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The Children’s Museum Internship Program has been an essential part of the museum for over thirty years now. Interns have the opportunity to work with almost any department. Quite a few have even stayed upon completion of their internship. They’ve had amazing careers at the museum—including our incredible new CEO, Jennifer Pace Robinson!
This past year, the program has had to face countless new obstacles as the world shut down due to COVID-19. In summer 2021, the program is stronger than ever with 21 full-time interns who are learning to adapt and take opportunities in stride right alongside their museum mentors. This year, we have numerous interns who have taken a hybrid approach to learning, including a few who have chosen to work fully remote. We recently spoke with three of our amazing summer interns to see how they are taking their internship experience and making the most of it. We also asked them to share their own perspective on the internship program.
Meet three of our amazing 2021 interns
Meet Nick Johnson
PR Intern Nick Johnson with Visiting Artist Deonna Craig
Nick is one of a few Public Relations interns working at the museum this summer. Aftergraduating from Ball State in 2020, he did what many graduates did at the time and took a job that wasn’t exactly what he wanted, but was available. Although he learned a lot, he was unhappy in his job, so this summer he sought out a PR internship in the arts and culture sector, where his passions truly lie. It turned out that The Children’s Museum was the perfect fit for him. Nick is also one of the many interns this summer working in a hybrid format, which means he works both from home and onsite at the museum.
Meet Rebecca Ford
Grant Writing Intern Rebecca Ford in her home office
Rebecca is a graduate student at the University of Toronto where she is pursuing her Masters of Museum Studies. Yes, you read that right—Rebecca is living and working from Canada, where she is one of our few completely remote interns. Rebecca is working within the development department this summer as the Grant Writing intern. She is very passionate about museum accessibility and hopes to take her experiences at The Children’s Museum and use them in her career as she pursues her mission to make museums across all disciplines more welcoming and accessible to all types of people.
Meet Erin Mast
Digital Marketing Intern Erin Mast in front of Fireworks of Glass
Erin is a rising senior at Butler University where she is studying Arts Administration and Strategic Communication. Her passion for the arts and writing have led her to The Children’s Museum where she is working as the Digital Marketing Intern for the summer. She is originally from Chagrin Falls, Ohio, but is staying in Indianapolis this summer to work in a hybrid internship format, which allows her to come to the museum to make original digital content.
You can see one example of her digital content on TikTok: "A day in the life of an intern."
What are the main projects you are working on right now?
Nick:
My main project this summer has been writing a press release and talking points for our new exhibit, Baseball Boundary Breakers. I also have been directly involved with media relations, which has included onsite interactions with news stations. My second main project has been writing an article for Indy’s Child magazine. The article is an overview of everything that people can expect to see and do at the museum in the fall.
Rebecca:
Most of my projects have been writing proposals and reports for grants that the museum has already been awarded. These projects have included a progress report on Mission Jurassic, a new proposal for the Access Pass Program, a final report for the IF/THEN Women in STEM label project, and a progress report for the Indiana Arts Commission. I've also got some new grant proposals in the works, one of which is completely new to the museum!
Erin:
All of my projects have generally been centered around social media and digital content creation. I have created a few Tik Toks for our account that have received thousands of views and likes, which was really exciting. I also have written multiple blogs for the website, including this one, which have allowed me to work on my long form writing skills. One of my favorite projects so far has been creating content for Pinterest. This included a few days of doing multiple science experiments to collect our photo and video assets for the pins.
What is a typical day like for you?
Nick:
I typically start my day by waking up, logging on, and setting certain goals for the day that I want to achieve. I usually have quite a few video call meetings within the marketing department and anything related to Baseball Boundary Breakers, and then I spend the rest of my day writing and working on projects. What’s nice about working from home is I have a lot more flexibility. If I hit a roadblock with something I am trying to write, I can take a break and come back to it later that day. Because I am working in a hybrid format, I also go into the museum around once a week to work with my mentor, Leslie, in our office space.
Rebecca:
As a completely remote worker living in Canada, where COVID-19 restrictions are still very prohibitive, I spend most of my day working inside at my desk or (if the weather agrees) outside on my patio. Working on grants and grant update reports includes a lot of summarizing other people’s work and editing, which I personally really enjoy because it lets me see all the amazing work that my colleagues are up to at the museum!
Erin:
As a hybrid intern, every day looks a little bit different. Often I have two to three online meetings during the day that are with different parts of the marketing team. When I am not in meetings, but still working at home, I spend a lot of my time working within different social media management platforms. This includes requesting permission to use content posted by museum guests and scheduling social media content to be posted later. If I am at the museum, usually I am helping my mentor, Meagan, with a content creation project or a Tik Tok livestream.
Why did you want to intern at The Children’s Museum?
Nick:
Growing up in Indy, The Children’s Museum was instrumental to my whole life. I went a lot as a child and it sparked a desire in me to continue learning and growing as a person. I really feel that my values align with those of the museum and I wanted to pursue my personal interests in public relations while helping spark the same lifelong love of learning for other children.
