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For summer 2019, the C.M. Russell Museum is pleased to present internship opportunities in the fields of Research and Design of Educational Materials; Editing and Publication; Documentary Video Creation; and Library/Information Management.

Experience firsthand the life and times of one of the most well-known Western artists, Charles Marion Russell, while gaining valuable experience towards your future career. With diverse projects across an array of departments within the museum, the C.M. Russell Museum offers the opportunity to experience the variety of career paths available within the field of museums and educational institutions. Through access to art collections that document the history of a disappearing culture, celebrate the traditions of native peoples, and depict the topography and landscape of the west, interns will also gain a new understanding and appreciation for Russell’s West.

In addition to the abundant opportunities at the museum, the community of Great Falls and the surrounding areas offer a wealth of resources.  By extending research and learning to the campus of Montana, interns have the opportunity to explore the Northern Plains Indian culture and the life of early explorers such as Lewis & Clark; to witness the impacts of settlers, industrialization, and agriculture on the Western Frontier; to experience the landscape that inspired Russell to move to the West, and to learn about the valuable role art, culture, and history play in small communities.

About the C.M. Russell Museum

The C.M. Russell Museum is an accredited museum of Western art and culture that first opened to the public in 1953.  Its mission is to collect, preserve, research, interpret, and educate on the life and art of Charles M. Russell; the art and lives of his contemporaries; and the art of preceding and ensuing generations that depicts and focuses on the culture, life, and country of Russell’s West. Located where Charlie lived and worked during most of his professional career, the museum campus also includes Russell’s studio and home, both of which are National Historic Landmarks.

Supported by patronage, memberships, admissions, and sales from its store, the museum measures its success by its ability to nurture and enrich the creative and intellectual lives of those who share in Charlie’s West.

Dufresne Scholar Award

As part of the museum’s greater educational mission, the purpose of the Dufresne Scholar Award Internship is to expand the museum’s role as a national learning institution and center of inquiry.  We seek to foster a widespread community of individuals and institutions that look to the arts as not only a means of personal enjoyment, but also as an invaluable tool for understanding cultural traditions, history, the environment, and the human experience.  Through our internship program, we hope to empower aspiring professionals that are dedicated to the lives and stories that have shaped our world today, thereby ensuring the viability and integrity of our nation’s cultural, historical, and educational institutions.

Internship Program

Interns will work under the supervision of a member of the museum’s staff and will perform tasks that accommodate their interests, skills, and experience, as well as the museum’s needs at the time of application. In addition to carrying out the museum responsibilities associated with their job description, interns will acquire skills in time management, project planning, interpersonal communication, and public speaking.

The C.M. Russell Museum strongly believes that an internship must be a mutually beneficial educational experience for the intern and the museum. Also, we recognize the importance of exploring how the museum fits into a greater community context and encourage the intern to explore the variety of cultural opportunities that Great Falls and the state of Montana have to offer. Therefore, additional learning opportunities will be made available to the intern and will include such activities as:

•   Opportunities to design and implement projects
•   Public presentations on Museum collections
•   Family programs and exhibition openings
•   Staff luncheons&nbsp

Internship Opportunities

Each year the museum offers a 10-week internship for up to two individuals in one or both of the following two areas: Museum Management or Research/Project Design. Applicants are matched to internships based on qualifications, interests, and departmental needs.

Museum Management Area
Each year, the staff of the C.M. Russell Museum identifies diverse opportunities for projects across the museum’s departments. Applicants are asked to specify the project(s) that interest them and best match their skills and education during the application and interview process and will be matched to a department and project accordingly.

Departments offering Museum Management Internship projects for summer 2019 include:

EDUCATION
The Education Department is responsible for creating educational opportunities and programs for the public. The department also develops and creates hard-copy educational resources in the form of teaching units for educators and gallery guides for visitors to the museum.

In 2008, the exhibition The Bison: American Icon, Heart of Plains Indian Culture was installed – 9 years later in 2017 it was reinterpreted and reinstalled. The initial installation featured two gallery guides that visitors could take throughout their self-guided tours; since the reinstallation, the guides have been mostly used up and are now outdated. The intern will research, develop and design a new gallery guide to use in the reinterpreted exhibition.

