Two Archives / Audience Engagement Interns work in a newly-expanded facility open six days a week alongside the Director of Preservation and Associate Archivist to provide public access to the Pillow’s extensive collection of videos, photographs, books, and other historical materials.
The early weeks of the internship are devoted to pre-festival responsibilities such as learning archival best practices and procedures, assisting with mounting exhibitions, preparing Blake’s Barn for the public, basic archival processing, and collections management.
During the Festival, interns welcome artists, faculty, students, staff, and the general public to Blake’s Barn by facilitating talks and events and helping visitors enjoy the Archives and Special Collections. In the Reading Room, interns answer questions, promote/recommend materials, and provide excellent customer service. In partnership with the Video team, interns process and catalog festival documentation, including creating database records in the Archives Collective Access database. Interns also work with prominent dance scholars on various aspects related to the Pillow’s Audience Engagement Program. Working alongside Archives staff, interns also make displays and signage, set up chairs for talks and events, open and close Blake’s Barn, and clean and maintain exhibitions.
Interacting with the public is a primary activity, and interns should be outgoing and comfortable speaking with strangers. Candidates should be detail-oriented, self-motivated, knowledgeable in dance, comfortable working with computers, and possess exceptional interpersonal, writing, and search skills. Experience in cataloging/data entry or a background in libraries or archives is a plus.
COVID full vaccination and any eligible boosters are required as a condition of employment for all staff, interns, and fellows.