McMullan Arts Leadership Internship — Revenue System Operations, Ticketing & Admissions Administration (Summer 2026)

POSITION SUMMARY:

The Art Institute of Chicago’s Revenue Systems Operations department is excited to offer a McMullan Arts Leadership intern position to work with their Ticketing and Admissions Administration Team.

As one of the most renown museums in the US, the Art Institute of Chicago hosts an average of 125,000 visitors per month. In support of our visitors, the Revenue System Operations team oversees the administration of the museum’s revenue data ecosystem. This team collaborates closely with Visitor Engagement, Member Engagement, Advancement Operations, Information Systems, Analytics, and Retail teams to improve the efficiency and security of our data and to deliver the best possible experience for visitors, members, and supporters of the Art Institute.

Within working on the ticketing and admissions administration team, the intern will be the primary point for essential tasks that maintain the Art Institute of Chicago’s ability to sell tickets and other forms of admissions passes and provide an efficient and effective admissions experience.

The intern will join a museum-wide intern cohort and have access to a range of programs to support their development in addition to their placement in Ticketing and Admissions Administration. Mentorship is provided throughout the experience and connections with an intern alumni network will be established.

Goals of the McMullan Arts Leadership Internship Program

The McMullan Arts Leadership internship program is part of a museum-wide effort to provide students the opportunity to gain experience, career awareness, networks, and skills that will position them to thrive as future art museum leaders.

This program specifically aims to support students who encounter economic challenges when considering a career in the arts. Aligned with this goal, we aim to help shape a diverse group of leaders whose actions are informed by a wide range of perspectives, varying career paths, and values inspired by their own lived experiences.

INTERNSHIP OUTCOMES:

This internship will provide varied and meaningful opportunities to contribute to the maintenance of a ticketing and admissions system at a premier cultural institution. In this position, the intern will:

• Gain experience in the administration of Galaxy Gateway Ticketing System and associated hardware;
• Get insight into each phase of the design, publishing, and maintenance of admissions events;
• Acquire knowledge of the admissions process in a complex business environment;
• Understand effective data governance;
• Gain practical experience in vendor relations;
• Familiarize themselves with museum operations;
• Hone written and oral business communications skills as part of routine operations and interdepartmental projects;
• Participate in live troubleshooting, process-improvement and problem solving in a business setting;

• