Art History Department Partners with Peggy Guggenheim Collection for Long-Term Internship Program

Manhattan College’s department of Art History and Digital Media Art has partnered with the Peggy Guggenheim Collection (PGC) in Venice, Italy, to allow up to two art history majors each year to have a one-month, paid summer internship at the Guggenheim Collection. 

In the summer of 2021, two Manhattan College students – Sara Milano ’21 and Ashley Bauza ’21 – will travel to Venice to take part in the highly selective program.

“The program will place Manhattan College students at the center of the modern and contemporary art scene,” says Daniel Savoy, Ph.D., associate professor of art history and chair of the Art History and Digital Media Art department. “At the same time, they’ll gain invaluable, hands-on experience in art history and museology at one of the world’s finest cultural institutions."  

In 2019, Madison Richards ’19 participated in the Guggenheim internship program, which immerses interns in the cultural life of the city of Venice, allowing them to gain practical experience of museum operations and familiarity with an important collection of modern art. 

At the Guggenheim Collection, Richards managed the galleries during opening hours to the public, assisted visitors, staffed the ticket office, cloakroom and other visitor facilities, supported the museum office staff in various departments and participated in the educational activities of the museum, including presentations to the public, guided tours and workshops with children. The internship program includes educational activities such as seminars, conferences, educational trips and guided tours for interns. 

“Beyond awarding me with the opportunity to participate in a prestigious, international internship program, Manhattan College allowed me to explore the museum sector firsthand and experience the cultural landscape of Venice,” said Richards. “By attending PGC’s organized outings, assisting with the museum’s special events, and forming relationships within PGC’s reputable network, I was fully immersed in the regional arts realm and continue to reap the benefits of my internship.”   

Richards is now an assistant account executive at Resnicow and Associates in New York City, where she works on communications campaigns for the High Museum of Art, Magazzino Italian Art, Pollock-Krasner Foundation and Upstart Co-Lab.

The Peggy Guggenheim Collection is among the most important museums in Italy for European and American art of the first half of the 20th century. It is located in Peggy Guggenheim's former home, Palazzo Venier dei Leoni, on the Grand Canal in Venice. The museum presents Peggy Guggenheim's personal collection, masterpieces from the Hannelore B. and Rudolph B. Schulhof collection, a sculpture garden, as well as temporary exhibitions. The Peggy Guggenheim Collection is owned and operated by the Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation, which also operates the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, New York, and the Guggenheim Museum Bilbao.