Art History Major Enjoying Guggenheim Internship in Italy

Madison Richards ’19, a double major in art history and communication with a concentration in public relations, is spending part of her summer in the Guggenheim internship program in Venice, Italy.

“I want to have a job where I feel like I learn something. This is what I appreciate about art history,” Richards said. “The opportunity of working abroad is also something that I’m interested in experiencing.”

The only program of its kind in Italy, the Peggy Guggenheim Collection offers an internship program for students and recent graduates who study art, art history or related disciplines. For young people interested in the arts, the internship provides students an opportunity to profit both from in-depth exposure to modern masterpieces and from immersion in the cultural environment of Venice.

Several times a week, interns meet for discussions and seminars on topics relating to art history and museology. These seminars are conducted by the interns themselves and by staff members or visiting professionals. The presentations given by the museum staff allow the interns to gain insight into the overall management of the museum, and of specific tasks and assignments performed in their respective roles. Interns also view numerous art works in storage and have access to valuable documents.

The vice president of Manhattan College’s chapter of the Public Relations Student Society of America, Richards has previously interned in the public relations department at VaynerMedia. She has also studied abroad in Argentina during a winter intersession course.