2023 Getty Marrow Collections and Curatorial Intern
EMPLOYMENT TYPE
Full-time
UNIT
Collections Management and Access
APPLICATION DEADLINE
04/14/2023
OPEN DATE
03/14/2023
Position Summary:
The 2023 Getty Marrow Undergraduate Collections and Curatorial Intern will delve into the various processes inherent to collections and curatorial work at JANM by cataloging, digitizing, and curating hundreds of acetate and glass plate negatives, photographic prints, scrapbooks, 16 mm home movies, documents, and ephemera that comprise the Tanaka Studios collection. All of this work will culminate in a capstone project that the Collections and Curatorial intern will design to make the Tanaka collection relatable and accessible to a broad audience.
This collection, donated by the Tanaka family in several different groupings between 2007 and 2022, includes hundreds of negatives that Chikashi Tanaka (1888–1977), the proprietor of Tanaka Photo Studio in Los Angeles’s Little Tokyo, created from the portraits and photographs he captured in his studio and on location for clients. The studio was located on East First Street in Los Angeles’s Little Tokyo neighborhood. The original negatives, which range from 3"x5" to 8"x10", capture everyday as well as extraordinary pre-war moments in Japanese American life in Little Tokyo and the greater Los Angeles area. Tanaka took portraits of many different families, individuals, and community groups, which capture the vibrancy of the Japanese American community in the greater Los Angeles region prior to World War II. Tanaka photographed weddings, funerals, recitals, and Japanese cultural activities and businesses for clients. Many of these negatives are housed in the original glassine enclosures that include handwritten dates, client names, and sometimes location, which adds to the value of the photographic material. Additionally, he also captured varied landscapes throughout California and the American West, as part of personal travel in the 1930s.
Dates of Internship: Dates of Internship: 10 consecutive weeks, in-person, June 12 to August 18, 2023. Full-Time (40 hours a week). Requires some evening and weekend hours. The Collections and Curatorial Intern will typically work a Monday to Friday schedule.
Intern Stipend: $6,800 gross stipend for Full-Time (40 hours/week), 10 consecutive weeks.
See below for more details and criteria.
Essential Duties and Responsibilities
In order to process this collection and make it accessible to the public, the Collections and Curatorial Intern will assign accession numbers, catalog the objects in TMS (collections management database), work with the digitization specialist on staff to digitize the negatives, research the historical context around the collection and relevant themes that the materials represent, create a finding aid for the collection for the Online Archive of California, and develop written context for inclusion on JANM’s various public-facing platforms.
Additionally, the negatives in this collection, along with existing materials in the collection will help the intern to develop a capstone project. While the Collections Management and Access and Curatorial departments at JANM are prioritizing work to make more of the permanent collection available through eMuseum, an online platform to display catalog information, a creative capstone project to share these collections with the public—highlighting the intern’s skillsets, talents, and interests—is required. The intern will determine an effective way to share this collection with a broad audience as a final capstone project, which could entail: an online exhibition through eMuseum, a zine, a series of blog posts, a short documentary, or another creative form.
Weekly Work Timeline—Collections and Curatorial Intern
Week 1
- Tour JANM’s campus and attend Human Resources orientation. Meet with internship supervisor to discuss initial tasks, expectations, and internship milestones.
- Receive an introduction to collections care in museums, JANM’s curatorial and collections care processes, and an overview of JANM’s permanent collection. Peruse “JANM from Home” virtual resources (JANM’s website, JANM YouTube channel, “First and Central Blog,” and Discover Nikkei as well as the exhibitions, educational, and public programs that JANM has produced over the years. Discuss expectations for a capstone project, learn about projects of previous interns, and brainstorm potential ideas.
- Introduction to the Tanaka Collection: Read Henry Sugimoto: Painting an American Experience, by Kristine Kim, which is the companion book to the exhibition, Henry Sugimoto: Painting an American Experience. Peruse the existing online collection to understand what has been digitized and what remains. See where it’s physically located in storage; Review finding aid on the Online Archive of California, various donation files, and the JANM artist file.
- Receive an introduction to the following tasks to process the Tanaka Collection and make it accessible to the public: assigning JANM catalog/accession numbers to the objects, cataloging objects in TMS, scanning or photographing objects, rehousing objects in archival materials, performing condition checks, researching historical context and significance of artifacts/artworks, creating finding aids, and developing written content around the objects.
- Attend weekly CMA department meeting, CMA & Production meeting, and all-staff meeting.
- Readings:
- JANM resources (peruse links mentioned above)
- Collections documentation: donor file; memos from JANM staff over the years; justification for acquisition
Week 2
- Continue becoming immersed in sources regarding Tanaka and the collections at JANM.
- Continue collections care training and explanation of curatorial practices.
- Continue learning how to catalog, research, digitize, et cetera.
- Attend weekly CMA department meeting, CMA & Production meeting, and all-staff meeting.
- Attend JANM orientation to learn Nikkei history in the United States, institutional history, and local history.
- Review existing inventory lists of paintings that JANM acquired in 2015.
- Determine digitization schedule with digitization specialist and begin photography. Process images following JANM’s established standards.
- Receive training on TMS Collections, JANM’s collections management database as well as eMuseum software, the platform that interfaces with TMS Collections to make data accessible on the web.
- Meet with JANM collections staff to determine how to best number a large archival collection.
- Meet with internship supervisor to discuss progress and feedback.
- Decide on capstone project to share information about processed collections.
Week 3
- Continue work processing and describing collections, conducting research, and making collections accessible.
- Attend weekly meetings.
- Learn about research interest in JANM collections and how to describe materials to facilitate access.
