WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMS
VPAM strives to be an accessible learning environment that empowers students and promotes their creative, professional, and personal development, in order to develop emerging professionals and leaders capable of transforming the arts and museum fields. This is accomplished through a variety of workforce development programs, including student artist exhibitions, internships, and museum guides.
MUSEUM INTERNSHIPS
VPAM offers paid internships across our museum in various departments including curatorial, education, development, collections and archives. The internship programs include:
The Getty Marrow Undergraduate Internship (GMUI)
The GMUI is open to all currently enrolled undergraduates (bachelor’s degree program or associate’s degree program) who reside in or attend college in LA County.The internships support substantive, full-time summer work opportunities for college students or recent graduates from cultural backgrounds traditionally underrepresented in the arts. The internship is for a 10-week period (40-hours per week) between June and August.
For more information about the GMUI, full eligibility requirements, stipends and more, go here. Applications are typically open in the month of April.
The Museum Studies Internship Program (MSIP)
The Museum Studies Internship Program is open to East Los Angeles College students enrolled in the Art Department’s Museum Studies Certificate Program (MSCP). To qualify, students must complete the required prerequisites and enroll in ArtHist 201: Visual Cultural Studies Museum Internship. VPAM hosts 1–4 interns each spring for an 80-hour semester-long placement. For more information, visit the Art Department’s MSCP website.
Partner institutions have included:The Getty Museum, The Huntington, LA Plaza de Cultura y Artes, Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Museum of Latin American Art, Santa Barbara Museum of Art, Self Help Graphics, and the Vincent Price Art Museum.
MUSEUM GUIDES
VPAM’s Museum Guide Program provides part-time employment and workforce development to students. Museum Guides serve as key members of the museum staff. Students in this position lead tours of the museum’s permanent collection and rotating exhibitions while also being responsible for the safety of artworks on display. The program provides students hands-on entry-level museum skills and introduces them to the full range of the museum’s operations and programs.
Museum Guides monitor the museum’s six gallery spaces, front desk, and lobby while engaging with students and the general public to answer questions and provide information about the objects on view. Museum Guides also provide exceptional customer service by greeting visitors as they enter the museum and ensuring that all guests have proper access.
Qualified applicants must be full-time college students enrolled at East Los Angeles College or any neighboring college or university. Tuesday through Saturday availability during the museum’s operating hours is required. Customer service experience and knowledge, appreciation, or practice in the visual arts are highly encouraged.
For more information on how to join our team as a Museum Guide contact Victor Parra.