Opportunities

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.

To apply, email a cover letter and résumé to

Michael Blakeney
The Aldrich Contemporary Art Museum
258 Main Street
Ridgefield, CT  06877

mblakeney@aldrichart.org

New Media Developer

Position filled for summer 2009

The Education Department is committed to incorporating technology that engages Museum visitors in the exchange of ideas.  The New Media Developer will enhance the work of Aldrich educators with particular attention to how media tools connect, excite, and inform our diverse public from early childhood through adulthood.

Responsibilities include: documentation of particular programs or events, use of social media to capitalize on the Museum experience, and exploring and testing new technologies.

This is an opportunity for an individual to explore media as a tool of communication and to connect ideas in new ways. This intern will leave The Aldrich with a better understanding of the ways new media tools can support and enhance education programming.

This internship is available summer and fall 2009.

Please contact Michael Blakeney, Associate Education Director, at mblakeney@aldrichart.org.

Membership Intern

Position filled for summer 2009

The Membership Department has an opening for one intern for the period June through July 31, 2009. This position requires a highly capable, outgoing, and responsible individual to assist with the development of The Aldrich’s membership program. Candidates must have their own transportation.


Responsibilities:


Qualifications:


Benefits:


Contact:

Jessica Musante
Membership Coordinator
jmusante@aldrichart.org
203.438.4519 ext 36

Events and External Affairs Internship

Position filled for summer 2009

The External Affairs Department has an opening for one intern for summer 2009. This position requires a highly capable, outgoing, and responsible individual to assist with the organization of fundraising events, marketing initiatives, and development-related tasks. Strong written, computer, and interpersonal skills are essential. This is an exciting position for an individual who is interested in engaging with the general public on behalf of The Aldrich.

Please contact Michael Blakeney, Associate Education Director, at mblakeney@aldrichart.org.

Art Daze at The Aldrich

2 Internships
Positions filled for summer 2009
July 7 through 30, 2009
 
Program times:
Morning Art Daze: 8:30 to 11:30 am (class meets from 9 to 11 am)
Ages 4 to 6
Max. 15 children per class

Afternoon Art Daze: 12:30 to 4:30 pm (class meets from 1 to 4 pm)
Ages 7 to 12
Max. 20 children per class

Duties include, but are not limited to:


Qualifications:

 
Pay:
$11 per hour

Supervisor:
Carolina Pedraza, Head of Youth & Family Programs
The Aldrich Contemporary Art Museum
258 Main Street
Ridgefield, CT 06877
203.438.4519 ext 40


Please submit résumé, cover letter, and three references to Michael Blakeney, Associate Education Director, at mblakeney@aldrichart.org.

 

Curatorial Internships

Positions filled for summer 2009
Accepting applications for fall 2009 until May 29.

Curatorial internships are available for summer and fall 2009.  Responsibilities include supporting the work of the curatorial department on specific exhibitions and planning, and assisting with the department’s administrative tasks.  A strong interest in contemporary art and ideas is essential, along with outstanding organizational skills and the ability to work independently.

Please contact Michael Blakeney, Associate Education Director, at mblakeney@aldrichart.org.

 

New World Kids 2009

Three Internships
Positions filled for summer 2009

Program description:

The Aldrich will invite a new group of five- and six-year olds to participate in the third summer of an innovative program focused on building creative thinkers, titled New World Kids and the Next Literacy. This year, twelve children will explore a new way of looking at and understanding the world around them, and parents will learn about the individual strengths that will help their children to learn productively in the future. The Museum believes in the importance of developing programs that prepare young minds to learn and grow in a future that will require visual literacy and innovation. New World Kids is a program proven to engage children with the creative thinking processes, the capacity to invent with many media, the ability to think across disciplines, and the reliance on (and joy in) the imagination.

Responsibilities:

Each intern will be responsible for a group of three children during the activity portion of the day. Interns will work closely with each child to help them understand the concepts we are working with and to expand on the possibilities of what they can accomplish. Interns will also help prepare and distribute materials, maintain classroom discipline, lead clean-up, take photographs, transcribe stories and quotes, support the program director, etc. We are seeking college students or grads who have experience working with young children, who are interested in the educational process, who are capable of helping children realize their ideas, and who can maintain a level of excitement and enthusiasm for the children.

Dates:
Prep days: July 24 and 28, 10 am to 3 pm
Parent orientation: July 27, 8:30 to 11:00 am
Class: August 3 to 14, 8:30 am to 12:30 pm (class time is 9:30 to 12 noon)
Parent show-and-tell: August 14 (prep in afternoon), August 15 (prep in morning, event in early afternoon)

Rate: $11/Hour

Please submit résumé, cover letter, and three references to Laura Kaufman, Head of School & Teacher Programs, lkaufman@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 Robin Phillips at rphillips@aldrichart.org@aldrichart.org

Artist Opportunities

Submitting Your Artwork for Review:  There are two possible ways to submit your artwork for review. You may submit to either the Online General Submissions or the Radius program. You may not submit to both, so please read carefully to ensure that you apply to the one for which you qualify. If you qualify for the Radius program, you are not eligible for the Online General Submissions and should apply exclusively to Radius. You may only submit your materials once every two years to either program.

Before you apply to either program:  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.

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.  Each year the program includes a juried exhibition, Radius: Emerging Artists from Connecticut and Southeastern New York.

Who can apply to Radius? 
The Radius juried exhibition is open to any artist resident in Connecticut, or Westchester, Putnam, or Dutchess counties in New York, who does not have commercial gallery representation in a major market. Works in all mediums are considered. There is no entry fee and applications are available once a year, generally in the summer. You may apply only once every two years.  More information concerning the program, eligibility, important dates, and the application process is available here

Artists are chosen to participate in the Radius exhibition after a review of submissions received as a result of the open call for entries. In addition to the group exhibition at the Ridgefield Guild of Artists, the selected artists receive an individual exchange with a curator, including a review of their portfolios and original work, focusing on professional development. Radius also includes networking opportunities, workshops, and a public forum to address important issues for professional advancement.

Deadline for Radius Submissions:  The application period for our twelfth annual Radius exhibition is from September 1 to October 16, 2009. All applications must be submitted online. All submissions will be reviewed by the Radius Selection Committee, comprised of curators from The Aldrich and the Guild.

The exhibition featuring the 2009 selections will be held at the Ridgefield Guild of Artists on February 27 to March 27, 2010. `For complete information, please click here.

Online General Submission

Who can apply via the Online General Submission? Artists (national and international) working in all media who are not eligible for the Radius program and who would like their work to be considered for a studio visit by the Museum’s curators. Collectives or collaborating artists should submit only one application, listing the names of all the participating artists. If you are eligible for Radius, please do not apply to the Online General Submission. You may apply only once every two years for either Radius or the general review.  

Deadlines for Online General Submission: During 2009, applications will be accepted from January 5 to 9, April 6 to 10, July 6 to 9, and November 2 to 6. Applications will only be received during these four periods in 2009 and must be submitted by 3 pm New York time on the last day of the deadline.

How to apply to either program: 

Applications are accepted online only for both Radius and Online General submissions.
To apply to Online General Submissions, please click here
To apply to Radius, please click here

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 are ready to make your submission.
The application program will prompt you to provide the following information:

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

3. 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.

4. 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.

5. You must submit the online component of your application and mail your work sample no later than the deadlines posted above. If you are sending CDs or DVDs of audio or video material, please ensure that your work is postmarked on or before the deadlines. 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

Work Sample Requirements

1. Please submit a representative example of your artistic work.  Images should be recent work only, made 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 (still images), submit up to eight digital images online, using the following specifications:

3. Digital images will be uploaded directly onto your application. Do NOT send discs containing image files.

4. 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.

5.  As you decide on the order of your images, please consider that they will be projected for the jury in groups of four, in the order in which they are uploaded (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.

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

All submissions will be reviewed by the curatorial staff and you will have a response the week before the next application deadline. No phone calls, please. We look forward to receiving your submission during 2009 and to seeing you at the Museum often.

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.