Archives and Art Resources: Intellectual Property, Rights Intern
SFMOMA See More Job Openings by This Employer
- Internship
- San Francisco, CA
Job Description
The San Francisco Museum of Modern Art is one of the largest museums of modern and contemporary art in the United States and a thriving cultural center for the Bay Area. We cannot imagine life without art; it inspires and connects us every day. Now more than ever, these connections matter and are aligned with our values.
Inclusive: We strive to be a museum of many voices in dialogue.
Passionate: We believe working with art is more than a job or trusteeship - it's a way of life.
Brave: We are committed to approaching our work with courage and a sense of adventure, always ready to explore new perspectives.
Empathic: We aim to act like a person, not an institution.
SFMOMA is a place for the infinitely curious to explore, support, and experience the art of our time. We believe that modern and contemporary art can influence the way we think, view the world, and embrace the many voices and perspectives around us. We aspire to foster an environment that elicits joy, nurtures a sense of belonging and purpose—where difference is seen as a strength, and every one is appreciated for their whole self.
Schedule: Full Time, 35 hours/week, Monday, June 15 - Friday, August 14, at least three days working onsite
Department Description
Archives and Art Resources (AAR) upholds SFMOMA’s promise to provide generous access to and inspiring experiences with modern and contemporary art by working cross-departmentally to develop and steward the museum’s digital records related to art and artists. AAR manages SFMOMA’s collections and digital asset management systems; photographs artworks, exhibitions, and activities; institutional archives; and manages rights around making and using digital content about art and artists – all towards maximizing art access for the museum’s audiences and staff.
Position Description
The Intellectual Property, Rights Intern will focus on assessing works by artist Henri Matisse in the museum’s collection for public domain status. The intern will be jointly mentored by staff in both the Archives and Art Resources and Legal teams. Specifically, the intern will be responsible for researching, writing, and tracking information related to public domain assessment for a selection of works.
Research is a collaborative endeavor, amongst and across multiple teams in the museum, and happens in conversation or involvement with artists, rights holders or their representatives. The intern will work throughout the project with staff in Archives and Art Resources, Legal and will be in dialogue with colleagues across the museum.
Project Plan
Over the 9-week program the AAR Intern will:
· Research and familiarize themselves with SFMOMA’s collection
· Select approximately five (5) artworks to focus public domain research
Bonus priorities:
· Provide feedback on how we can improve our processes related to assessing works in the collection for public
domain status.
The Project Milestones for the intern are:
· Locate publications for artworks by week 7
· Research + written summary for five (5) artworks and their rights status to be provided by week 9
Educational Objectives
The intern will gain practical experience with:
· Gaining knowledge about rules and legal doctrines governing copyright and public domain in the U.S.
· Research and writing skills needed to evaluate copyright assessment
· Working across departments at a large museum.
· Museum collections management, digital asset management, and rights administration.
· Seeking and documenting rights-related information about art.
Additional Internship Programming
The Summer 2026 Internship will offer 9-weeks of hands-on experience and mentorship along with weekly presentations and discussions with various departments in the museum, off-site educational visits within the Bay Area community, and access to various tours and events within the museum.
Requirements
· Applicants must be currently enrolled in school or a recent graduate. The SFMOMA recognizes a graduation date
within 6 months of the internship start date as a recent graduate.
· If you are a current employee of the SFMOMA applying for an internship, you must be a current student or a
recent graduate, within 6 months of the internship start date.
$7,000 - $7,000 one-time
Pre-tax stipend paid out in a one-lump sum after start date
*TAX WITHHOLDING: For certain non-US residents and non-CA residents, any payments that constitute taxable income under U.S. tax law may be subject to up to 30% federal and 7% state tax withholding (or the current applicable rates), and so any payments you receive may be reduced accordingly. Please consult with your tax advisor regarding the tax treatment of your stipend from this internship.
Application Requirements
· Intern application on SFMOMA job site
· Resume, in PDF format
· Cover letter stating the specific internship of interest, in PDF format
· Describe the experience you bring, why you are interested in museum or nonprofit work, reasons for
applying to the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, and your goals for the internship.
· Two letters of recommendation from either a college professor or current/former employer, in PDF format
· College/university transcript, in PDF format
· Transcripts can be unofficial but must be legible
· If you are currently enrolled in a master's or PhD program, please provide the transcript for your current
program, not your undergraduate transcript
Application Deadline: February 28, 2026
Please note: You only need two letters of recommendation total, not separate letters for each internship. If you apply to multiple internships (up to three), simply inform your recommenders which positions you’re applying for. We’ll review the same two letters across all your applications.
Location: San Francisco, 151 3rd Street.
Pursuant to the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance, we will consider for employment qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records.
SFMOMA is an equal opportunity employer that is committed to diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility. No person shall be discriminated against based on race, color, religion, gender, gender identity, age, genetic information, ancestry/national origin, marital status, disability, medical condition, HIV status, sexual orientation, veteran/military status, and any other category protected by federal of state law.
You may request reasonable accommodation if you are unable to or are limited in your ability to access job postings or provide additional information asked in the job posting.
You can request reasonable accommodation by contacting the People Team at [email protected].
We may use artificial intelligence (AI) tools to support parts of the hiring process, such as reviewing applications, analyzing resumes, or assessing responses. These tools assist our recruitment team but do not replace human judgment. Final hiring decisions are ultimately made by humans. If you would like more information about how your data is processed, please contact us.
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