Studio Museum Institute
The Studio Museum Institute (SMI) is a professional development, curatorial, and arts education initiative created to foster a spirit of incubation, ideation, and support.
First cohort of the Studio Museum/MoMA fellowship program, 2015–2017. (L to R): Henry Murphy, Adeze Wilford, Dessane Cassell, Alexis Gonzalez. Photo: Alani Bass
SMI is a suite of programs that reflects the Museum's vision and commitment to training and mentoring leaders in the art world from historically underrepresented backgrounds.
Fellowships
The Studio Museum provides paid, year-long fellowships that support the professional training of curators, scholars, archivists, and educators historically underrepresented in the museum field. Fellows work alongside some of the most innovative practitioners of museology across the Museum, engaging in intensive scholarship opportunities, program development, and professional exposure.
Internships
The Studio Museum’s internship program offers emerging professionals insight into the operations of a leading institution dedicated to artists of African descent. Interns are placed across departments where they support key projects, engage with the Harlem community, conduct research on the Museum’s collection, and gain firsthand experience with the day-to-day practices that shape contemporary, culturally specific museums.
In addition to their departmental work, interns participate in a series of professional development workshops, take part in conversations on museology, and visit other New York City institutions. Throughout the program, interns build connections with educators, curators, and cultural workers who are redefining the field.
Depending on departmental needs, internships may be offered in the following areas: Communications, Collections, Curatorial, Director’s Office, Development, Education, Visitor Services, and Operations.
See Current Available Opportunities.
Arts Leadership Praxis
The Arts Leadership Praxis is an annual six-month program that provides professional development and cohort-building opportunities to mid-career cultural professionals of color and those deeply invested in Black cultural production.
Studio Museum in Harlem Arts Leadership Praxis 2025 Cohort at the Studio Museum’s Headquarters. From left to right: David Lisbon, Devin Malone, Taylor Jasper, Naiomy Guerrero, Dhyandra Lawson, Ade Omotosho, Kendyll Gross, and Antoinette Roberts. Photo: Justin French
Museums as Systems
The multi-day, annual Museums as Systems symposium gathers together arts workers to discuss alternative approaches to museum structures.
The symposium creates a space of multivocal, multigenerational, circular learning about how museums currently function, what never was, and what could come next.
Museum Education Practicum
The Museum Education Practicum provides an in-depth look at museum education with the guidance of the Studio Museum’s knowledgeable educators. Participants gain firsthand experience and develop strategies for working with adult, school, youth, and family audiences.
While exploring both theory and practice, participants will engage in specific conversations around artists of African descent, contemporary art practice, and programmatic strategies.