Unlocking Creative Futures: A Guide to Art Internships for High School Students
For high school students with a passion for art, the journey from creative spark to a fulfilling career path can seem daunting. However, a growing landscape of art internships offers invaluable opportunities to transform artistic talents into tangible professional experiences. These programs provide a crucial stepping stone, allowing young creatives to explore their interests, gain practical skills, and build essential connections within the vibrant art and culture industries. From renowned museums to innovative creative companies, the opportunities are diverse, catering to a wide range of artistic aspirations.
The Value of Early Exposure: Why Art Internships Matter
Art internships serve as a powerful bridge between academic learning and professional practice. They offer high school-aged students the chance to gain firsthand experience, receive mentorship from seasoned professionals, and truly understand the multifaceted world of creative careers. Nashalae's experience exemplifies this, as she interned at various organizations like Bustle, Orchard Street Ventures, Elite Daily, and Kaleidoscope Consulting, where she "thrived!" Her reflection highlights the profound impact: “It’s a fun internship that widens my perspective in the working industry. I get to see many different departments and how they work together to create textiles and other products. The people are so kind.” This sentiment underscores the dual benefit of internships: skill development and personal growth within a supportive professional environment.
These programs are more than just resume builders; they are immersive learning experiences. They provide career exposure, job training, skills development, and critical networking opportunities. For students passionate about art and wondering where it might lead, art internships offer a clear pathway to explore potential career paths and demonstrate a deep commitment to their interests. Engaging in these opportunities can significantly differentiate students in a competitive college application landscape, with many top universities noting that a significant percentage of their admitted students had participated in internships during high school. Furthermore, these experiences can ease the transition into securing college internships and gaining admission to pre-professional groups such as animation clubs, art societies, dance teams, game design clubs, improvisation comedy groups, music ensembles, performance troupes, photography clubs, and student-run galleries. Ultimately, arts internships for high school students provide a strong foundation for a future career, regardless of their chosen field.
Museum Immersion: Exploring Art Through Internships
Many of the most sought-after art internships are hosted by prestigious museums, offering students unparalleled access to vast collections and the inner workings of these cultural institutions. These programs often involve hands-on projects, behind-the-scenes tours, and direct interaction with museum professionals.
The Metropolitan Museum of Art (The Met), New York: The Met offers both school-year and summer internships, primarily for sophomores and juniors residing in New York, with expanded eligibility for summer programs to students in New Jersey and Connecticut. Interns are placed in one of 17 departments and work a total of 40 hours, receiving a stipend upon completion. The Met's high school internships provide behind-the-scenes access to one of the world's foremost art museums. Participants get to interact with museum professionals and sharpen workplace-related skills, engaging in hands-on projects or workshops about art, curation, and museum affairs. For the summer program, the stipend is typically $1,100. The application period generally opens in early February, and the program itself runs between July and August.
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Museum of Fine Arts (MFA), Boston: The MFA provides paid 12-month internships for rising sophomores, juniors, and seniors in the Boston area. Students can apply to specialized programs like the STEAM Team (focused on science, technology, engineering, art, and math), the Curatorial Study Hall (exploring exhibition planning and marginalized artists), or the Teen Arts Council (focusing on leadership and community engagement). Select Boston Public School students may also serve as Student Docents. All programs include hands-on projects, networking opportunities, and a behind-the-scenes look at one of the world's most comprehensive art collections. Interns earn $15 per hour, and applications typically open in February for a year-long commitment.
The Art Institute of Chicago: This institution offers paid internships throughout the year for Chicagoland teens. Four distinct programs provide opportunities in event planning, art creation, and engagement with visiting artists, allowing interns to explore, learn, and collaborate. The Teen Council program, running from September to June, focuses on developing programs and resources to make museums more inclusive. The Summer Internship Program, from June to August, offers hands-on experience in planning festivals, tours, and workshops. The Teen Council is open to 15 students, and while the summer cohort size isn't specified, applications for the Teen Council are due by June 30th, with summer applications opening in the spring via After School Matters.
