Curatorial Photography Intern

San Francisco, CA - USA

Monthly Salary: Not Disclosed

Posted on: 3 days ago

Vacancies: 1 Vacancy

Job Summary

The San Francisco Museum of Modern Art is one of the largest museums of modern and contemporary art in the United States and a thriving cultural center for the Bay Area. We cannot imagine life without art; it inspires and connects us every day. Now more than ever these connections matter and are aligned with ourvalues.

Inclusive: We strive to be a museum of many voices in dialogue.

Passionate: We believe working with art is more than a job or trusteeship - its a way of life.

Brave: We are committed to approaching our work with courage and a sense of adventure always ready to explore new perspectives.

Empathic: We aim to act like a person not an institution.

SFMOMA is a place for the infinitely curious to explore support and experience the art of our time. We believe that modern and contemporary art can influence the way we think view the world and embrace the many voices and perspectives around us. We aspire to foster an environment that elicits joy nurtures a sense of belonging and purposewhere difference is seen as a strength and every one is appreciated for their whole self.

Schedule: Full Time 35 hours/week Monday June 15 - Friday August 14 at least three days working onsite

Department Description

One of the first American museums to recognize photography as an art form SFMOMAs photography collection encompasses work from daguerreotypes made in the first years of the mediums existence to digital imagery produced by experimental contemporary artists. The largest collecting area in the museum photography has been an integral part of SFMOMA since its founding in 1935 due to the formative presence of Bay Area artists such as Ansel Adams Dorothea Lange Edward Weston and Imogen Cunningham.

SFMOMAs pioneering commitment to photography continues today even as the definition of the medium continues to evolve. By bringing together all of its forms prints projections and installations we aim to propose a fresh approach to exhibiting photography at SFMOMA one that embraces the inherently modern and democratic qualities of photography in the current era.

Position Description

Working closely with department staff the Curatorial Intern in Photography will focus on support for upcoming exhibitions and collections-based research writing and cataloguing. The intern will research the relationship between celebrity and 20th and 21st century American photography. Starting with SFMOMAs permanent collection the intern will become familiar with the museums internal collection database to create checklists of artworks related to forthcoming exhibition themes. The intern will also compile an annotated bibliography of publications and exhibitions on celebrity and photography. As needed for upcoming acquisitions and exhibitions the intern may write label copy and overview summaries on artworks and artists. The intern will learn art handling skills and may help organize photography collection storage to update outdated location and descriptions of American photography.

Project Plan

The Curatorial: Photography Intern will perform research scan archival material and compile summaries and timelines. They will compile annotated bibliographies related to selected exhibition themes. The intern will become familiar with processes within a large museum institution such as artwork databases and storage internal archives and short form writing for acquisitions artist files and exhibitions.

Educational Objectives

The Curatorial: Photography Intern will:

Develop research and writing skills; organize and catalogue collections-related materials

Be mentored on best research practices how to use archives and databases effectively strategies and sources

for finding scholarship as well as on how to keep information organized and accessible for the future.

Gain an understanding of early-stage planning for acquisitions and exhibitions.

Learn about working in a large arts organization and accessions/collections practices

Gain exposure to information useful for further academic study in Photography Art History Cultural/Ethnic

studies and related humanities background to various museum projects and initiatives.

Additional Internship Programming

The Summer 2026 Internship will offer 9-weeks of hands-on experience and mentorship along with weekly presentations and discussions with various departments in the museum off-site educational visits within the Bay Area community and access to various tours and events within the museum.

Requirements

Recent or current undergraduate student in Art History Cultural/Ethnic Studies or related humanities field with

a demonstrable focus on Photography. The SFMOMA recognizes a graduation date within 6 months of the

internship start date as a recent graduate.

If you are a current employee of the SFMOMA applying for an internship you must be a current student or a

recent graduate within 6 months of the internship start date.

Excellent writing skills; correct English usage including spelling grammar punctuation and vocabulary

Knowledge of modern and contemporary art history and terminology; focus on contemporary art

Solid academic research skills bibliographic citation

Excellent organizational and communication skills

Knowledge of/willingness to learn standard office practices including formal letter writing bookkeeping filing

and the operation of office equipment

Familiarity and ease with PC work environments and Microsoft Office software suites

$7000 - $7000 one-time

Pre-tax stipend paid out in a one-lump sum after start date

*TAX WITHHOLDING: For certain non-US residents and non-CA residents any payments that constitute taxable income under U.S. tax law may be subject to up to 30% federal and 7% state tax withholding (or the current applicable rates) and so any payments you receive may be reduced accordingly. Please consult with your tax advisor regarding the tax treatment of your stipend from this internship.

Application Requirements

Intern application on SFMOMA job site

Resume in PDF format

Cover letter stating the specific internship of interest in PDF format

Describe the experience you bring why you are interested in museum or nonprofit work reasons for

applying to the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art and your goals for the internship.

Two letters of recommendation from either a college professor or current/former employer in PDF format

College/university transcript in PDF format

Transcripts can be unofficial but must be legible

If you are currently enrolled in a masters or PhD program please provide the transcript for your current

program not your undergraduate transcript

Application Deadline: February 28 2026

Please note: You only need two letters of recommendation total not separate letters for each internship. If you apply to multiple internships (up to three) simply inform your recommenders which positions youre applying for. Well review the same two letters across all your applications.

Location:San Francisco 151 3rd Street.

Pursuant to the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance we will consider for employment qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records.

SFMOMA is an equal opportunity employer that is committed to diversity equity inclusion and accessibility. No person shall be discriminated against based on race color religion gender gender identity age genetic informationancestry/national origin marital status disability medical condition HIV status sexual orientation veteran/military status and any other category protected by federal of state law.

You may request reasonable accommodation if you are unable to or are limited in your ability to access job postings or provide additional information asked in the job posting.

You can request reasonable accommodation by contacting the People Team at emailprotected.

We may use artificial intelligence (AI) tools to support parts of the hiring process such as reviewing applications analyzing resumes or assessing responses. These tools assist our recruitment team but do not replace human judgment. Final hiring decisions are ultimately made by humans. If you would like more information about how your data is processed please contact us.

Required Experience:

Intern