- Learn process for creating finding aids for the Online Archive of California, and begin to draft a finding aid for the Tanaka Collection.
- Start with biographical note.
- Continue digitization.
- Begin cataloging.
- Meet with internship supervisor to discuss progress and feedback.
Week 4
- Continue digitization work, processing and describing collections, conducting research, and making collections accessible.
- Attend weekly meetings.
- Meet with internship supervisor to discuss progress and feedback.
- Attend professional development session #1, put on by JANM staff.
Week 5
- Continue digitization work, processing and describing collections, conducting research, and making collections accessible.
- Begin to upload collection images to TMS.
- Meet with internship supervisor to discuss progress and feedback.
Week 6
- Continue digitization work, processing and describing collections, conducting research, and making collections accessible.
- Continue to upload collection images to TMS.
- Attend CMA department meeting.
- Meet with internship supervisor to discuss progress and feedback.
- Discuss capstone project and next steps with supervisor.
Week 7
- Continue digitization work, processing and describing collections, conducting research, and making collections accessible.
- Continue to upload collection images to TMS.
- Attend weekly meetings.
- Meet with internship supervisor to discuss progress and feedback.
- Discuss progress on capstone project.
Week 8
- Continue digitization work, processing and describing collections, conducting research, and making collections accessible.
- Attend weekly meetings.
- Meet with internship supervisor to discuss progress and feedback.
- Continue work on capstone project.
- Attend professional development session #2, put on by JANM staff.
Week 9
- Continue digitization work, processing and describing collections, conducting research, and making collections accessible.
- Complete uploading collection images to TMS and create relevant virtual collections of artifacts and documents.
- Upload completed finding aids to the Online Archive of California.
- Continue work on capstone presentation.
- Meet with internship supervisor to discuss progress and feedback.
Week 10
- Wrap up digitization and cataloging work. Ensure that all assets are appearing on JANM’s website.
- Attend weekly meetings.
- Conclude work on capstone project and give presentation for JANM staff and volunteers.
- Wrap up all loose ends and write up a memo for JANM CMA team providing an overview of the work that was completed and any outstanding tasks.
- Meet with internship supervisor to discuss the conclusion of the project and receive feedback.
This list is not exhaustive and may be supplemented as necessary. Incumbent will perform related duties as assigned.
Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities
To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions outlined above.
Criteria for Intern Candidates:
The internship opportunities are intended for students from backgrounds underrepresented in museums and the visual arts professions. Applicants must be of a group underrepresented in museums and visual arts organizations, including, but not limited to individuals of African American, Asian, Latino/Hispanic, Native American, or Pacific Islander descent.
In addition, each intern must meet the following eligibility criteria:
- Currently enrolled full-time undergraduate (bachelor’s or associate degree program) and have completed at least one semester or 2 quarters of college by June 2023. Students who graduated the semester or quarter immediately before the internship begins are also eligible;
- and must be a resident or attend college in Los Angeles County;
- and must be a US citizen or permanent resident eligible to be legally employed in the US. Students with DACA status valid through the internship period are also eligible.
Please note that students who have previously served as Getty Marrow Undergraduate Interns at the Japanese American National Museum are not eligible for consideration. Students enrolled in a second BA or BS program are not eligible. Finally, staff members and relatives of staff or board members are not eligible.
Selected Intern is required to be up to date on COVID-19 vaccinations with bivalent booster (Fall 2022) dose.
Currently enrolled undergraduate student.
Competency in digitization/digital asset management, including scanning, photography, editing photographs in Adobe Photoshop is desired. Experience handling, cataloging, and rehousing archival and 3D artifacts is preferred, but not required. Familiarity with TMS or a collections management database is ideal, but not essential. Strong research and written communication skills are critical. Attention to detail and strong organizational skills are also essential.
Has excellent communication and negotiation skills. Must be able to provide courteous and effective service to co-workers, volunteers, and the general public. Is able to read, write, and comprehend routine reports and correspondence, including safety rules, operating and maintenance instructions, and procedural manuals. Is able to effectively present information in one-on-one and small group format and large group format.
Computer literate, Internet savvy and experienced with MS Office, Google Calendar and Gmail preferred. Accuracy and attention to detail are essential. Familiarity with TMS or a collections management database is ideal, but not essential. Familiarity with Adobe Photoshop is desired.
Ability to calculate figures and amounts such as discounts, interest, proportions, percentages, area, circumference, and volume. Ability to apply concepts of basic algebra and geometry.
Ability to act on own initiative, making consistently sound decisions. Must be able to comply with institutional policies and procedures. Perform successfully when juggling and re-prioritizing multiple assignments in a fast-paced, changing work environment. Is able to apply common sense understanding to carry out instructions furnished in written, oral, or diagram form. Reliable follow-through on assigned projects in a complete, well conceived, and timely manner.
The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.
While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to use hands to finger, handle, or feel objects, tools, or controls. The employee frequently is required to talk or hear. The employee is occasionally required to stand, walk, sit, reach with hands and arms, climb or balance, and stoop, kneel, crouch, or crawl.
The employee must occasionally lift and/or move up to 20 pounds. Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, distance vision, and the ability to adjust focus.
The work environment characteristics described here are representative of those the employee encounters while performing the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.
The noise level in the work environment is usually moderate.
All employees are required to be up to date on the COVID-19 vaccine and have the bivalent (Fall 2022) booster dose when eligible.
Reports To: K. Hayashi, Director of Collections Management & Access and Curator
Positions Supervised: None
$6,800 gross stipend for Full-Time, 10 consecutive weeks.