Curatorial Intern (Wilson Ctr. Funded) National 9/11 Memorial & Museum

Employer Name: National September 11 Memorial and Museum

Internship Role: Curatorial Intern

Compensation: $19.00/hour

Employer Website: https://911memorial.org/

Duration of Internship: 280 hour commitment (Full-time, 35 hrs/week for 8 weeks)

Eligibility: This Wilson Center funded opportunity is open to all registered Pace students (undergraduate, graduate and international students) that are graduating in Dec. 2025 OR later.

Address: 200 Liberty Street, 16th Floor, New York, NY 10281

Modality:  Hybrid

About the Employer: Through commemoration, exhibitions, and educational programs, the National September 11 Memorial & Museum remembers and honors the 2,983 people killed in the horrific attacks of September 11, 2001 and February 26, 1993, as well as those who risked their lives to save others and all who demonstrated extraordinary compassion in the aftermath of the attacks

Position Overview: The position will provide the opportunity to develop practical skills in a museum environment, will introduce the student to a diversity of museum professionals and practices, and will enable them to interact with museum curators, oral historians, conservators, archivists and registrars on aspects of their work related to the consideration, research, accessioning, and interpretation of artifacts for the 9/11 Memorial & Museum’s collection. 

The intern will support the 9/11 Museum’s Curatorial Department, with a primary focus on conducting research into incoming and pending gifts under acquisition consideration for the Museum’s permanent collection and preparing formal written curatorial rationales for these materials. There may also be opportunities to consult oral history interviews within the collection related to these incoming gifts and assist in outreach to donors as part of the research process. There may also be additional research opportunities related to collaborations with other Museum departments and subgroups including Exhibitions and Marketing-Communications

Responsibilities Include but are not limited to: 

• Conduct online and archival research for incoming and potential acquisitions, as well as the donors offering them in support of the curatorial review process.
• Consult the Collections Department’s internal database (Collective Access) to research and compile lists of artifacts and artwork.
• Draft accurate summaries of in-person and remote meetings with prospective donors to save as additional context for incoming donations.
• Draft acquisition rationales using background research conducted for an incoming gift.
• Assist with record keeping and the tracking of incoming gifts.
• When possible, attend exhibition planning meetings and taking thorough notes for later reference when making curatorial selections and proposals.
• Adhere to all Memorial & Museum policies, procedures, systems and standards

Preferred Skills: 

• Excellent written and oral communication skills.
• Demonstrated research and organizational skills.
• Excellent listening and writing skills, particularly the ability to synthesize and summarize accurately.
• Excellent computer skills and willingness to learn new programs, including the internal collections management database.
• Familiarity with relevant computer programs, including Microsoft Office suite.
• Ability to work independently and collaboratively.
• Ability to work with difficult content, often of an emotional or graphic nature.
• Willingness to engage and ability to deal with difficult and sensitive materials relating to events of September 11, 2001, and February 26, 1993.

The Ideal Candidates is: 

Ideal intern candidates are flexible to take on various tasks simultaneously and have an interest in the 9/11 Memorial & Museum. Ideal candidates are also students
with commitment to history, public history, oral history, American studies, museum studies, material culture, memory and trauma, or related fields of study.

**This internship is funded by the Helene & Grant Wilson Center for Social Entrepreneurship at Pace University, the intern hired for this position will make a full-time commitment for 8 weeks, working no more than 35 hours each week, a total of 280 hours*