Artslife

Artslife is a paid summer internship for 10 rising sophomores and juniors in New York City public and charter high schools. The program integrates art with leadership development, museum studies, and community engagement.

Interns explore careers across the museum and collaborate on projects with staff and arts professionals. The six-week program begins with team building, followed by hands-on experience, and behind-the-scenes exposure to museum work.

Artslife interns:

• Explore careers in the arts 
• Build career readiness skills
• Create artwork with local and visiting artists 
• Design and lead peer-to-peer tours 
• Strengthen presentation, communication, and public speaking skills 
• Visit cultural institutions across New York City 
• Earn $17/hour

The application portal for the Artslife summer 2026 internship is now closed. Have questions? Email us at education@madmuseum.org

RECESS: Winter Break Intensive Program

RECESS is a paid, week-long intensive internship program at the Museum of Arts and Design (MAD) for New York City teens ages 13–18. Taking place during NYC public schools’ winter break, the program explores museum education, art, craft, and design through hands-on experiences that help participants develop public speaking, presentation, and peer-to-peer engagement skills.

Interns:

• Explore art and design with other NYC teens. 
• Create and lead a youth-friendly tour of a MAD exhibition. 
• Learn how museum educators develop engaging content. 
• Build public speaking, presentation, and communication skills.

Program Details:

Dates: February 16–19, 2027
Daily Hours: 10:00 AM–12:00 PM
Culminating Event: February 19, 4:00–6:00 PM
Openings: 10 positions

Each intern who successfully completes the program will receive a $200 stipend and will be eligible for membership in MAD’s Teen Council.

Application Deadline:

Sunday, January 3, 2027, at 11:59 PM

Artslab

Created by MAD’s Teen Council members, Artslab connects participants in MAD’s Artist Studios residency program with a group of New York City teens. Admission is free and offered on a first-come, first-served basis. Have questions? Email us at education@madmuseum.org.

Teen Council

MAD's Teen Council is comprised of Artslife and Recess Intensive alumni who share a common interest in art, design, and community engagement. The Teen Council plans events for teens, including Artslab workshops.