Preferred Qualifications: Current enrollment in or recent graduation from a degree program in Art, Art History, and/or Native American studies. Experience or interest in museum work desired, as well as an interest in the creative combination of research, design, and education.

MUSEUM STORE AND GUEST RELATIONS
The primary function of the Museum Store and Guest Relations is to provide excellent customer service to all visitors in the museum. We accomplish this by supplying information about Charles M. Russell and the museum to visitors, as well as performing retail duties that include museum admission, membership, store sales, product shipping, and inventory control.

In its decades of operation, the C.M. Russell Museum has produced many publications on Charlie Russell and related topics that are now out of print. The intern will be responsible for reviewing and updating the text of one or more such publications, collecting image use permissions, drafting a digital proof, documenting changes from the previous edition, and communicating with senior staff as well as the printer to prepare a final proof for re-publication.

Preferred Qualifications: Current enrollment in or recent graduation from a degree program in English, Journalism, or a related field.

EXTERNAL RELATIONS
The External Relations Department oversees outward facing activities of the CM Russell Museum, including Marketing, Events, and Development.

A quality video library is desired for use by the marketing, development, and curatorial departments. The intern will create a five- to ten-minute mini-documentary introducing Charlie Russell and the museum, and will also develop a series of short videos covering various related topics. Work will include scriptwriting, conducting interviews, historical research, and all aspects of video production and editing.

Preferred Qualifications: Training or experience in video production and editing; knowledge of editing software (Adobe Premiere and After Effects or similar programs); experience in storyboarding and script development.

Frederic G. and Ginger K. RESEARCH CENTER
The Renner Research Center primarily serves the research needs of the staff of the C.M. Russell Museum; the reading room is also open to members of the public by appointment. The research collections include more than 3,000 books on the art, culture, and history of the American West, as well as archival collections, photographs, periodicals, and ephemera.

The Renner Research Center possesses approximately 55 linear feet of general reference files, which consist of clippings, publications, notes, and other ephemeral materials organized according to the subject matter. In many cases, the reference files are poorly organized or out of date. The intern will reduce duplication within the files to make better use of storage, identify knowledge gaps and generate new files on commonly researched topics, reorganize the files as needed, and create an index of reference files to increase ease of use.

Preferred Qualifications: Strong organizational skills and attention to detail required. Degree work in Archives/Library/Information Science, History, or Art History preferred.

Research and Project Design Intern
The Research and Project Design Intern will provide research skills and expertise in the research and development of educational programming, special exhibitions, or published materials.   Graduate students are encouraged to apply this opportunity toward ongoing graduate research or thesis topics.   We encourage graduate students from the following disciplines to apply: Education, Art Education, Museum Studies, Curatorial, Anthropology, History, Art History, and Native American Studies.

Who should apply?
We encourage applicants from diverse backgrounds and academic disciplines to apply. The Museum Management Internship is open to undergraduate juniors and seniors, recent graduates, and graduate students. The Research and Project Design Internship is open to graduate or doctoral students.

Stipend – $3300

Application Process

All applicants are asked to submit a cover letter/statement of intent, resume, and two letters of recommendation from current or past academic references. Your statement of interest should be one page or less and should identify which of the internship opportunities interest you, highlight relevant coursework and experience, and outline what you hope to contribute to the museum and what you would like to gain in return. If you are applying for the Research/Project Development Position, please include an extra page highlighting your research or project interests and how they fit into your current academic/career goals.

Please send applications to Kathryn Kramer at the following address:

Kathryn Kramer
Renner Research Center Manager
C.M. Russell Museum
400 13th Street North
Great Falls, MT 59401

or Email:  kkramer@cmrussell.org

All application materials, including letters of recommendation, must be emailed or postmarked no later than March 29, 2019. Selected applicants will be contacted for interviews within a few weeks after the application deadline.  Interns are responsible for making their housing arrangements in Great Falls, Montana; museum staff can provide housing suggestions.

Thank you for your interest in our program.  We look forward to hearing from you soon!