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Virtual Internship: Historic Artifact Researcher

In this position, interns will become adept at identifying and qualifying trusted primary resources from national repositories. Interns will turn their findings into "Educator Resources" which will be used in DRR's national education initiative which brings object-learning into classrooms.

The Office of the Curator has recently launched an educational initiative which focuses on sharing the Diplomatic Reception Rooms’ historic collection of fine and decorative art with 4-12th grade educators, students, and the public. This internship provides an unparalleled opportunity to identify resources and materials that will be shared worldwide. The internship is open to Masters and Ph.D. candidates ONLY. The successful applicant must have extensive collections and/or artifact research experience and a deep interest in American history. They must be adept at identifying and qualifying trusted primary resources and materials from repositories, both online and in person, and be extremely discerning and thorough. Students must be pursuing degrees in fine or decorative arts, American history, American studies, art history, arts management, English, exhibition design, history, material culture, museum education, museum studies, or a related field.

The 42 Diplomatic Reception Rooms, located on the top two floors of the U.S. Department of State, are the site for many of our nation’s diplomatic meetings and events including international summits, treaty negotiations, official U.S. State Luncheons, and important presidential speeches. The rooms house a historic museum-quality collection of more than 5,000 fine and decorative art objects valued at more than $125 million that tell the story of our country’s founding and formative years. The fine and decorative arts collection is comprised of paintings, sculptures, prints and manuscripts, furniture, silver, glass, textiles, export porcelain and earthenware from 1730 - 1860. A significant portion of the collection relates to important moments in our country’s history and represents excellent examples of fine and decorative art from important artists and craftsmen. Some of the pieces in the collection include portraits of Founding Fathers by Gilbert Stuart, landscape portraits by Thomas Moran, porcelain owned by George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, and other signers of the Declaration of Independence, and the desk upon which the Treaty of Paris was signed in 1783. These historic objects and artwork tell the story of our country’s history and cultural heritage, and illustrate the importance of diplomacy and civic engagement.

The collection and the stories it tells are taken beyond the walls of the U.S. Department of State through educational programming. DRR's educational initiatives encourage educators to use historic art and objects from state and national museums and libraries to develop innovative lesson plans centered around civic engagement. Programming is uniquely tailored to support school librarians and teachers of English language arts, art, and social studies in grades 4-12.