The Visual Resources Association Foundation (VRAF) is inviting applications for the ninth VRAF Internship Award in visual resources and image management. 

Award Overview

The Visual Resources Association Foundation (VRAF) Internship Award provides financial support for graduate students preparing for a career in visual resources and image management. The award grants $4,000 to support a period of internship in archives, libraries, museums, visual resources collections in academic institutions, or other appropriate contexts.

The recipient receives a stipend of $3,000 for 200 hours completed at the host site. A professional development component of $1,000 supports conference attendance or attendance at the Summer Educational Institute for Visual Resources and Image Management. The recipient receives a one-year complimentary student membership in the Visual Resources Association.

Candidates should apply after developing a project with a specific collection and prospective supervisor. The VRAF Internship Award Committee favors opportunities in which the intern may integrate skills acquired during the course of his or her academic training to manage a project from beginning to end, with the host institution receiving needed help in making valuable but hidden cultural collections visible. Projects that would not occur without funding for an intern may be given special consideration.

The VRAF Internship is generously funded by the Samuel H. Kress Foundation. The VRAF Internship Award Committee consists of a VRAF Director as chair, a representative from the VRA Education Committee, a representative from the VRA Awards Committee, and the previous internship recipient.

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About the Internship

One VRAF Internship is awarded per year. Priority is given to applicants who submit projects that support art historical or related visual cultural heritage research and scholarship.

Although the award recipient need not hold US citizenship or be a permanent resident of the US, the recipient must select an institution in the United States to act as host for the internship. This institution must be approved by the VRAF Internship Award Committee. VRAF and VRA are not responsible for matching candidates with a host institution, but will gladly assist with the process.

This Internship Award is granted in conjunction with an academic year. The intern is required to work on site at their chosen host institution for a minimum of 200 hours. The intern will choose to initiate their internship in the fall, winter, or spring.

The internship must begin within 30 days of the official beginning of the selected academic session of the participant’s home institution and be completed within one academic semester or two academic quarters. Exceptions are allowed by agreement between the selected intern and the VRAF Internship Awards Committee. In all cases, the internship must be completed within twelve months of the recipient being notified of the award.

The intern and the internship supervisor will complete brief evaluations of the internship experience. This report must be received by the VRAF Internship Committee by March 1 of the given academic year.

The VRAF Internship Award will provide a stipend of $3,000 to the intern. Half of the award will be granted prior to the internship, with the remainder granted upon completion of the internship and receipt of a letter to the Chair of the VRAF Internship Committee signed by the internship supervisor and the intern stating that the 200 hours have been completed. If the recipient is not a US citizen, the VRAF is required by the IRS to withhold a percentage of this award.

A professional development component of $1,000 is available to support attendance at the annual VRA conference, other appropriate conferences, or the Summer Educational Institute for Visual Resources and Image Management. The recipient will be reimbursed upon submission of receipts and documentation. The award recipient will be formally recognized during the Awards ceremony at the VRA conference.

The recipient receives a one-year complimentary student membership in the Visual Resources Association.

Interns may have the option of receiving academic credit for the internship as part of their graduate course work but are responsible for making those arrangements themselves.

Eligibility

  • Students currently enrolled in, or having completed within the last 24 months, a graduate program in library or information science, art history, architectural history, architecture, visual or studio art, museum studies, or other applicable field of study may apply for this award.
  • Applicants must have completed at least 10 credits of their graduate coursework before the application deadline, or demonstrate an equivalent combination of coursework and relevant experience.

Grant Amount

  • The award grants $3,000 to support a period of internship in archives, libraries, museums, visual resources collections in academic institutions, or other appropriate contexts.
  • It also provides $1,000 for professional development, and a one-year complimentary student membership in the Visual Resources Association. 

Important Dates

  • 7/23/2021: Deadline for submission of applications to the VRAF Internship Award Committee.
  • 8/16/2021: VRAF Internship Award Committee announces the award recipient for 2021-2021.
How to Apply
Contact

Marcia Focht
Curator of Visual Resources
Binghamton University
mfocht@binghamton.edu

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