2026-2027 Frances Blakemore & Griffith Way Internship Program

Seattle Art Museum is committed to offering meaningful career development opportunities to graduate and advanced undergraduate students at the University of Washington. The Blakemore Foundation supports our goal of furthering scholarship in Asian art and culture by generously sponsoring the Frances Blakemore & Griffith Way Internship Program. These internships enable students to gain professional research experience, work directly with SAM’s East Asian art collection, and participate in major exhibition and publication projects.

Under the mentorship of SAM’s Asian art curators, interns will gain intimate knowledge about the day-to-day responsibilities of a curator, enhance their knowledge of Asian art, and gain practical experience in an area directly related to their studies. Interns will have the opportunity to network internationally with top scholars in their field, plan and implement scholarly programs and symposia, and speak to the public through gallery talks and docent training presentations.

The unwavering goal of this program is to provide promising students of Asian art and Asian studies with outstanding opportunities to intern at a top ranked Asian art museum. The internship program furthers the Blakemore Foundation’s mission of advancing the study of Asian art and culture by fostering new scholarship opportunities in the field. As interns gain hands-on experience in a museum environment, the museum benefits from the specialized knowledge of Asian art, language, and culture that interns bring to the departments they support.

This year SAM will host 2 interns for the Frances Blakemore & Griffith Way Internship Program in support of ongoing work related to our East Asian Art collections.

These interns will work under the supervision of either Dr. Foong Ping, Foster Foundation Curator of Chinese Art, or Dr. Aaron Rio, Tateuchi Foundation Curator of Japanese and Korean Art, on projects related to collection research and exhibitions.

All interns in this program will have opportunities to work with the Gardner Center for Asian Art and Ideas (CAAI), key international institutions with Asian expertise, and local specialist partners to present an ambitious and exciting lineup of programs. While assisting on projects at SAM, the intern will work directly with the curator, curatorial coordinators, educators, registrars, IT staff, and conservators, as well as partnering scholars.

EXPECTED TIME COMMITMENT

The internship period is for the Autumn, Winter, or Spring quarters of the 2026-2027 academic year. The expectation is that interns will work 20 hours per week. 

COMPENSATION

Interns will receive a quarterly stipend through the University of Washington equivalent to a Level 2 UW graduate teaching assistant rate, estimated at $11,380 ($3,793.33 per month for pay periods running through Autumn 2026, Winter 2026, or Spring 2027).

Each internship will include a waiver of tuition and most fees for the quarter, including the resident operating fee, the building fee, and the technology fee.

ELIGIBILITY

• For Master’s and PhD students enrolled at University of Washington
• Fields of study include East Asian art and Chinese, Japanese, or Korean art history
• Stipend estimated at $3,793.33 per month
• Time commitment is 20 hours per week, for 12 weeks

Graduate students currently enrolled at University of Washington in the Art History or Henry M. Jackson School’s Asian Studies departments are preferred.

Students enrolled in other UW programs will also be considered, including those skilled in East Asian languages or experienced with the study of material culture.

All applicants are required to have completed at least two art history classes in Chinese, Japanese, or Korean art prior to applying.

APPLICATION PROCESS

All application materials are due by July 1, 2026. This includes:

• Resume
• Personal statement explaining your reasons for applying to this program. Your statement should include:
  • What you feel you can contribute to the department in which you are applying
  • What you hope to gain from the experience
• Writing sample (10 pages max.)
• Current transcript (Unofficial transcripts are allowed)

Please note: Letters of Recommendation are NOT required for the Frances Blakemore and Griffith Way Internships Program but are welcome.