About the Internship Endowment Fund

The Curatorial Internship will provide paid summer learning opportunities for Southern Vermont Supervisory Union (SVSU- includes MAUHS and Arlington HS) and Southwest Tech (SWT) students. It is supported by a growing internship endowment fund.

The selected student primarily reports to the Collections Manager, but will also gain experience in the Marketing, Education, and Visitors Services aspects of Museum management. The position will run for approximately two months during the summer, with the intern reporting for around 26 hours of work each week and earning standard Vermont minimum wage.

We are thrilled to have this opportunity as it will help Museum staff during a very busy time of year, and create a valuable career pathway in the non-profit sector for the young people in our community. We look forward to working with the SVSU and SWT teams in the coming year to identify prospective candidates and build a long term pipeline for cultural engagement.

Apply to be a Curatorial Intern

If you are a junior or a senior at MAUHS or Arlington HS or enrolled in SWT and interested in this exciting and challenging summer position with Bennington Museum, you may apply by following the link below.

We were beyond thrilled to welcome Sophia Anisman as the summer Curatorial Intern in 2022. Sophia is a current junior at Mount Anthony Union High School and is particularly interested in English and History. She works at the Bennington Free Library as a page and has researched and written speeches for Bennington Battle Day ceremonies. She was the Youth Representative for the local ACT, an organization preventing substance abuse in youth, and ran their social media accounts. Sophia also holds leadership roles in the Student Senate and the Interact Club.
“[Through this internship] I’ve been able to learn so much and gain a realistic understanding of what pursuing a career in this field will entail, which is invaluable as I begin looking at colleges…I have always loved history, and here I was able to explore every aspect of life in the past few centuries, and I honestly could not think of a better way to spend my summer. This internship is so significant for Bennington as there aren’t other opportunities like this locally. I believe that this opportunity will continue to make a positive impact on students here for years to come.”
Sophia Anisman
Job Description and Application Instructions

VOLUNTEER

While we do not have any paid internship opportunities for high schoolers during the school year, Bennington Museum is always looking for volunteers who can help out with administrative tasks such as welcoming visitors or assisting with store checkout. Our Collections Manager has has data entry needs and Marketing can always use a hand at posting calendar listings online. For students with more specific skill sets we have graphic design opportunities too. Whether or not your school requires community service hours, a demonstrated commitment to your local non-profit brightens up your college application package, and we are happy to provide recommendations upon request.  Also, taking the time to get to know the Museum, and giving us a chance to get to know you only improves your chances of landing this competitive position!
This past year, junior, Anna Hogan, became our inaugural high school intern.  She was selected thanks to her previous volunteer experience with Bennington Museum through the Southwest Tech program.

FOR THE FUTURE

In May of 2021, Michele and John Pagán made a $25,000 gift to the Museum’s permanent endowment intended to provide paid summer internship opportunities for Southwest Vermont Supervisory Union (SVSU) and Southwest Tech (SWT) students. Michele Pagán credits her early experiences with organizations like Bennington Museum for opening new doors to her, allowing her to envision a unique career trajectory.

“John and I have begun this student internship fund at the Bennington Museum in order to give Bennington students a leg up. Having grown up here, it is wonderful to be able to give back. We hope that this experience will encourage a student to become part of the Vermont History Day competition each year, write a successful college application, and go on to a college career of some sort. In the end, the goal is to develop a citizen with a much better appreciation of museums and their role in cultural heritage preservation.”
-Michele Pagán

In December, this gift was matched by Richard and Sandra Johnson as a tribute to Richard’s mother, Priscilla Blake Johnson.

“My mother was born in 1919 on the 400 acre Blake Family Farm in Chester, Vermont where she grew up with three siblings. She absolutely loved everything about Vermont. She passed away ten years ago, and to honor her, my wife suggested that we make a gift to a cause that my mother would have liked. After studying several possible options, we decided on Bennington Museum and the Internship program. My mother would be pleased because that money is now helping Vermont and some young students in Vermont expand their horizons.”
-Richard Johnson

Following the lead of these visionary supporters who are so invested in providing opportunities to our Bennington high schoolers, the Museum would like to continue to grow this endowment fund over the next 5 years to $125,000 in order to fully support two intern positions each summer. If you are interested in contributing to these efforts, please consider making a gift today!  Designate your support for the Internship Fund simply by writing a note in the box provided.

Make a Gift