Rebecca:
I actually had no connection to The Children’s Museum before this internship, but I found it by looking up children’s museums around the world. Once I learned that it was the biggest and best in the world, I knew that I wanted to reach out. So although it was nerve racking, I cold-called Tim, the Intern Program Manager, and we figured out that the Grant Writing position would work great in a remote setting. I want to work in museums because I am passionate about making museums accessible for people of all ages—especially museums that are notoriously “stuffy or highbrow.” That’s why I have really enjoyed learning about the family learning model at the museum that drives all exhibits and programming. I want to take what The Children’s Museum does so well and implement it in other museums.
Sometimes, Rebecca works outside. We don't blame her!
Erin:
I wanted to intern at The Children’s Museum because I had heard great things about the internship program and was seeking an experience where I could really make an impact this summer. I felt like The Children’s Museum would allow me to do that because of its reach—from the visitors who come and learn at the museum every day to the surrounding communities and families. Fortunately, everything I had heard about the program was true and I have had an amazing experience this summer.
What is your favorite exhibit?
Nick:
As a child, I really loved Corteva Agriscience ScienceWorks and the water table. My cousin and I enjoyed it so much we would make our own boats out of pop cans and plastic foam at home and play with them in a creek nearby our house. As an adult, I really enjoy National Geographic Treasures of the Earth because of the specific ambiances set in each section and the fact that we have working labs is really cool.
Rebecca:
Obviously I have not been to the museum yet, but I really hope I can visit some day. I think I would probably want to see Take Me There®: Greece first. I have a background in history and would love to see some of the Greek artifacts in the exhibit. I would also love to see Dinosphere® once it’s completed since I have spent so much time writing about it for this internship.
Erin:
Before I came back to the museum this year, one of the only things I remembered from going to the museum in 2009 was Dale Chihuly’s Fireworks of Glass. To have such an extraordinary piece of artwork in the museum is so cool and I really appreciate it even more now. It may not be as interactive as the main exhibits, but I think it would have to be my favorite part of the museum because of its incredible artistry, magnitude, and the impression it made on me so many years ago.
What is the most important thing you have learned so far?
Nick:
One thing I have learned that surprised me was that even in a job as solitary as writing a press release, there is still a great deal of teamwork and collaboration involved. When I wrote the press release for the new Baseball Boundary Breakers exhibit, at least six people looked over and edited it to make sure it was perfect before being released to the press and public. I have also learned it is important to do your best work, but learn to accept critique without taking it personally.
Rebecca:
I have really appreciated getting to see the behind-the-scenes workings of how the museum runs. In my graduate classes, I have learned a lot about the theory of museum administration, but it is completely different to “get in the trenches” and actually see how things are run. In particular, the Dinosphere® meetings have been really helpful to see how exhibits are actually developed, as opposed to just learning about it in class. I love seeing how everyone in those meetings are so on top of their game and willing to collaborate.
Erin:
One part of this internship program that I have found very beneficial is our professional development sessions. Every Friday, the interns have a virtual meeting with someone who works in the museum. They typically use their time to talk about their career path and experience working at the museum, as well as answering any questions we have. Through these sessions, I have learned that you often need to be open to following your career down whichever path it takes you—even if its not the one you expected to take.
What is your advice to someone applying to an internship at The Children’s Museum?
Nick:
My advice to someone applying to The Children’s Museum is to be yourself at all times. I know that is kind of simple advice, but I believe that if you are truly passionate about something and you know what you want to do, people will be able to see that. I personally tend to gravitate toward passionate people and I believe the mentors at the museum would love to be able to mold that passion into something deeper and help a young professional develop their skills.
Erin:
My advice for someone applying to this internship is to be thoughtful and smart with your application, but don’t be afraid to show your personality. Your credentials are going to be clear if you have a strong résumé and cover letter. What is going to make you stand out amongst other applications is you. Also, if you are uncertain about applying, I recommend you just do it. You are never going to lose something by putting yourself out there and gaining the experience of applying and interviewing for a position. And if you don’t get it the first time, you can always apply again!
What is your advice to someone who has accepted an internship position at The Children’s Museum?
Rebecca:
Getting to meet people is huge and networking is a great way to get people to know your face and name. You also need to take advantage of your new role, because you are no longer a “nobody." Everyone is very willing to chip in and help mentor interns, even if they don’t have an intern themselves. So approach people with confidence because they are now your colleagues in the museum industry. At the end of the day, it is a cool place to work with cool exhibits and people so enjoy your time there and take advantage of every opportunity you can.
Three interns. Three different experiences. Great advice.
Nick, Rebecca and Erin are just three of the many interns who are working on incredible and meaningful projects this summer. There are so many opportunities in the fall, spring, and the summer, so if you are interested in interning at The Children’s Museum, we strongly encourage you to apply so we can find the perfect spot for you. As Nick recommended, just be yourself.
Click here to start your application today!
The Visiting Artist Program is a project of the Lechleiter Indiana Visiting Artist Fund with support provided by The White Oak Foundation, Sarah and John Lechleiter.
