Paid Internship Opportunity for Graduate Students in the Visual Resources Field in the US

The Visual Resources Association Foundation is offering the VRAF Internship Award to provide financial support for graduate students preparing for a career in visual resources and image management.

One VRAF Internship is awarded per year. Priority is given to applicants who submit projects that support art historical or related visual cultural heritage research and scholarship. Although the award recipient need not hold US citizenship or be a permanent resident of the US, the recipient must select an institution in the United States to act as a host for the internship. This institution must be approved by the VRAF Internship Award Committee. VRAF and VRA are not responsible for matching candidates with a host institution, but will gladly assist with the process. 

Program Benefits:

The award grants $4,000 to support a period of internship in archives, libraries, museums, visual resources collections in academic institutions, or other appropriate contexts. The recipient receives a stipend of $3,000 for 200 hours completed at the host site. A professional development component of $1,000 supports conference attendance or attendance at the Summer Educational Institute for Visual Resources and Image Management. The recipient receives a one-year complimentary student membership in the Visual Resources Association.

This Internship Award is granted in conjunction with an academic year. The intern is required to work on-site at their chosen host institution for a minimum of 200 hours. The intern will choose to initiate their internship in the fall, winter, or spring. The internship must begin within 30 days of the official beginning of the selected academic session of the participant’s home institution and be completed within one academic semester or two academic quarters. Exceptions are allowed by agreement between the selected intern and the VRAF Internship Awards Committee. In all cases, the internship must be completed within twelve months of the recipient being notified of the award.

The intern and the internship supervisor will complete brief evaluations of the internship experience. This report must be received by the VRAF Internship Committee by March 1 of the given academic year. 

Students currently enrolled in, or having completed within the last 24 months, a graduate program in library or information science, art history, architectural history, architecture, visual or studio art, museum studies, or another applicable field of study may apply for this award. Applicants must have completed at least 10 credits of their graduate coursework before the application deadline, or demonstrate an equivalent combination of coursework and relevant experience.

Candidates should apply after developing a project with a specific collection and prospective supervisor. The VRAF Internship Award Committee favors opportunities in which the intern may integrate skills acquired during the course of his or her academic training to manage a project from beginning to end, with the host institution receiving needed help in making valuable but hidden cultural collections visible. Projects that would not occur without funding for an intern may be given special consideration.

Required Documents:

• A current resume.
• A current transcript (this does not need to be issued directly from the institution).
• An essay of up to 400 words should include a brief and clear description of the proposed project, and address the applicant’s professional goals, learning expectations of the internship experience, and any skills or background that might benefit visual resources.
• The names of two professional or scholastic references with addresses, telephone numbers, and email addresses.
• Host institution and contact information of internship supervisor.
• A brief endorsement from the internship supervisor attesting to the value of the proposed project, including a statement indicating the supervisor’s willingness to provide guidance throughout and a brief evaluation at the conclusion of the internship experience.

About VRAF:

The Visual Resources Association Foundation (VRAF) strengthens the visual resources field by increasing public and professional awareness of visual information management while advocating for the value of images in the teaching and learning environment. The Foundation supports a range of educational activities in multiple formats and venues, for example, instructional tools, regional workshops, online learning, and advocacy materials, to build bridges across the information management and educational communities. The Foundation’s research interests advance scholarship in the field, improve outreach to the larger community on significant issues, such as intellectual property rights and the development of best practices protocols for the dissemination of digital images, and further public access to visual resources information. Significant areas of focus include image collections, technology, metadata, cataloging, visual literacy, and copyright. The Foundation’s educational and research agenda advances scholarship in the field and improves outreach to the larger community.

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