Museum Interpretation Internship

Description

Organizational Department: Visitor Services

Project Season: Summer 2025 

Program Duration: Jun 23 – Jul 31, 2025 (6-Weeks)

Application Posting Date: Friday, April 11

Application Deadline: Wednesday, April 23

About the Historic New Orleans Collection

Established in 1966, the Historic New Orleans Collection builds on the collection and vision of our founders, Kemper and Leila Williams. We produce award-winning exhibitions, public programs, books, and multimedia. In keeping with our founders’ wish to make New Orleans and Gulf South history accessible to the public, admission is free. Researchers and history lovers can explore our million-plus holdings onsite, for free, at the Williams Research Center. 

Internship Program Mission Statement 

The Historic New Orleans Collection’s Internship Program offers students and emerging public history professionals a unique opportunity to engage with collections that represent the creative heritage and rich history of Louisiana. HNOC internships foster experiential learning through exploration, inquiry, and practice. We aim to create an environment that enables interns to identify, actualize, and confidently pursue their academic and professional goals. 

Project Description 

The Museum Interpretation Internship provides a distinctive opportunity for interns to develop a thorough understanding of interpretation and audience engagement within the realms of public history and cultural institutions. Collaborating with the interpretive team at the Historic New Orleans Collection, interns will play a key role in creating a facilitated dialogue style tour for 'The Trail They Blazed,' which highlights narratives of social and racial justice related to the Civil Rights Movement in Louisiana. While designing an interactive tour to provoke thought and enhance visitor learning, the interns will gain essential experience and transferable skills, including research, collaboration, and interpretation in a museum setting. They will gain skills and experience applying interpretive principles and techniques to promote audience engagement and develop programs that explore complex history in a way that resonates with a wide range of audiences.

Project Format

This is an on-site placement. The intern will report physically to the Historic New Orleans Collection French Quarter campus and be station at 520 Royal St, New Orleans, LA 70130.

Within the six-week duration of this program, the intern will complete a minimum of 120-hours of engagement, not to exceed a total of 150-hours. 

Requirements

Intern Engagement and Learning Objectives: 

The intern will:  

• Explore the theory and methods of interpretation employed in public history settings, evaluating their effectiveness in conveying historical significance and fostering engagement
• Learn about facilitated dialogue theory and practice, including the arc of dialogue, crafting effective dialogic questions, and implementing various facilitation techniques
• demonstrate proficiency in researching historical figures and events featured in The Trail They Blazed, synthesizing information into coherent interpretive frameworks

Candidacy Requirements

• Qualified candidates are students academically classified as rising undergraduate juniors or seniors enrolled in a Louisiana-based college/university.
• Students who have declared majors or successfully completed academic coursework in History, African American Studies, English, Communications, Museum Science or related study of Liberal Arts and Humanities are encouraged to apply.
• The applicant should have knowledge of and be able to apply standard research methodologies including but not limited to independent research utilizing primary and secondary sources.
• The applicant should possess strong writing skills.
• The applicant should be comfortable with public speaking.
• Letters of recommendation from a university professor or supervisor are welcomed and encouraged and must be delivered directly from the letter’s author to Internship Coordinator, Sydney Wessinger by email at [email protected] .