become a Rothko Chapel intern
Our interns are involved in activities that can range from office support to more substantive projects, depending on the needs of the organization and your skills.
learn more about
internship opportunities 
The Rothko Chapel is always looking for dedicated individuals who possess a strong interest in the areas of art, spirituality, and human rights, and who seek to gain valuable experience working within a non-profit organization. Internship opportunities are made available on a case-by-case basis, and are customized depending on the applicant’s area of interests, skills and past work experience, and duration of commitment, availability, and the organizations’ needs.
INTERNSHIP TERMS
Fall – Winter
September – December
Winter – Spring
January – May
Summer
June – August
Archives Intern
About the Rothko Chapel
Rothko Chapel’s mission is to steward a reflective space and present programs that promote spirituality, creativity, dialogue, and action leading to more equitable, empowered, and engaged communities.
The Rothko Chapel is a spiritual space, a forum for world leaders, a place for solitude and gathering. It’s an epicenter for civil rights activists, a quiet disruption, a stillness that moves. It’s a destination for the 100,000 people of all faiths who visit each year from all parts of the world. It is the home of the Óscar Romero Award.
The space contains 14 murals created by American artist Mark Rothko. Philip Johnson, Howard Barnstone, and Eugene Aubry were the architects.
Outside, Barnett Newman’s Broken Obelisk rises above the reflecting pool on the Plaza. The sculpture is dedicated to The Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., whose active outer life in service of social justice, informed by a deeply spiritual interior life, resonated with founders John and Dominique de Menil.
Position Summary
Rothko Chapel’s Archives acts as the institutional memory for the organization and provides necessary materials for research work. The archives play a vital role in supporting the ongoing work of the institution, maintaining continuity, and capitalizing on the institutional heritage to publish books, occasional papers, and to provide creative ways to inform the general public on the unique and remarkable legacy that exists. Archives Interns will be responsible for a variety of tasks in support of the ongoing maintenance and strengthening/improvement of the Rothko Chapel Archives. This internship position reports to the Archives Volunteer and/or Director of Finance & Operations.
At this point in time, due to budgetary constraints, this is an unpaid internship. The current open internship will run Jan/Feb 2026 to April/May 2026.
Job Functions and Requirements
Recurring Tasks
- Process incoming and backlogged items & organize/reorganize existing items as needed
- Assist with adding items to and maintain items in ArchivesSpace as needed/directed
- Rename and store digital files in proper area
- File/store physical items in appropriate area
- Ensuring mapping between physical and digital archives is maintained, when applicable
- Ensure all physical documents are stored in acid-free folders and containers
- Assist researchers with reference requests
- Assist with creation of Finding Aids for each Series and Sub-series to include but not limited to access and/or restrictions to access, publication rights, inventory/scope and contents, extents, and location.
Special Projects
- Manage the digitization of the historical physical collection, using internal and external resources
- Add metadata to digital archives to improve searchability for staff and researchers
- Improve and/or update mapping between physical and digital archive location
- Add LC classification numbers to each volume in the collection (bookmarks) and update book collection in Library Thing
- Assist with processing records and renumbering files in ArchiveSpace to correspond with arrangement and new physical location.
- Assist with determining which obsolete audiovisual materials are still in need of reformatting.
Qualifications:
- Strong organizational skills required
- Must be detail oriented with excellent research skills
- Strong communication skills, both written and verbal
- Ability to work independently with little or no supervision
- Ability to work in a team and to prioritize projects
- Goal oriented with exceptional time management
- Competency in Microsoft Office systems
- Experience working in archives/libraries or pursuing a degree in a related field is preferred
- Ability to lift/move boxes of no more than 50 lbs.
To apply, please email letter of interest and resume to hr@rothkochapel.org.
No phone calls or in person applications please.
The Rothko Chapel is an Equal Opportunity Employer and values and encourages a diverse workforce.
