Student opportunities
Student internship
Work-study position
Research assistant credential
Student internship
The following internship opportunities aim to provide resume-building experience as an independent worker and team player within a small museum setting. The student intern will choose a single project to focus on for the duration of the 40-45 hour internship, which can be completed within one academic semester. The intern will work with the curator to make a permanent contribution to the McCarl Gallery’s resources and a tangible portfolio product.
Potential projects may include:
Physical collections & artifact handling – Focus on developing expertise in handling artifacts, antique textile cleaning & care, and cataloging over the full course of the internship. [Keywords: collections management, conservation]
Digital collections & cataloging – Focus on maintaining the digital collection catalog over the full course of the internship. Edit, update, and standardize individual object entries in the CatalogIt collections management system. [Keywords: collections management, digital humanities]
Archive digitization – Convert/condense the information in our hard-copy research archives into a more user-friendly and searchable digital format. Scan documents, annotate the finding aids with content summaries, and cross-check archival content with our database. [Keywords: digital humanities, collections management, archival research]
Anderson/Hawthorne Textile Database – Update and maintain the Gallery’s coverlet database by cataloging images, cross-checking current entries to eliminate duplicates, and adding new entries from multiple online and print sources. [Keywords: archival research, collections management, digital humanities]
Produce an exhibit catalog – Research, edit, and design an exhibition catalog for a past or future exhibit at the McCarl Gallery. Writing & research skills required. [Keywords: research, publishing, graphic design]
Develop a virtual tour – Create a virtual tour for the gallery website incorporating images, text, and video. Tie into a specific exhibit, focus on a specific topic, or produce a general tour for all seasons. Involves script writing and video production. Ideal for students in Communication and related studies. [Keywords: communications, digital media, interactive programming]
Educational programming – Develop a set of standards-based lesson plans and activities for school and scout groups that make use of the McCarl Gallery and its collections. Lessons may target guests in the gallery and/or remote audiences. Aimed at students majoring or minoring in Education. [Keywords: education, interactive programming, public outreach]
Please meet with your academic advisor to discuss which type of project best suits your academic and professional interests and goals, and whether you wish to pursue an internship for academic credit or for an hourly wage.
All applicants must submit a half-page statement of interest to the curator. Please indicate which area of focus you wish to pursue as an intern at the McCarl Gallery and what you hope to gain from the experience. Also briefly describe your educational experience, professional goals, and how your skillset makes you an ideal candidate for the position.
Please email your statement of interest to emily.barth@stvincent.edu.
Work-study (by semester or year)
The paid work-study position in the McCarl Gallery is primarily focused on providing necessary support to the Gallery’s operations. As such, daily tasks and responsibilities will be driven by the needs of the Gallery rather than student interest. However, the position will naturally provide the student with a broad range of resume-building work experience in a small museum setting. Daily tasks may include a combination of the following:
Putting up and tearing down exhibits in the gallery space
Cataloging the collections using CatalogIt CMS
Artifact handling and care
Digitizing slides and documents
Data entry in the Anderson/Hawthorne textile database
Website development
Social media promotions
Cleaning and painting
For more information and inquiries, contact emily.barth@stvincent.edu.
Research Assistant credential
The McCarl Gallery offers a wealth of potential for research in a variety of disciplines. Students are encouraged to use the gallery’s resources to provide inspiration and primary source material for term papers and projects aligned with their regular coursework, pending their professors’ approval.
Student papers and/or projects on coverlet-related topics may be submitted to the McCarl Gallery Curator and considered for accession to the Gallery Archives. Submissions will be judged based on quality of scholarship and relevance to the McCarl Gallery and its collections. If a student’s scholarly contribution is approved for accession, the student author will be credited as a Research Assistant for that semester. The position requires no work hours at the Gallery and is unpaid.
Potential topics & projects are limited only by your imagination. They might include:
Biology – Identify the birds and/or plants portrayed in coverlets and project their geographical range in the 19th century; study insect pests in textile conservation: life cycles, factors in identification, eradication, and prevention
Business/Marketing – Develop a practical business plan for the museum gift shop; create a marketing campaign to increase traffic to the Gallery
Communications – Produce a video documentary or series of short videos relating to the McCarl Gallery’s collections and operations
Computer Science – Apply pattern recognition software to coverlet designs; optimize the gallery’s research databases for searchability
Digital Art – Study font & typeface design in weaving and early computers; derive digital images from common weaving motifs; create a coloring book of digitized jacquard patterns; design and create display signage for the Gallery
Education – Create standards-based curriculum & programming for K-12 schools and homeschool students; create interactive virtual tours/course modules and online educational resources
History – Genealogy research on 19th century weavers & clients; Cloth and coverlet production at Auburn prison loomhouse; The effects of factory automation in the late 19th century textile industry; How synthetic dyes affected the commercial dyeing industry in the mid-late 19th century
Please email your submission with a 150-word abstract to emily.barth@stvincent.edu.
Students wishing to be credited as a Research Assistant are strongly encouraged to contact the curator as they begin their research in order to increase the likelihood that their work will fulfill the necessary criteria. There is no guarantee that any submission will be approved for accession.