National Gallery of Art Internships

[stilnovista]

Hi all! I'm a former frequent-poster who is now rounding out my first year in a terminal MA program, hoping to work in museums afterward. I just got word this morning that I was selected for a position at the National Gallery of Art in DC this summer. I am so excited! 

 

Is there anyone else here who applied, has done an NGA internship, or who has been accepted this year? I'd love to hear from other interns beforehand!

[Lamantin]

Are you looking for information on the internship specifically, or would you like to know more generally about the DC area?

 

I don't know anything about the internship (other than having visited the NGA numerous times). However, I did have an internship at the Smithsonian American Art Musuem a few years back and would be happy to talk to you about the area.

[ArtHistoryandMuseum]

Congratulations!

[HannahPie]

I have exactly zero answers to any of your questions, stilnovista, but I would love to hear more about your background/resume if you don't mind sharing! NGA is my FAVE and I would love to do an internship there when I'm done with grad school.

[stilnovista]

Are you looking for information on the internship specifically, or would you like to know more generally about the DC area?

 

I don't know anything about the internship (other than having visited the NGA numerous times). However, I did have an internship at the Smithsonian American Art Musuem a few years back and would be happy to talk to you about the area.

 Lamantin, I'm specifically looking for ideas/advice on finding housing, especially since I'll be there for such a limited period.

[stilnovista]

I have exactly zero answers to any of your questions, stilnovista, but I would love to hear more about your background/resume if you don't mind sharing! NGA is my FAVE and I would love to do an internship there when I'm done with grad school.

 

HannaPie, I graduated from a small liberal arts womens' college in 2010 with a degree in Art History and Italian. I took two years off to work and save, and then began a funded Masters program this past fall. I worked as a curatorial intern at my undergrad institution for about three years. I also did internships each summer, some of which were at historical houses and museums, but played to my interest in material culture. The last of these was at a historic house on Nantucket. Currently, I'm interning at a contemporary art museum on campus. 

 

I also spent my junior year abroad in Italy; the NGA internship description specified that they were looking for someone with language skills.

 

If you want to know anything else, just ask! PM if you'd like

[ArtHistoryandMuseum]

For housing in the area, did you check out the Grad Cafe City Guide on Washington DC?

 

Is your NGA appointment located IN Washington DC? You may not have to live IN the city, but I'd recommend scouting out housing on a public transit line which will get you there easily. 

 

Also, I would compare housing costs in nearby Baltimore and Alexandria (especially Alexandria if you are interested in early American history/material culture).

 

Lastly, a couple of years ago, I attended a museum conference in Baltimore. However, I stayed in campus housing in Washington DC. So it is doable to commute between the cities for a morning start (I used the MARC and Baltimore has free City Circulator buses)... but keep in mind, I was only commuting for a week. Because you are working an entire summer, the rail expenses, the stress of making a train, and the earlier mornings may be more headache for you.

[Coleoptera-Kinbote]

That's really awesome! I applied for the Smithsonian American Art Museum last summer and apparently made it to the last cut before the final decision, so I'm trying again this year. DC is a great city, seriously huge variety of resources for just about any interest, so I hope it's beneficial for you and you have tons of fun! But I've also interned in Baltimore and unfortunately the trains are a little slow and the busses are... well... not even on a schedule at all from my experience, so you might end up late a few times if you try to live there. However (shameless plug) you would be in easy reach of the Walters Art Museum while in DC, which is SO worth a visit.

[asdf123]

For a summer sublet in DC, I'd recommend looking at the message boards at GW and American University... both to find students/gradstudents who are leaving their apartments for the summer and are looking to find a summer sublet, or to see if either of those schools rents out dorm-rooms for the summer to area interns (if my memory serves me correctly, I remember that being the case...)  GW would probably be preferable, since it's walking distance from the National Gallery.  Good luck.