Arts Administration Internship: A Launchpad for Your Career in the Arts
Arts administration internships offer invaluable opportunities for individuals passionate about the arts to gain practical experience and develop essential skills for a successful career in the field. These internships provide a behind-the-scenes look at how arts organizations operate, allowing interns to contribute to meaningful projects, build valuable connections, and learn from seasoned professionals.
What is Arts Administration?
Arts administration encompasses the work done by arts organizations to fulfill their missions. This can include programming, marketing, finance, public relations, fundraising, staff management, philanthropy, or policy. Arts administrators are committed to collaboration and creative problem-solving. They work in a variety of settings, such as theaters, museums, dance companies, opera companies, educational arts entities, auction houses, art galleries, and multidisciplinary presenting companies.
Opera Theatre of Saint Louis (OTSL) Internship Program
Opera Theatre of Saint Louis (OTSL) is a nationally recognized nonprofit organization known for innovative productions featuring outstanding young artists. OTSL's Administrative Internship Program offers direct, on-the-job experience for those interested in careers in arts administration and management. OTSL is known as a center for training young professionals in all aspects of opera. Past interns have gone on to enjoy careers at Opera Theatre, the Metropolitan Opera, The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, and the St.
What to Expect as an OTSL Intern
As an OTSL intern, you'll support day-to-day operations, contribute to meaningful projects, and gain real-world skills in arts administration. You’ll collaborate with professionals across departments, attend company events, recitals, rehearsals, and performances, and build valuable connections in the arts industry.
OTSL is committed to fostering a diverse, equitable, and inclusive environment and strongly encourages individuals from all backgrounds, including people of color, members of the LGBTQ+ community, women, individuals with disabilities, and others who have been historically excluded to apply.
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Dates and hours for each position vary, but most are from late April/early May - early July. While the majority of OTSL's interns are college students or recent college graduates, this is not required.
Available Internship Positions at OTSL
OTSL offers a variety of internship positions, each with its own unique focus and responsibilities:
- Artistic Administration Intern: This intern provides administrative support to the Artistic department, assisting with artistic planning and artist services. The Artistic Administration Intern must be able to interact with artists and patrons in a variety of settings and have strong organizational and communication skills. They should have a basic knowledge of Microsoft Office Suite and an ability to work independently in a fast-paced environment. This position requires that the candidate have their own car (company mileage is reimbursed) and be able to work some evenings and weekends.
- Patron Services Intern: This intern gains first-hand patron interaction and Tessitura database experience by leading welcome efforts for special guests during Opera Theatre’s Festival Season. Special guests include out-of-town patrons, supporters, artists, press, and industry colleagues. This is a detail-oriented position that requires excellent organization and communication skills. Strong candidates are self-motivated, balance multiple responsibilities effectively, and interact positively with artists, donors, volunteers, board members, and staff in a range of professional and social situations. Availability for night and weekend performances is required. Basic knowledge of Excel preferred.
- Events Intern: This intern assists with Opera Theatre’s Festival Season donor events, including 20-30 dinners and receptions for patrons, as well as a gala benefit (pending start date). Work hours are based on the events scheduled each week, including evenings and weekends. Most events take place in the evening, outdoors under an event tent in the David W. Mesker Festival Gardens. A general workday may look like office work in the afternoon followed by an event in the evening. On non-event days, the Events Intern will work in the office.
- Education Intern: This intern performs administrative duties that support the education department’s season activities for young people and adults. This individual will work collaboratively with staff, volunteers, artists, students, teachers, and constituents, assisting with programming including the Bayer Fund Artists-in-Training program, SIng Out! The ideal candidate should have completed or be currently pursuing a degree in music, theater, arts management, and/or education. Extraordinary attention to detail, ability to manage multiple projects simultaneously, strong people skills, and excellent oral and written skills are required. Previous experience in coordinating and/or implementing programs is helpful, and proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite is necessary.
- Finance Intern: This intern is an essential member of OTSL’s Administration & Finance department, working directly with the Controller and the Accounting Manager to support the organization’s financial operations. This position will be wonderful experience for a quick learner who is detail-oriented and organized; who seeks professional mentorship; and who can work independently.
- Graphic Design Intern: This intern will play a crucial role in branding and marketing Opera Theatre’s 2025 Festival Season, collaborating with seasoned professionals to translate concepts into visually compelling designs using Adobe Creative Suite and contributing to diverse projects across digital and print platforms. This intern will also participate in the final stages of designing and packaging Opera Theatre’s annual 160+ page program book, which is distributed for free to audiences throughout the season. Additionally, this role provides the unique opportunity to work under the mentorship of a full-time Graphic Designer and Brand Manager. In conjunction with other Marketing & PR colleagues, the intern may also contribute to event planning and staffing. Applicants should be aspiring creatives with previous design experience. Experience using Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator, and InDesign strongly preferred. The successful applicant will also show a high level of timeliness and organization.
- Press & Communications Intern: This intern plays an important role in supporting Opera Theatre’s press and storytelling efforts during the Festival Season. The Press & Communications Intern will be an exceptional writer and proofreader who possesses extremely high attention to detail and a working knowledge of Microsoft Word. The successful applicant will have a team player attitude, be a quick learner who can work independently on several projects at once in a fast-paced environment, and enjoys meeting and talking to new people. The Press & Communications Intern must be willing to work evenings and weekends as needed. Due to the nature of press activities around a performing arts festival, this internship requires the flexibility to accommodate many evening and weekend hours with an ever-evolving weekly schedule.
