Opportunities

Employment Opportunities

Exhibition Preparators

The Aldrich Museum maintains a pool of skilled technicians to assist with installation of regularly scheduled exhibitions and special projects. Various skill sets, including carpentry, painting, electrical, computer, audio, video, graphic design, and picture framing are needed on a per project basis. Art handling and museum installation experience are preferred. Work is occasional, temporary.

Please send resume and references to:

The Aldrich Contemporary Art Museum
258 Main Street
Ridgefield, CT 06877
Email: general@aldrichart.org

Internships

The Aldrich Contemporary Art Museum is a laboratory for museum education, dedicated to mentoring the next generation of museum professionals. Our interns are organized, creative, and motivated students looking to gain insight into how a contemporary art museum operates. Internships are generally unpaid, but offer the opportunity to build professional skills and relationships with experienced museum mentors.

Internships are offered in departments including Public Relations, Curatorial, Education, and Development. Most internships are related to specific projects and take place over three summer months. However, some departments accept applications throughout the year. All internships currently available are described below:

Summer Education Intern
(Position Filled for 2008)
The Aldrich Contemporary Art Museum seeks a summer intern to work 16 to 20 hours/week in June and July with the Education Department, as well as with other Museum departments, to help plan and develop a Connecticut-wide drawing festival.

Draw On! is a week-long celebration of drawing, which currently invites and encourages children, teens, and adults to participate in a variety of drawing programs and events across Fairfield County. The Museum wishes to grow participation to include venues, organizations, and individuals from across the State. The intern will work with staff to help identify potential participants and reach out to them to enlist their involvement and input. The intern will be responsible for ensuring that the Museum’s call for participation reaches the widest possible network. This internship will provide insight into museum education and programming, contemporary art and artists, partnerships between museums, schools and the community, and museums as a community resource.

Required: Excellent writing, phone skills, persistence, and demonstrated experience at follow-up. Graphic design portfolio a plus. Candidates must be interested in pursuing an art-related or community-development career, as demonstrated by coursework or relevant experience.

To apply, email a cover letter, complete course list or transcript, résumé or curriculum vitae, and contact information for two references to:

Michael Blakeney
The Aldrich Contemporary Art Museum
258 Main Street
Ridgefield, CT 06877
mblakeney@aldrichart.org

Exhibition Planning Assistant
For Summer 2008 an outstanding opportunity is available to a Korean-speaking student to assist with the coordination, planning and PR for the installation of The Soul: Journey to America, an exhibition by noted Korean artist Kwang Young Chun.

Chun makes fantastically intricate sculpture out of the recycled pages of old Korean books printed on mulberry paper. He wraps the handmade paper around Styrofoam tetrahedrons and other geometric forms that serve as the basic units of his compositions. The forms are then arranged in free-standing three-dimensional sculptures or mounted on the wall as two-dimensional low-reliefs. The artist will be producing his largest free-standing work to date, over fourteen feet high for presentation in The Aldrich Museum's project space in late 2008. The intern will work with Museum staff to develop and help implement outreach to potential audiences and supporters for the exhibition.

The intern will forge relationships with galleries and museums specializing in Asian art, and may also help plan/coordinate special events to build awareness of the project, and interact with the artist's studio staff. This opportunity is open to current MFA and Art History grad students and, on a very selective basis, college juniors and seniors who have relevant experience and have demonstrated the capacity to work independently and have transportation to Ridgefield. Native/fluent Korean speakers preferred.

More work by the artist can be seen at http://www.kimfostergallery.com/artists/Chun.htm.

Please send a cover letter and resume to:

Michael Blakeney
The Aldrich Contemporary Art Museum
258 Main Street
Ridgefield, CT 06877
Email: mblakeney@aldrichart.org

PR/Marketing Intern
(Position Filled for 2008)
The Aldrich Contemporary Art Museum seeks an intern to assist the Public Relations Department 8-16 hours/week to pitch stories to the press, gain media coverage, and roll out PR and marketing for exhibitions and events.  The intern will maintain the Museum's publicity archive, help organize a database of recent press coverage, and prepare files for listings and for the Museum’s Web site archive.  He/she will also assist with distributing promotional materials (posters, flyers) and researching potential media outlets.  The Museum is regularly featured in ArtForum, The New York Times, dwell magazine, The Boston Globe, NPR, and many Connecticut publications. The internship is unpaid, but college credit may be available; in addition, the intern will receive a Museum membership that entitles him/her and family members to attend events and openings free all year.

