EAST LANSING, Mich. -- Meghan Burke of Michigan State University is one of four students in the country to be accepted into one of Smithsonian Institutions’ most prestigious internship programs.
Founded in 2001, the Smithsonian Affiliations Intern Partnership Program provides students in affiliate communities with the opportunity to gain practical skills and experience in the museum field. The MSU Museum is an affiliate.
Burke, of Northville, Mich., is working toward a B.A. in history of art and visual culture, and will be engaged in a cultural studies internship at the Smithsonian's Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage. Her internship will focus on programs for the summer's Folklife Festival on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., and she will return to East Lansing in August to assist at the MSU Museum's Great Lakes Folk Festival from Aug. 12 to Aug.14.
Burke will then work with the MSU Museum's folklife and cultural heritage collections and programs through the fall.
"The Smithsonian Affiliations internship is a tremendous opportunity for a new museum professional and we're delighted to combine it with our ongoing work of researching, documenting and sharing traditions and culture at the museum," said Marsha MacDowell, MSU Museum curator and professor of art and art history.
Burke hopes to become a museum registrar following graduate school.
"Being able to learn museum techniques and skills on such a large scale from the very best in the country will be a life-changing opportunity for me," she said. "This internship will open many doors for me and help me pursue my goal.”
Earning a stipend of $4,000, interns typically work 40 hours per week at the Smithsonian for 10 weeks during the summer months. At the end of the summer, they return to school but continue their projects and enhance their experience by working 12 to 15 hours per week for up to four months at the local affiliate institution.
Support for the 2011 MSU Museum internship contribution is underwritten by John and Liz Schweitzer and Mary Mertz-Smith and Gavin Smith.
Smithsonian Affiliations is a national outreach unit of the Smithsonian Institution that shares Smithsonian collections and expertise with a network of more than 160 museums and cultural organizations across the country.
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