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Below are descriptions of the departments currently that often offer internships at the Guggenheim Museum.

Art Services and Preparation

The Art Services and Preparations Department (ASAP) is responsible for all aspects of exhibition planning and installation. Its work includes preparatory drawings of exhibitions that detail construction, layout, and material specifications as well as assistance with transportation, installation, and final exhibition inspection. ASAP also locates and retrieves artworks for other museum departments, in addition to performing its own periodic inventories.

Business Development

The Business Development department is responsible for retail development, licensing, publications, and traveling collection exhibitions for the museum. This encompasses product development for the Museum Store, management of the museum's publishing arm, licensing the Foundation's intellectual property assets to third parties, and preliminary planning for traveling collection exhibitions.

Conservation

The Conservation Department is responsible for the treatment, safety, and maintenance of the museum’s vast collection of artworks, ranging from Impressionist paintings to Minimalist sculptures.

Curatorial

Curators are responsible for the collection, exhibition, and interpretation of artworks. Drawing upon art-historical expertise, the curators decide what artworks to acquire for the museum's permanent collection and work with the conservators and registrars to oversee their proper care and maintenance. They research or oversee research of these artworks, maintain detailed records on them, and interpret them for the public through exhibitions and publications. As exhibition organizers of both artworks in the permanent collection and works on loan from other institutions or private collections, the curators have wide-ranging responsibilities: they conceive of the theme of an exhibition, select the artworks, secure loans as needed, determine the placement and presentation of the artworks, prepare wall texts and other didactics, and work with Education to develop public programs such as lectures and symposia. Curators also work with the Publications Department to produce collection and exhibition catalogues, as well as member magazines and Web site content. Finally, curators cultivate and maintain relationships with artists, galleries, and colleagues at other institutions, as well as trustees, acquisition-committee members, and other donors and supporters of the museum.

Curatorial—Abu Dhabi

Curators for the Guggenheim Abu Dhabi Museum, currently under development, focus on collecting research for potential exhibitions and acquisitions programs. An expertise in modern and contemporary art is essential, and an interest in the Middle East is preferred.

Curatorial–Asian Art

In 2006, the Guggenheim Museum became the first modern and contemporary art museum in the West to establish a curatorial program dedicated to Asian art. Since then, the Asian Art curatorial team lead by Samsung Senior Curator of Asian Art, Alexandra Munroe, has organized Cai Guo-Qiang: I Want to Believe, Anish Kapoor: Memory, The Third Mind: American Artists Contemplate Asia, 1860-1989, Being Singular Plural: Moving Images from India, and the forthcoming exhibition Lee Ufan. Curators working within this program are responsible for the intellectual and strategic development of the Guggenheim's exhibitions, collections, and educational initiatives dedicated to modern and contemporary art from across Asia, as well as Asian-born artists working outside the region.

Development

The Development Department is responsible for raising a significant part of the museum's budget through individual contributions, memberships, grants, and corporate sponsorship. The department has three branches: Individual, Institutional, and Corporate. Individual Development cultivates members and individual donors through marketing, special events, and one-to-one relationships. Institutional Development sources funds from government foundations and other philanthropic organizations, and Corporate Development builds partnerships with various corporations. Funds raised through the Development Department go toward funding exhibitions, educational programs, acquiring new artwork for the permanent collection, and supporting the day-to-day operations of the museum.

The Major Gifts Department, within Individual Development, fosters relationships with prospects and donors, focusing on raising funds to build the endowment, increasing the Board of Trustees membership, enhancing trustee relations, and offering general operational support.

Directors' Office

The Directors' Office has a dual function: the Museum Director’s Office is responsible for the overall direction and administration of the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, establishment of goals, and the planning and development of policies for the museum; the Foundation Director’s Office manages the museum within the scope of the Guggenheim Foundation, including its relationship with the Peggy Guggenheim Collection in Venice, the Guggenheim Museum Bilbao, and the Deutsche Guggenheim in Berlin.

Education

The Education Department offers placements in the development, implementation, and administration of programs for a range of museum audiences including adults, schools, families, children, and general gallery visitors, as well as across a variety of learning interests including art, history, literature, art/museum education, film, new media, and much more. Program areas include Learning Through Art, Onsite School & Family Programs, Public Programs, New Media, Teens, Gallery Tours & Programs, and Internships. Education interfaces with many museum departments including visitor services, security, curatorial, library, marketing, public affairs, finance, design, and more. For more information, please see Education.

Exhibition Design

The Exhibition Design Department designs and oversees the installation of exhibitions in all Guggenheim museums and outside venues for traveling exhibitions. The department is a repository for architectural information: museum drawings and models, and a library of maquettes of the collection. The department works with curators to determine the layout of exhibitions and designs aspects necessary for the installation of artwork. Interns in this department usually come from an architecture background and must be fluent in 3D imaging software such as CAD or Vectorworks.

Exhibition Management

The Exhibition Management Department controls the budget and logistical aspects of exhibitions at the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, as well as traveling exhibitions.