Please send a cover letter and resume to:

Michael Blakeney
The Aldrich Contemporary Art Museum
258 Main Street
Ridgefield, CT 06877
Email: mblakeney@aldrichart.org           

Research Assistant/Audience Development Intern
(Position Filled for 2008)
The Aldrich Contemporary Art Museum seeks an intern to work for the Deputy Director 8-16 hours/week.  The intern will help to conduct research into the communities surrounding The Aldrich, with a goal to better understanding who comes and who does not yet come to the Museum. The intern will help the Museum determine how to better serve current and future audiences.  An interest in art, nonprofits, psychology, marketing and business will be helpful.  Must have an excellent phone manner and be comfortable with Excel. The intern will have the opportunity to conduct surveys of visitors, conduct office-based research, learn best practices in the museum world, and what drives attendance and support of cultural attractions. This is a great opportunity for an organized, upbeat, and motivated student who is looking to explore an interest in the arts and nonprofit world. The internship is unpaid, but college credit may be available; in addition, the intern will receive a Museum membership that entitles him/her and family members to attend events and openings free all year.

Please send a cover letter and resume to:

Michael Blakeney
The Aldrich Contemporary Art Museum
258 Main Street
Ridgefield, CT 06877
Email: mblakeney@aldrichart.org

Aldrich Undercover: Summer Intern
(Position Filled for 2008)
The Aldrich seeks a college or graduate student summer intern to help the Museum plan for and organize Aldrich Undercover, a major fundraiser that entails a secret exhibition and benefit art sale of works on paper by hundreds of leading contemporary artists who have exhibited at the Museum. The exhibition is secret because the participating artists are not revealed until after the works have been selected by Museum guests. Using the Museum's archives, the intern would identify and help track down artists who have shown at the Museum and assist the Museum staff in contacting these artists, seeking out and securing their participation in the 2008 event. The ideal intern is knowledgeable and deeply interested in the contemporary art field, has very strong writing skills and phone manner, is resourceful and tactful, and able to work independently. This is an unpaid internship but Museum membership is included. The project can extend anywhere from 4 to 9 weeks. Days of the week are flexible but a minimum of three days/week at the Museum is preferred.

Please send a cover letter and resume to:

Michael Blakeney
The Aldrich Contemporary Art Museum
258 Main Street
Ridgefield, CT 06877
Email: mblakeney@aldrichart.org

Volunteer Opportunities

Become a volunteer and play an important role in The Aldrich Contemporary Art Museum. Aldrich volunteers provide the Museum with vital support by serving at the admissions desk and Museum store, staffing special events, promoting the Museum throughout the community, and working behind the scenes in numerous Museum departments. Hours are flexible, and orientation and training is provided.

For more information on how to apply to The Aldrich Volunteer Program, contact us by phone at 203.438.4519 x47, or email Deirdre Ayala at dayala@aldrichart.org

Artist Opportunities

Online General Submissions
Submitting Your Artwork for Review: For US-based and International Artists
Please read carefully as our submission procedures have changed.
Deadline: Applications will be accepted from December 1, 2007, to January 15, 2008.

Who can apply?
Artists (local, national, and international) working in all media who would like their work to be considered for an exhibition at the Museum.
Collectives or collaborating artists should submit only one application, listing the names of all the participating artists.

How to Apply:

Applications are accepted online.
To apply, please click here.
You can also go online to http://aldrichart.cuerate.org.

1. You will be asked to register and to create an account.  Once registered, you will be able to log in as needed to edit your application until you submit.

The application program will prompt you to provide the following information:
Personal (name, address, email address, etc.)
Bio/resume
Artist’s statement
Images

You may submit up to eight images (72 dpi), or up to 4 images and one video, or two videos (no longer than three minutes each). Please submit recent work only, produced within the last three years.

