CURATORIAL INTERNSHIP GRANTS
The Trust underwrites curatorial internships for recent Masters or PhD graduates in partnership with museums and historical societies. These internships allow host organizations to hire a deserving young professional who will learn about the responsibilities and duties common to the curatorial field while working alongside a talented mentor. The Trust’s internship program seeks to provide mutually beneficial opportunities that will nurture the next generation of museum curators while providing essential staffing for the host. The Trust encourages projects that advance diversity in the study of American decorative arts and will have a defined impact on the professional development of emerging scholars. Preference is given to those internships that provide opportunities for interns to make consequential contributions to exhibitions, publications, public programs, and community outreach. Read about the impact of the internship experience here.
Deadlines and Details
Potential museum and historical society collaborators should apply by September 30. The application should be sent as a PDF by email to thetrust@decorativeartstrust.
The application packet must consist of a formal letter of interest along with 3-4 pages of supporting narrative that describes the nature of the project(s) in which the intern will be involved during the two-year period and identifying the staff member who will supervise and mentor the intern; the supervisor’s CV; and pertinent background information about particular initiatives, exhibitions, or research related to the intern’s planned projects. Images and a draft of a job description are strongly encouraged. Please note that mentorship is a significant consideration in this program. All materials should be submitted in English, and both the intern and the mentor must be fluent in English.
We currently offer two 24-month internships with one grant cycle opening per year. For this cycle, the Trust is offering a two-year grant of $40,000 per year for the intern’s salary with additional funding available to offset cost of living adjustments. The Trust requires the host organization to allocate funds for the intern’s health insurance and other available benefits. The host organization need not be in the United States, nor does the intern need to be a United States citizen.
The Trust’s selection will be announced by October 31, with grant funds available as early as January 1 of the following year.
Recipients
- 2025–27: Preservation Long Island, Cold Spring Harbor, NY
- 2024–26: The Art Gallery of Ontario, Toronto, Canada
- 2023–25: The Trustees of Reservations, Boston, MA, Olivia R. Scott, Peggy N. Gerry Curatorial Fellow
- 2022–24: New Orleans Museum of Art, New Orleans, LA, Laura Ochoa Rincon, Decorative Arts Trust Curatorial Fellow
- 2021–23: Cranbrook Center for Collections and Research, Bloomfield Hills, MI, Nina Blomfield, Decorative Arts Trust Marie Zimmermann Resident Collections Fellow
- 2020–22: Concord Museum, Concord, MA, Erica Lome, Curatorial Associate
- 2019–21: Fort Ticonderoga, Fort Ticonderoga, NY, Meredith Moore, Curatorial Assistant, and The William King Museum of Art, Abingdon, VA, J. Andrew Walton, Decorative Arts Trust Digital Humanities Fellow
- 2018–20: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY, Katherine C. Hughes, The Peggy N. Gerry Research Scholar
- 2017–19: Maryland Historical Society, Baltimore, MD, Elisabeth Mallin, The Decorative Arts Trust Associate Curator
- 2016–18: Historic Deerfield, Deerfield, Deerfield, MA, Daniel Sousa, Anne K. Groves-Peggy N. Gerry Curatorial Intern
- 2015–17: Munson-Williams-Proctor Institute, Utica, NY, Maureen Marton
- 2014–16: Classical Institute of the South, New Orleans, LA, Caryne Eskridge
- 2013–14: Old Sturbridge Village, Sturbridge, MA, Kate Swisher
- 2012–13: Old Sturbridge Village, Sturbridge, MA, Anne McBride
- 2011–12: Fairfax House, York, England, Louisa Brouwer
- 2010–11: Nantucket Historical Association, Nantucket, MA, Sarah Parks
Podcast about the Creation of the Program
Listen to a podcast with 2010-2011 Trust intern Sarah Parks and Trust Governor Brock Jobe about the creation of the Curatorial Internship Grant program:
