Opportunities

The Visual Resource Center in the Department of Art History is pleased to offer undergraduate internships to Art History majors who are interested in developing professional skills related to visual resources and image management. Working closely with the Curator and Visual Resource Specialist, the intern will have the unique opportunity to develop core competencies associated with the production and management of digital image collections. Through their work in the Visual Resource Center, assigned readings and reflection papers, interns will become familiar with theory and best practices related to image archives, materiality, image production, cataloguing standards, controlled vocabularies, online databases, image repositories, and issues surrounding intellectual property. Specific opportunities will vary by term and may include handling both analog film and born-digital content.

A statement of interest is required in lieu of an application. Interested art history majors should reference the below course catalog entry when contacting their academic advisor.

AHS 198/Individual Internship
Current Catalog Description: research, variable. Pre-requisite(s): consent of instructor and upper-division standing. Individual study or apprenticeship in a museum, art library, or slide and photo archive in order to gain practical experience and skills for future professional work. Graded Satisfactory (S) or No Credit (NC). Course is repeatable to a maximum of 16 units.

In collaboration with the Society of Architectural Historians (SAH) and graciously funded by the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH), the Color Film Emergency Project (CFEP) emerged from the realization that valuable 35mm slide collections created and amassed by 20th-century scholars of the built environment are threatened with loss, destruction, and environmental damage. The SAH recognizes the importance of this part of 20th-century intellectual history and documentation, and aims to facilitate its preservation, digitization, and access to these materials through the work of the CFEP and its consortium of processing partners.

Paid participation opportunities exist through June 2027 for both undergraduate students and graduate students of Art History.  Interested students should contact their advisor or contact the VRC directly at visualresources@ucr.edu

Generously funded by the Gluck Fellows Program for the Arts, the VRC Family Learning Fellowship is offered annually to one graduate student of art history. Similar to the Color Film Emergency Project (CFEP) fellowship, this fellowship is grounded in bringing arts into the local community through public outreach. In addition to their participation with the CFEP, fellows are expected to significantly contribute, alongside VRC staff, to programming that directly engages with the public. Outreach may include taking part in local school district events, local library workshops, assisting with visits from area schools, and offering online webinars.

For more information, visit: https://gluckprogram.ucr.edu/

Interested in working with images but don’t have enough time for a full-length internship or fellowship? The VRC can work with you to design a flexible volunteer opportunity that fits your schedule. Even with just a few hours a week to spare, we can craft a small-scale opportunity that will help you develop professional skills while building your resume – without having to leave campus.

Past volunteers have helped index legacy slide collections, digitized 19th-century glass lantern slides, and have researched historical images to provide accurate cataloguing data.

Volunteer opportunities are limited and a statement of intent is required to apply. For more information contact: visualresources@ucr.edu