Other Arts Administration Internship Opportunities
Beyond OTSL, numerous other organizations offer arts administration internships across various disciplines and locations. Here are a few examples:
The Nancy Savage Skinner ’79 Fellowships in Arts Administration: This funded summer internship program connects students with careers in the arts, placing them in arts and culture organizations across Worcester and Boston. The program nurtures their growth as emerging professionals, exposing them to professional development experiences in areas like organizational development, artistic leadership, and business skills learned in an arts context (e.g. Operations and Marketing/Communications).
- The Prior Performing Arts Center Internship: Focusing on marketing/communications and administration, this intern will play a key role in the summer operations of The Prior Performing Arts Center at Holy Cross. They will support the work of the Manager of Operations and Administration by creating and maintaining files and records related to campus and community use of the center; developing materials and plans to support patron experience and ticketing; and facilitating artistic residencies taking place at The Prior in summer 2025. Additional special projects may include preparing curricular materials for the 2025-26 season and assisting with grant applications and research. With the mutual interest of intern and supervisors, this internship may extend into a paid student worker position during the 2025-26 school year.
- Museum Intern at the Iris and B. Gerald Cantor Art Gallery: The Museum Intern will play a key role in the daily operations and curatorial purview of museum work at the Iris and B. Gerald Cantor Art Gallery. The internship is designed to introduce students to different areas of museum work.
- Event and Marketing Intern for the Worcester Cultural Coalition: Collaborating closely with colleagues in the City of Worcester’s Cultural Development Division, the Event and Marketing Intern for the Worcester Cultural Coalition will assist in marketing and special event program coordination. Intern duties may include, but are not limited to: writing and creating content (i.e. Some weekends and nighttime hours may be required.
Worcester Art Museum Internship: The Public Programs intern will assist the Manager of School, Group and Public Programs with a wide range of public-facing and planning projects related to the Museum’s public. These include booking and coordinating programs for the fall lineup; assisting with contracts and communications with upcoming performers and speakers; and engaging the public through tours, art carts, studio art workshops, and tabling events at the Museum and in the community. The intern should have an interest in the process of creating and carrying out public programs.
Duke Performances Internship: Duke Performances is seeking ambitious, highly-motivated, organized, and detail-oriented individuals at the undergraduate or graduate level with an interest in arts administration to assist the Duke Performances staff for an internship during the 2021-2022 academic year (mid-September 2021 through early May 2022). This position will begin operating remotely. Duke Performances - the professional performing arts presenting organization at Duke University in Durham, North Carolina - is dedicated to bringing world-class performing artists, who are diverse, essential, and forward thinking, to perform at Duke and in Durham, to engage the Duke and Durham communities and beyond, and to partner with artists on the development and presentation of performance.
José Limón Dance Foundation Internship: The José Limón Dance Foundation is now accepting résumés for the Summer 2025 Arts Administration Internship. Internships span Marketing, Research, Fundraising, Education and Archiving departments. The internship requires a commitment of 20 hours per week from June - August fully in-person from Tuesdays to Thursdays between the business hours of 10:00 AM - 6:00 PM ET. Additionally, candidates will be responsible for in-person Community Engagement Programming on occasional Friday evenings, Saturday mornings, and Sunday afternoons. The Arts Administration Intern is a highly motivated, detail-oriented, multi-tasker who seeks to learn about nonprofit organizational systems and diverse administrative skills within the arts field in a fast-paced environment.
Performing Arts Houston's Salazar Arts Internship Program: Performing Arts Houston’s Salazar Arts Internship Program continues to inspire the next generation of arts leaders. Through rigorous training and transformative mentorship, each intern will learn about and earn experience in a variety of disciplines within arts administration while gaining exposure to a wide range of opportunities. The variety of departments within Performing Arts Houston allows the internship program to align with an assortment of career endeavors. The Spring 2026 program has internships available in several departments. The Arts Administration Internship will provide hands-on, practical experience in various aspects of arts administration and some production elements in a presenting organization. Through a structured learning experience, the intern will gain a broader understanding of the performing arts industry and non-profit management. The intern will also gain first-hand experience in communicating with agents, artists, vendors, and partners for production services. Skills gained in this internship will translate to a variety of endeavors and interns can expect to interface with and gain experience in areas related to strategic planning, budgeting, and contracts.
Skills and Qualifications
While specific requirements vary depending on the internship and organization, some common skills and qualifications sought by employers include:
- Strong organizational and communication skills
- Attention to detail
- Ability to work independently and as part of a team
- Proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite (Word, Excel, PowerPoint)
- Interest in the arts and arts administration
- Enthusiasm and a willingness to learn
Benefits of an Arts Administration Internship
An arts administration internship can provide numerous benefits, including:
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- Practical experience: Gain hands-on experience in various aspects of arts administration.
- Skill development: Develop essential skills in areas such as communication, organization, marketing, fundraising, and event planning.
- Networking opportunities: Build valuable connections with professionals in the arts industry.
- Career exploration: Explore different career paths within arts administration and determine your areas of interest.
- Resume building: Enhance your resume and increase your competitiveness for future job opportunities.
- Personal growth: Gain confidence, independence, and a deeper understanding of the arts.
How to Apply
The application process for arts administration internships typically involves submitting a resume, cover letter, and possibly writing samples or other supporting materials. Some organizations may also require an interview.
For example, for the Holy Cross internships, a single application will offer the opportunity to be considered for all internship opportunities. 2025 applications are due by Wednesday, March 19, 2025. Students whose applications advance will be contacted for interviews with Prior staff and placement hosts. Acceptances and internship offers will be issued by mid-April. All rising juniors and rising seniors are eligible to apply.
For the José Limón Dance Foundation, a cover letter detailing your interest in an internship at The José Limón Dance Foundation is required. The deadline to apply is Sunday, May 18, 2025.
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