The Getty, Los Angeles: Los Angeles teens aged 16-18 can apply to be summer gallery guides at the Getty. This program covers transportation costs to and from the museum and provides a stipend upon completion. Interns learn about museum collections, engage with visitors of all ages, and develop public speaking and facilitation skills. Additionally, students from the Boyle Heights community are eligible for the Getty Teen Lab, an eight-week STEAM-focused summer internship that also includes a stipend and transportation coverage.
Brooklyn Museum, New York City: As one of the largest museums in New York City, the Brooklyn Museum offers three paid internship programs for local teens aged 14-19: the Museum Apprentice Program, InterseXtions: Gender & Sexuality, and the Teen Night Planning Committee. These programs provide skills training, meetings with artists and museum staff, and opportunities to work on projects that engage museum visitors and the local community. The Museum Apprentice Program, a year-round opportunity, pays interns and provides MetroCards for travel, allowing them to assist with programs, develop tours, and teach summer camps. Applications typically open in June, with the program running from September to June.
Bronx Museum of Art, New York: Established in 1971, the Bronx Museum offers two paid internships for New York high school students. The Teen Summer program, a four-week intensive, focuses on the collaborative exploration of local communities and cultural highlights in New York, culminating in media and art productions. Interested students should contact the museum directly for application deadlines.
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Museum of Contemporary Art (MCA), Chicago: The MCA offers a yearlong cultural leadership program for Chicagoland teens aged 14-19. This program, the Teen Creative Agency (TCA), aims to amplify youth voices within the museum, fostering collaboration and leadership. Members meet weekly, visit other arts organizations, and collaborate with contemporary artists and peers, developing public engagement skills and exploring creative processes. The program offers up to $1,600 annually and typically runs from September to June, with applications opening in the spring.
Seattle Art Museum (SAM): As the major art museum in the Pacific Northwest, SAM offers a Teen Arts Group that runs during the school year for local teens interested in event planning. Participants select artists, organize gallery talks, and work with museum staff to coordinate community programs, receiving community service credit or a stipend for their work.
New York State Museum, Albany: New York’s very first museum offers a Student Historian Internship to rising sophomores, juniors, and seniors in the New York City metropolitan area. The organization selects 25 students annually for this 6-week summer program, where they conduct research around the city to create digital projects.
Milwaukee Art Museum: This museum offers two paid teen internships: Satellite Teens (October-December) and ArtXpress (July-August). Satellite Teens is a 10-week program focusing on museum operations and studio visits, while ArtXpress centers on designing a public mural. Both programs are for Milwaukee-based high school juniors and seniors, ages 16-19, with application deadlines in late August for Satellite Teens and early June for ArtXpress.
Institute of Contemporary Art San Francisco (ICA SF): ICA SF’s Teen Program offers a paid opportunity for Bay Area students aged 15-18 to explore creative careers and arts leadership, with a focus on contemporary art. Participants attend classes led by museum educators, engage in dialogue and hands-on activities, and present their learning on a public engagement day. The program runs from September 20 to November 15, with applications due by September 4.
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Beyond Museums: Creative Companies and Arts Organizations
Internships are not limited to traditional museum settings. Creative companies and non-profit arts organizations also provide valuable opportunities for high school students to gain practical experience.
Learning Pods: This initiative offers a 6-week paid summer program with a creative company for high school students. Learning Pods provide career exposure, job training, skills development, and networking opportunities, aligning students with creative companies that match their interests.
Arts for Learning, Florida: This Miami nonprofit organization offers the paid summer ArtWorks Internship for Florida high school students. Requiring no previous arts experience, the six-week program involves 180 hours of work alongside a mentor in a chosen specialty, such as visual arts, dance, creative writing, theater, music production, or animation.
