Internship On Museum Management
Key facts:
About the internship:
The DakshinaChitra Internship on Museum Management (DAK-IMM) contributes to work-skills on the functioning of a living museum, while serving as a platform for generating and exchanging knowledge. It exposes the interns to working on the collective heritage of India, especially South India, covering tangible and intangible heritage - visual and performing arts, crafts, traditions and cultural practices. Key focus areas include:
EXTERNAL-FACING
- Museum: Collections, Archiving, Conservation and Library
- Education and Training: Research, Arts and Museum Management, Exposure and Orientation for students
- Events and Experiences: Exhibitions, Calendared and other Events, Cultural Tourism, Crafts-shop, Crafts-bazaar
INTERNAL-FACING
- Administration: General administration, human resources, ethics, legal matters, premises management, secretariat for the Board
- Finance and Accounts: Fund raising, budgeting, tax matters, servicing the Board on finance and accounts.
Aims
The broad aims of the DAK-IMM are to: (i) provide supervised work experience and build competencies for careers in museums; and (ii) add value to DakshinaChitra through contributions of the interns to identified aspects of on-going work.
What can the interns expect to gain?
- Obtain hands-on pre-professional experience, knowledge and skills that employers in the sector seek, by functioning in a museum environment
- Update technical theoretical knowledge on museums
- Learn about the governance of a museum and gain an understanding of its structure, administration and operations
- Develop their ability to identify, assess and solve varied on-the-job challenges
- Assess and develop individual professional goals and boost career prospects
- Acquire knowledge and skills on specific aspects of museum work
- Spend time on meaningful work and/or a concrete project
- Build networks and friendships to further professional and personal interests
- Use the opportunity for immersion in diverse living cultures
- Strengthen sensitivity and awareness of societies of India, especially South India
- Add to a free database for those seeking information, contributing to public good
- Increase awareness of current trends and emerging issues in the broader community of museums
- Obtain a certificate and a letter of reference based on an evaluation of the intern’s performance
[For example, see: https://www.thebalance.com/what-is-an-internship-1986729]
Application
Eligibility
A bachelors’ degree in any discipline with a serious, demonstrated interest in heritage, arts and crafts
Minimum percentage of 65%
Students in their final year expecting to graduate may also apply (they will have to ensure successful completion of their bachelors’ degree with the qualifying marks)
Both, Indian and foreign national may apply
Fluency in oral and written English is an advantage
Past interns are not eligible for a second internship.
Click here to download application
Application form
[Click here to download the application form]
Completed applications in the prescribed format, together with self-attested scans of education certificates, proof of relevant experience, and two valid government issued IDs (one should be the Aadhar card for Indian nationals) with proof of address,may be sent in soft copy to:
Email address:dakmcf@gmail.com
Acceptable IDs include passport, drivers’ license, a voter ID, along with the Aadhar card (the last is for Indian nationals). Foreign applicants must send a self-attested scan of their passport and ensure that a valid visa is obtained and a self-attested scan sent before arrival. Those in their final year of their bachelors’ degree at a recognized college / university may additionally send a self-attested scan of their student ID.
Successful interns are expected to bring the originals of all documents for verification at the time of registration.
Important: You must indicate: INTERNSHIP ON MUSEUM MANAGEMENT on the subject line of the email.
Premises
The work will largely be conducted at the premises below:
Museum
DakshinaChitra Museum
East Coast Road, Muttukadu, Chengalpattu, Tamil Nadu 603118, INDIA
Telephone: +91 (0) 44 2747 2603
City Office
The Madras Craft Foundation, G-3 Madhuram Flats, 6, UrurOlcott Road,
Besant Nagar, Chennai 600090, INDIA
Telephone: +91 44 24462435 / 24918943
Frequently asked questions:
For additional information please review the section on Frequently Asked Questions. (Click here for FAQs).
In case of further queries, you may use the email address: dakmcf@gmail.com or call +91 44 24462435 / 24918943.
Testimonials:
Sahana S
Intern 2016-2017
I wanted to work in a museum but I had neither knowledge nor experience when it came to Museum Management. Internship at DakshinaChitra is really helpful as they make sure the interns work under each and every department of the museum for a significant period of time, enough to gain a good understanding. We are learning through the work given here. Now I have practical and thorough knowledge of how museums work and have a deeper understanding of areas I was not aware of. This has widened my horizons and shown me new areas I am interested in.
Sneha Suresh
Intern 2016-2017
We're almost 7 months into this internship and it has been nothing but fruitful. On a daily we get to not just witness but also experience different situations as we shuffle between the various departments. From taking schools and groups on guided tours to handling workshops to organizing large scale programs we've done it all. I can vouch for the fact that if one wants to be in the managerial departments of the art and museum industry, there is no better place that Dakshinachitra to gain the exact work experience required to take the plunge.
Kavichitra M
Intern 2016-2017
Though I studied Civil Engineering, I am very much interested in learning the art and culture of India. In order to pursue my interest I joined the internship program of DakshinaChitra. It's going good and I hope to learn more here.
Suguna Ram
Intern 2016-2017
To say about my evaluation of the internship as a whole now it's definitely a success. I got some valuable insights into the work field of an organization and to a certain degree also of an employee. I think it was the best choice for my professional growth. I find it a bit difficult to work as a team and I considered that was the challenging part because of the dedication, commitment and the interest each one had. And I had conducted three programs (Diwali and 2 village festivals, Tamilnadu and Pongal) independently and with a fellow intern as well and this gave me a tremendous experience on the whole. Gradually, I was managing the given activities on my own. Everyday is a new day when it comes to learning. I believe in ‘Complexity and Discomfort only makes you grow'. I frankly appreciate this internship.
