New 12-month Program Supports Growth and Leadership in the Arts, Adding to the Robust Internship Opportunities Offered at the Museum
On June 5, the first recipient of the Emily K. Rafferty Internship in Museum Administration began the 12-month program at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, rotating over the course of the year through three different administrative departments with a dedicated supervisor in each area. The paid internship, which runs this year from June 5, 2017, through June 1, 2018, was developed in honor of President Emerita Emily K. Rafferty and her legacy of leadership. Inspired by Rafferty’s own career path, the internship offers an opportunity to explore a range of departments and professional experiences, encouraging a deeper understanding of the operations of the Museum.
The internship is open to undergraduate seniors who will have graduated by the beginning of the program, current graduate students at the master's level, and recent graduates of either an undergraduate or a master's-level program. The 2017–18 recipient, Summer Sloane-Britt, is from Philadelphia and is a graduate of Swarthmore College and a Fellow at the Free Library of Philadelphia.
The Emily K. Rafferty Internship in Museum Administration is made possible by numerous friends and donors in honor of Ms. Rafferty's legacy of extraordinary professional achievement.
The Met offers a wide range of internship programs through its Education Department, including both paid and unpaid opportunities. The largest paid internship program for college and university students is the summer Museum Seminar Internship Program (MuSe), which runs this year from June 5 through August 11. For students from a variety of academic backgrounds, the summer program allows them to gain hands-on experience in the Museum, develop their research and teaching skills through planning and leading interactive public tours, and engage in special projects across various departments. The program receives more than 1,300 applications for 42 positions per year and forms the backbone of the Emily K. Rafferty Internship program, with the Rafferty intern branching off to other administrative areas related to her professional goals and interests, including Development, Communications, and Market Research, after the end of the summer session.
“I am honored to have this internship at The Metropolitan Museum of Art established in my name,” said President Emerita Emily K. Rafferty. “It is particularly pleasing because the learning and leadership opportunities I had in my four decades at The Met served me well as I developed a rewarding and enriching career. I hope Summer Sloane-Britt and the interns of the future will benefit, as I have, in the knowledge of world art and culture and from the valued colleagues and friends one meets along the way.”
Sandra Jackson-Dumont, the Museum’s Frederick P. and Sandra P. Rose Chairman of Education, added, “The Emily K. Rafferty Internship is designed to cultivate in the next generation the many incredible characteristics that make Emily an insightful leader. This internship requires a candidate with high academic achievement, interest in leadership, and a commitment to The Met’s mission of connecting people to art, knowledge, and ideas. It fosters creativity, flexibility, and fresh perspectives, and we found all of the above in our first recipient.”
President Emerita of The Metropolitan Museum of Art since her retirement in 2014, Emily K. Rafferty is recognized nationally and internationally for her leadership and communication expertise. She served The Met for 40 years in various positions, including as chief fundraiser and a decade as President, and oversaw the administration of the institution's 2,300 employees, financial and legal issues, revenue sources, security, and government relations.
More information on The Met’s internship opportunities can be found on the Museum’s website.
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June 6, 2016
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