Session 2: Help Me Help You: Student Internships for Small Museums

For small museums, interns can bring a diverse, enthusiastic perspective to meet institutional goals on short-term and long-term projects. For interns, the opportunity to acquire hands-on experience working at a museum can be the practical experience they need to kickstart a stellar career in museums. How can your museum benefit from student interns? How can your museum cultivate internship opportunities that will benefit students? Co-presented by a museum professional with a research focus in museum labor and a current student whose internship is currently launching her career, this session will discuss strategies for developing, evaluating, and marketing a sustainable internship program that speaks to the needs of your institution, the needs of the future generation of museum workers, and best practices in museum labor.  

Leeann Ream - Assistant Curator and Center for Collections Care Postgraduate Fellow, Logan Museum of Anthropology

Leeann Ream works at the intersection of art, museums, and labor. She is passionate about using frameworks informed by socio-economic justice to promote student engagement, emerging artists, cultural workers, and diverse museum audiences. She has presented original research on museum labor issues at the Newberry, the Inclusive Museum, and the Chicago Cultural Center among other venues. Leeann completed a Master’s in Museum and Exhibition Studies from the University of Illinois Chicago in 2023.

Kiersten Faldet - Beloit College Anthropology and Museum Studies student

Kiersten Faldet is from Orfordville, Wisconsin and is a current student at Beloit College studying anthropology and museum studies. In 2023, Kiersten completed a 400-hour, 10-week internship at the Beloit Historical Society.  She is passionate about collections management and currently works as a curatorial assistant at the Beloit Historical Society and as a museum assistant in the Logan Museum of Anthropology.