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Emerging Arts Leader Internship: Public Engagement

Seattle Art Museum
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Emerging Arts Leader Internship: Public Engagement
Temporary, Part-Time | September 22 – December 4, 2025
$20.76 per hour | Approx. 15 hours/week, up to 150 total hours | FLSA Status: Non-Exempt

PROGRAM OVERVIEW
SAM strives for its employees, volunteers, and interns to reflect the community in which it exists. Emerging Arts Leader internships are intended to open career pathways for individuals who bring dynamic backgrounds and perspectives to their work in art, museums, or community engagement.

While diversity encompasses many identities and lived experiences, Emerging Arts Leader internships aim to create pathways for individuals from backgrounds historically underrepresented in the museum field — including, but not limited to, those who identify as Black or African American, Asian, Latino/a/x or Hispanic, Native American, or Pacific Islander.

All internships are funded by the IMLS Emerging Arts Leader Grant and are structured around a 150-hour commitment over approximately 10 weeks. Interns will receive hourly compensation at Seattle’s minimum wage and are eligible for an ORCA card and other temporary employee benefits. All internship work must be completed by December 31, 2025, in accordance with the grant funding timeline.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES
The Public Engagement Intern will work closely with the Public Engagement Coordinator and Associate Director of Public Engagement to support SAM’s Community Pass Program. This role focuses on community engagement, program outreach, and administrative support to expand access to museum programming for underserved audiences.
Responsibilities will include the following, but are not limited to:

Department Project Execution - 100%

Working closely with the Public Engagement Coordinator and Associate Director of Public Engagement, this intern will explore the museum’s engagement with community partner organizations via SAM’s Community Pass program by: 

  • Engaging with existing partners and new program applicants with outreach efforts, emails, research, and participation in group visits.
  • Developing new communication materials for partners including email campaign content for Community Pass newsletters.
  • Coordinating the distribution of Community Passes and ensuring smooth redemption with ticketing staff.
  • Collecting and summarizing demographic and usage data to evaluate program reach and impact.
  • Presenting a summative report on the program to the Education and Public Engagement team

WE ARE LOOKING FOR
Required Qualifications

  • Minimum of a high school diploma or equivalent
  • Strong communication and interpersonal skills
  • Ability to clearly articulate goals, progress, and outcomes to a professional audience
  • Understanding of concepts related to racial equity, intersectionality, and social justice

Preferred Qualifications

  • Demonstrated interest in arts programming, community engagement, or museum education
  • Some familiarity with public engagement or working with community partners is helpful but not required
  • Ability to articulate how this internship supports your professional goals in museums or the broader arts and culture sector

INTERNSHIP PROGRAM PARTICIPATION
All EAL Interns will:

  • Develop and deliver a brief presentation related to internship work or professional interests
  • Complete a one-page reflection, blog post, or interview about the internship experience
  • Participate in scheduled workshops, check-ins, and informational interviews with staff

APPROACH TO WORK
We are committed to creating an inclusive and welcoming environment that reflects our community. Interns will be expected to align with SAM’s core values and contribute to a culture that values collaboration, learning, and innovation.

WORK SCHEDULE
This internship will run from September 22 to December 4, 2025, for approximately 15 hours per week. Flexibility is available to accommodate academic schedules, and some remote work may be possible depending on team needs.

COMPENSATION
$20.76 per hour (Seattle minimum wage)

BENEFITS
Temporary SAM Staff have access to an onsite fitness facility and SAM’s museum library, can access a no-cost Employee Assistance Program resource, enjoy a 20% discount at the SAM Museum Shop and a 10% discount at SAM’s MARKET café, receive 2 SAM guest passes per quarter worked, can access 8 Home Free Guarantee cab rides home per year, and accrue paid sick leave at a rate of 1 hour for every 40 hours worked, per Washington State law.
SAM Interns are also eligible for a Tier III membership to the American Alliance of Museums, access to member rates for ticketed events at SAM, and access to a subsidized ORCA card.

ACCOMMODATION
The Seattle Art Museum will consider reasonable accommodations for employees with disabilities to perform the essential functions/duties of this position. If you would like to request a reasonable accommodation to best enable your success in the role, please discuss this possibility with a member of our HR team at recruiting@seattleartmuseum.org.