Archives Intern 

(May 8, 2025)

Position Title - Archives Intern

Supervisor Title (All student, intern, and volunteer position supervisors should be qualified, professional archivists.) - Manager of Archives

Position Type - Paid Internship

Does this position satisfy requirements for course credits? - No

Hourly Wage Range - $18- $25

Overview:

The studio of contemporary artist Cai Guo-Qiang (Cai Studio) is looking for a summer archives intern. This position will primarily be in the New York studio, based in Manhattan, although occasional travel to the New Jersey Studio may be required. Transportation to the New Jersey studio is generally arranged by the studio. The intern will primarily be working on digitizing the photo archives and project files, as well as organizing the artist’s bibliography, although other work may also be assigned.

This internship is ideal for anyone interested in working in contemporary art and art archives, as this is a fast-paced, living-artist archive that is constantly growing and expanding.

The intern can work either part-time or full-time during the 3-month summer internship. Working hours are from 10am-6pm. This is a fully in-person internship, the work cannot be completed remotely.

This is a paid internship and is paid at minimum wage.

About Cai Studio:

Under the direction of the artist, Cai Studio oversees the fabrication of original artworks, the coordination of public exhibitions, and the conception and production of related publications. The archive department is one of the three main departments (projects, archives, and collections) at the studio. This department is responsible for cataloging and maintaining photographs, videos, and printed documentation of artworks, the art making process, and exhibitions from the earliest stages of Cai’s career up to the present day. The team contributes to a wider understanding of the artist by supporting publications, exhibitions, and scholarship.

Responsibilities:

• Digitize photographs found in the Project Files, following the digitization protocol for file naming and image quality control

• Help with archival processing of the photographs and project files, including identifying artworks, places, and people

• Learn to search and find project information on the CollectiveAccess database to help identify the materials

• Inventory a collection of exhibition catalogues, tracking location and quantity

• Organize and catalogue press related to exhibitions, ensuring scans are accurate and locations are tracked

• Perform other duties and tasks to assist the archivists, as assigned

Qualifications

Required:

• Bachelor’s degree

• Background and/or interest in archives, libraries, and preservation

• Strong organizational skills, ensuring accuracy of details and following protocols

• Background and/or interest in contemporary art and art history

• Ability to carry and lift heavy boxes and objects (up to 20 lbs.), including up and down stairs

Preferred:

• Experience working with databases and scanning documents

• Current or recent MSLIS student

• Ability to read Chinese and/or Japanese preferred, but not necessary

• Familiarity with working with CollectiveAccess or other DAMS

Interested applications should send a resume and a brief cover letter to nystudio.search@gmail.com with the subject line “Archives Intern”.