Curatorial Internships – Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage AACI/CAF

The Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage seeks two virtual interns this winter to be part of the African American Craft Initiative (AACI) and the Crafts of African Fashion (CAF) project. These internships are part-time and will run from mid-January to April 2022.

Over the years, the Smithsonian Folklife Festival has presented and documented hundreds of African and African American makers. These images, video files, and first-person narratives provide a rich source of documentation in the Ralph Rinzler Folklife Archives and Collections. We continue to add to this collection, amplifying underrepresented voices from past and present programs. We do this by adding research and oral histories of makers to the AACI database, writing articles for Folklife Magazine, producing virtual programming like Story Circles, circulating a monthly bulletin, and hosting virtual convenings.

By listening to and learning from experiences of African and African American artists and artisans in their own words, the interns will participate in activities to amplify these powerful legacies for generations to come. The interns will work under the supervision and mentorship of curator Diana N’Diaye and project coordinator Sloane Keller.

The primary assignment will involve working as part of the AACI team, researching and helping to coordinate programming activities. The interns will also learn about the CAF project and assist with the development of funding proposals and programmatic activities. The interns will attend relevant virtual meetings, including all-staff, programmatic, and internship meetings.

Selected applicants will receive a stipend of $1,500.

To apply online, visit solaa.si.edu and create an account. After selecting Internship, specify the Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage and indicate AACI/CAF internship on the application. The submission deadline is December 31. If you have questions, please contact intern coordinator Arlene Reiniger at ReinigerA@si.edu.