 

External Affairs

External Affairs guides the branding, marketing, and communications strategy for the Guggenheim Foundation including Special Projects and SRGM, and supports the efforts of the network museums. The department leads efforts to cohesively position, convey and protect the Guggenheim's strong international image and reputation to a diverse range of constituencies including: the media, Trustees, staff, members, visitors, and prospective visitors worldwide.

 

Facilities and Office Services

The Facilities and Office Services departments work closely together to ensure that the Guggenheim's four principal New York City locations (the Museum, TSB, 345 Hudson Street, and G-BAT) offer an optimal environment for all aspects of museum operations. The Facilities department, comprised of highly trained engineers and maintenance mechanics, focuses on issues relating to the building systems that are critical to the creation and maintenance of comfortable conditions for staff and visitors, as well as the appropriate climate for the presentation and storage of art. The Office Services team is responsible for providing key support to staff in a number of different areas, including space management, the operation of the employee shuttle service, mail services, travel and car services, the provision of stationery and office supplies, and reception at 345 Hudson Street.

Finance

The Finance Department is responsible for the planning, control, and administration of the financial operations of the museum.

Graphic Design

Graphic design is an integral part of the image of the museum. The Graphics Department is responsible for the design and installation of the museum’s building and exhibition signage, as well as the design and production of various printed materials, including exhibition-related ephemera (e.g., invitations, educational guides, and direct mail), informational brochures, and publications for all museum departments.

Human Resources

The Human Resources Department is responsible for all activities related to employees including staffing, training, development, and employee relations. The department performs recruitment activities and conducts research on personnel-related issues, such as employee-benefit programs and labor regulations.

Information Technology

The Information Technology Department designs, implements, and maintains the information technology infrastructure and applications that enable the museum staff to effectively and efficiently accomplish their goals. The IT department produces the strategies and tactics for introducing new technologies and solutions to further enhance staff productivity. It also responds to user requests for technology assistance on a daily basis and explores new technologies that enhance the visitor experience in the museum itself.

Library/Archives

The library consists of published resources focused on modern and contemporary art, architecture, and photography, with an emphasis on the museum’s international collections and exhibitions, and serves the research needs of museum staff. The archives contains primary-source documentation that reflects the museum’s history, exhibitions, and collections, and is open to museum staff and qualified researchers. Library and Archives staff are responsible for the maintenance and management of the archives and library holdings.

Legal

The Legal Department is responsible for all legal matters of the museum. Departmental responsibilities include drafting and evaluating legal contracts, evaluating internal museum policies, preparing for contract negotiations, and performing legal research on art-law issues.

Marketing

The Marketing Department is in charge of creating and maintaining brand awareness and identity, as well as building audiences at the museum through advertising and other marketing vehicles including various cross-promotional opportunities.

Photography

The Photography Department is responsible for the photography of all objects in the museum’s collections. The department performs all activities related to rights and reproduction of works for publications, the storage and maintenance of photographs and transparencies, handling archive requests from internal museum departments as well as outside institutions and researchers, and other technical tasks in the studio.

Media and Public Relations/Press Office

The Media and Public Relations Department is responsible for the transmission of information to both the press and the public. The Media and Public Relations interns’ responsibilities include creating press materials, communicating with the media, maintaining press files, and assisting during media previews and other public-relations events. The Press Office also maintains a press archive and circulate relevant clips internally.

Publications

The Guggenheim is unique among American museums for its ability to simultaneously publish books and catalogues in several languages. The Publications Department designs and edits exhibition catalogues and collection books of the highest quality and scholarship, and working with international distributors, it insures their availability in bookstores on every continent. The museum's catalogue Zaha Hadid was the 2007 best-in-show winner in the American Association of Museums annual Museum Publications Design Competition, the most prestigious juried event of its kind.

Registrar

The Registrar Department is responsible for the maintenance of records relating to the collections of the museums, and oversees the movement, packing, transportation, and storage of objects in the museum’s collections. The Registrar Department communicates with all exhibition lenders and oversees all loan agreements, developing and implementing policies and procedures pertaining to the acquisition, management, and disposition of collections. The Registrar department also handles arrangements for accessions, loans, shipping, customs, and insurance.

Retail

The Retail Department is responsible for the museum’s retail stores, direct mail and wholesale operations, and product development.

Special Events

The Special Events Department is responsible for the planning, coordination, and administration of various special events at the museum. The department organizes corporate-sponsored events and museum-sponsored events, particularly related to exhibition openings.

Visitor Services

The primary function of the Visitor Services Department at the Guggenheim Museum is to ensure a positive experience for all museum visitors. The goal of our policies, procedures, and programs is to encourage initial and repeat visitation, ultimately leading visitors to become members. The department’s activities include: providing superior customer service to visitors, selling museum admission, promoting membership as well as ongoing public programs, handling group sales, coordinating events, handling box-office requests, and researching and implementing effective visitor communications techniques.

Web Site

The Web Site Department is responsible for the design, functionality, and content of the Guggenheim's Web site. The department performs both routine updates and numerous special projects, including exhibition microsites and videos, interfacing with every department across the museum. Furthermore, the department oversees third-party-provided Web pages or services and reviews all digital communications.