The agb AT FSC

2026 Summer Fellowship Program

Florida Southern College students are invited to apply for a competitive, paid 6-week Summer Fellowship Program at the Ashley Gibson Barnett Museum of Art. The 2026 Summer Fellowship Program will run from Monday, June 1, through Friday, July 10, 2026. Undergraduate students (rising sophomores, juniors, seniors) majoring in any discipline at FSC and entering at least their sophomore year are eligible to apply. Graduating seniors are not permitted to apply. Please note: Previous Fellows are not eligible to apply for another Summer Fellowship, however AGB interns ARE eligible provided they select a different department from the one they interned in. For example, if the AGB Intern served under the Curatorial Department, they would NOT be able to select Curatorial as a Summer Fellow department.

Summer Museum Fellows will have the incredible opportunity to gain firsthand insight into how museums work behind-the-scenes and to begin to explore the many possible career paths available in both the museum and non-profit worlds.

Assigned to one or more departments (contingent on student interests and career paths), each Summer Museum Fellow will be immersed in the day-to-day activities of their area(s) of the Museum over the course of the 6-week program, additionally each Fellow will complete an individual departmental project as well as a culminating multi-Fellows group project.  Fellows will plan a conclusive end-of-summer Project Presentation of their group project to be offered to the public, honing their skills for interacting with the public in the galleries as faces of the Museum.

Ideally, a Summer Fellowship at the Museum will introduce Fellows to all areas of the Museum — in addition to their department(s) of specialization — and serve as preparation for a career in museums or non-profit organizations and/or a longer academic year internship in whichever area they find most suited to their interests. Additionally, Fellows will make off-site visits to other local cultural institutions to gain insight into the variety of ways museums, gardens, history centers conduct their daily work.

Depending on departmental assignment(s) and needs, Summer 2026 projects may include: research and planning for permanent collection, temporary, and traveling exhibitions; collections management; hanging and installing exhibitions; summer camp support; store sales and merchandising; visitor services; designing marketing materials; assisting with digital marketing needs including social media content; and developing educational materials for all audiences.

For Summer 2026, the following 4 departments and specializations are available for the 6-week program (applicants should specify in their cover letters and/or essays their top two preferences):

1. Collections Management/Registration

2. Exhibitions/Curatorial

3. Education

4. Museum Visitor Services/Shop

Dates and Compensation

The 2026 Summer Fellowship Program will run from Monday, June 1, through Friday, July 10, 2026. Orientation is set for Friday, May 29 at 10am. Fellows generally work 4 days a week, although hours may vary from department to department. Certain departmental duties may require earlier starting hours than others.

Fellows accepted into the program will receive an honorarium of $1,200 for the 6-week duration of the fellowship. All Fellows must be available to work the entire 6-week period of the program from start to finish. Campus housing will be available at no additional cost for any student requiring it to participate in the program (NOTE: all applicants will need to pre-enroll for housing in advance of acceptance into the program).

How to Apply

Applications must include:

1. C.V. or résumé

2. Cover letter indicating the applicant’s specific interest in the Ashley Gibson Barnett Museum of Art summer fellowship program and top two department choices from the 4 listed above

3. A separate essay describing academic, professional, and life experiences that have fostered the applicant’s interest in or preparation for this program and how a museum fellowship relates to the applicant’s longer-term educational and career goals

4. [Optional] One-two paragraphs outlining a possible individual project related specifically to the Fellow’s area of interest. For example, Fellows interested in the curatorial fellowship should propose a project related to curation. Selected Fellows will have a discussion with Museum staff early in the Fellowship to finalize the specific project. This section is NOT required for the application to be submitted. It is simply an opportunity for prospective Fellows to describe any potential projects they may already have in mind.

Interviews will follow review of application materials. Candidates selected for interviews with Museum staff will be notified by mid-April.

Applications will be accepted immediately. The deadline for receipt of all materials is 5 p.m. on Monday, March 31st, after which point applications will be reviewed and finalists will be contacted for interviews with Museum staff. The application should be submitted electronically (in the form of a PDF) to Dr. Daryl Ward, Executive Director of the Ashley Gibson Barnett Museum of Art at dward@agbmuseum.org

For additional questions, please contact Dr. Ward.