Brooklyn Academy of Music (BAM), New York: BAM, one of the country's oldest performing arts venues, offers a paid, year-long program for rising high school seniors in New York. The program includes artistic training, college preparation, and professional development, with weekly workshops in July followed by internships with BAM’s Education Department from October through June.
The One Club for Creativity & The New York City Department of Education: While not a traditional internship, their collaboration offers Saturday Workshops that provide many of the same benefits, such as meeting working professionals, learning about potential careers, and building portfolios.
Work of Art, Los Angeles: This program is designed for Los Angeles high school sophomores and juniors, focusing on college and career exploration in the arts.
The Greater Philadelphia Cultural Alliance: Thanks to a grant from Bloomberg Philanthropies, this alliance offers the Bloomberg Arts Internship (BAI) to high school seniors in the Philadelphia area. This eight-week intensive paid internship places students with local arts and culture organizations.
Youth Insights (YI), New York City: YI connects New York City high school students to art and artists through after-school and summer programs, as well as drop-in events. This program pairs students with contemporary artists for collaborative work, critical discussions, and creative thinking. Participants meet weekly and receive a MetroCard for transportation. The Whitney Museum of American Art also offers similar programs, including Youth Insights Leaders, a year-long paid internship for those who complete initial tracks.
Sitar Arts Center, Washington D.C.: Sitar offers several internship opportunities for teens and young adults. The Sitar’s Emerging Arts Leaders (S.E.A.L.) Program is open to high school students (grades 9-12) looking to enhance their artistic and leadership skills, featuring workshops, field trips, and community service opportunities. Sitar also hosts the Mural Arts Internship, where interns collaborate on mural projects and receive technical instruction, and the Classroom Assistant role during Camp Sitar. Additionally, a Musical Theater Internship involves performing, attending theatrical design workshops, and mentoring younger students. Sitar is also the D.C. home of the Bloomberg Arts Internship program, which has a strong track record of alumni enrolling in college and pursuing arts-centric careers.
Project Write Now, New Jersey: This organization offers a Teen Internship Program with primarily virtual options, though the Teaching Assistant track requires in-person participation in Monmouth County. The program is unpaid but eligible for community service hours. Interns can choose between the Teaching Assistant role, supporting classes for younger students; the Editorial Assistant role, producing content for the organization's online magazine; or the Interview Project track, focusing on journalism skills.
Ladder Internships: This program connects students with virtual internships at startups and nonprofits globally. Opportunities span various fields, including design, media, and the arts. Interns work on real-world projects, receive mentorship, and present their developed skills at the end of the program. While costs vary, financial assistance is available.
Finding and Securing an Internship: Strategies for Success
Navigating the internship landscape requires a proactive approach. Online lists and search engines are invaluable resources. StandOutSearch is a notable platform, serving as a large, free online database of internships for high schoolers, offering filters for interests, locations, and formats (in-person, online, or hybrid). MIT Admissions also provides a helpful list of summer programs and internships.
Given the high competitiveness of many official internships, developing a cold outreach strategy is often beneficial. This involves directly contacting potential internship providers to inquire about opportunities. While this can seem intimidating, many professionals are open to mentoring enthusiastic students. When reaching out, finding a personal connection-whether a shared passion for an artist, medium, or institution-can be particularly effective. It is always safest to prioritize virtual meetings or interviews when connecting with unfamiliar professionals.
When crafting applications or outreach messages, a well-prepared resume is crucial. This document should highlight relevant skills, experiences, and a genuine passion for the arts. For those interested in research opportunities, university faculty directories can be used to identify professors whose work aligns with their interests. Computational research roles, in particular, may offer more remote possibilities, often requiring familiarity with coding languages for data analysis.
The process of securing an internship, whether through formal applications or cold outreach, demands persistence. Many positions are highly competitive, and rejection is a possibility. However, students who are dedicated to pursuing these opportunities often find the effort is immensely rewarding, providing invaluable experience that can shape their academic and professional futures.
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