The Trustees Awarded Curatorial Internship Grant

The Decorative Arts Trust congratulates The Trustees of Reservations (The Trustees) on being named our 2023–25 Curatorial Internship Grant partner. 

The Trustees is the oldest conservation and preservation nonprofit of its kind in the country and the largest in Massachusetts, where it has protected 123 diverse sites, spanning more than 27,000 acres, including 20 historic houses and more than 50,000 objects. 

The two-year internship will focus on the Colonel John Ashley House in Sheffield, MA, the oldest Colonial-era building extant in Berkshire County. Colonel Ashley was one of the wealthiest and most influential early settlers in the area, but the house’s importance primarily derives from a connection with Mum Bett, an enslaved woman who sued Ashley for her freedom along with an enslaved man named Brom. 

The intern will lead an in-depth analysis of the objects contained within the Ashley House with the aim to create easy access to all records through the Trustees’ new online collections interface. Building on this keystone collections project, the intern will develop a furnishing plan for the Ashley House that synthesizes a refined understanding of the contents and the interiors in which they are displayed.

Based in Stockbridge at the Trustees’ Mission House, the intern will work alongside the organization’s highly regarded curatorial staff, including Christie Jackson, Director of Collections, and Mark Wilson, Associate Curator, benefitting from their tutelage.

Look for updates about this fellowship opportunity on the Trustees website and social media outlets. 

The Curatorial Internship Grant is awarded annually to museums and historical organizations. The Trust thanks the members and donors who make programs like the Curatorial Internship Grant and our Emerging Scholars Program possible.