If you are submitting still images, you will do so online. All other work (audio and video) should be submitted via mail. Please use delivery confirmation when mailing support materials; this will provide a tracking number.

1. When you have completed and submitted your work through the online application, you will be emailed a confirmation number. Please print this email confirmation for your records. If you are submitting audio or video please include a copy of this email confirmation with your packet. This means you cannot mail your work sample until you have completed and submitted your online application, so please plan accordingly.

NOTE: All applicants must fill out the online form.You can start an application and finish it at a later time, but once you have submitted your online application you will no longer be able to make changes, so be sure you have reviewed everything carefully before clicking on the submit button.

2. You must submit the online component of your application and mail your work sample no later than January 15, 2008.  If you are sending CDs or DVDs of audio or video material, please ensure that your work is postmarked on or before January 15, 2008.  Please mail your audio or video pieces with your confirmation number to:

The Aldrich Contemporary
 Art Museum                                                                 
Attn:  General Submissions
258 Main Street
Ridgefield, CT  06877

Application Requirements
1. Please submit a representation of your recent artistic work (within the last three years).  For all work samples—other than still images—please submit one or two works on an audio CD or DVD.  Please indicate a primary and secondary cue point for each work sample.

2. For visual arts, please submit up to eight digital images online, using the following specifications:
Dimensions: 1240 pixels x 1240 pixels maximum
File Size:  No larger than 4.0 MB (each image)
File format:  JPG
Resolution: 72 DPI

The longest dimension of the image must be no more than 1240 pixels.  Digital images will be uploaded directly onto your application.  Do NOT send discs containing image files.

RGB is the suggested color profile (sRGB included).  Most images saved will be between 1MB and 2MB.  Do not use any punctuation, symbols, or spaces in the file names.  Images should be recent work only, from the last three years.

Once you have submitted your application, you will receive a confirmation email.

Images will be shown in the order they are uploaded, four at a time.  With regard to the order of your images, please consider that they will be projected for the jury in groups of four (images #1-4 followed by images #5-8).  Moderators will read aloud the information for each image.  Each image is projected roughly 30 x 40 inches in size.

It is essential that you become acquainted with the exhibitions that we mount at The Aldrich. Please take a thorough look at our Web site, our mission statement, and visit the Museum in person, if possible. It is important that you evaluate your own work within the context of the Museum and its exhibition programming ahead of making a submission. Also, please note that The Aldrich is a non-collecting Museum and does not present artist's retrospectives.

If you are eligible for both Radius and general review, please do not apply to both in the same year. 
Click here for more information on Radius.

All submissions will be reviewed by the curatorial staff and you will have a response by May 30, 2008.  No phone calls, please.  If you wish to contact us, or have any questions about applying, please email submissions@aldrichart.org.

We look forward to receiving your submission in December 2007/January 2008 and to seeing you at the Museum often.

Radius: Professional Practice Series for Artists
Radius is a professional development program organized by The Aldrich Contemporary Art Museum in conjunction with the Ridgefield Guild of Artists to promote the growth and interests of regional artists. Read more about Radius.

The Hall Curatorial Fellowship
The Hall Curatorial Fellowship program is intended to offer an exceptional opportunity to a visiting international curator to gain curatorial experience in a United States museum setting, and to support the professional development of curators. In order to bring an international perspective to the Museum’s curatorial practice, the Hall Fellow will be primarily responsible for curating an original exhibition in keeping with the Museum’s mission, overseeing its installation at The Aldrich, and the development of appropriate complementary cultural and educational programs. Please note that The Hall Curatorial Fellowship program is NOT a residency program. Read more about the Hall Fellowship including selection criteria, eligibility, adjudication, and terms.

The Aldrich Contemporary Art Museum
Non-Discrimination  Policy

The Aldrich Contemporary Art Museum is committed to:

Compliance with all federal and state legislation and regulations regarding non-discrimination.

Consistent with these principles, The Aldrich does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, expression and characteristics, age, religion, national or ethnic origin, visible or invisible disability, veteran status, or any other protected status.