterly environmental newsletter and feed into the Spring edition.Contribute to a proposal for an environmental microsite nested within moca.org.
• Expand MOCA’s Green Resource Database, an internal site hosting sustainability resources for MOCA staff such as green vendor lists, educational videos, material life cycle tools, and best practices.
• With guidance from Human Resources, assist with development of content for the Green Team section of MOCA Monthly, the museum’s internal newsletter.
• Support with coordination of environmental public programming including the MOCA Climate Conversations and Sustainable Skillbuilding series.
• Observe and participate in departmental and interdepartmental meetings as appropriate.
• Participate in reflection and documentation of internship experience.
• Perform other related duties as assigned.

Requirements

• High school diploma required
• Must possess the ability to communicate and interact well with others
• Demonstrate an ability to learn quickly and independently
• Detail-oriented, with excellent grammar, writing, and organizational skills
• Interest in sustainability and climate communication required
• Interest in contemporary art and culture preferred
• Awareness of organizational structure and procedures at a museum or other non-profit arts institution preferred
• Ability to use or quickly learn social media tools, Google Suite applications, simple video editing software (such as iMovie, Da Vinci Resolve, or OpenShot). Fluency with the internet required
• Commitment for the duration of the program
• Completion of an end-of-internship reflection

Hourly Rate: $17.28

POSITION COVERED BY MOCA/AFSCME COLLECTIVE BARGAINING AGREEMENT: NO

Schedule and location:

Beginning in February 2025 or later and concluding in May 2025, a mutually agreed-upon schedule not to exceed 280 hours; two full days per week including some Saturdays or Sundays as programs require. On-site in MOCA Grand Avenue staff offices or The Geffen Contemporary at MOCA.

Physical Demands

While performing the essential functions of this job, the incumbent must be able to do the following: sit for extended periods; bend and reach for filing and other job-related functions; must be able to visually inspect work. Manual dexterity to operate a computer and other office equipment is required. Heavy usage of computers and phones required.

The Museum of Contemporary Art is an equal opportunity employer. We will extend equal opportunity to all individuals without regard to race, religion, creed, color, national origin, ancestry, disability, medical condition, genetic information, marital status, sex (including pregnancy, childbirth, breastfeeding, and related medical conditions), gender, gender identity, gender expression, age, sexual orientation, military status, veteran status or any other status protected under applicable federal, state or local laws. Our policy reflects and affirms the Museum of Contemporary Art’s commitment to the principles of fair employment and the elimination of all discriminatory practices.

Research shows that women and individuals from underrepresented backgrounds often apply to jobs only if they meet 100% of the qualifications. We recognize that it is highly unlikely that an applicant meets 100% of the qualifications for a given role. Therefore, if much of this job description describes you, then you are highly encouraged to apply for this role.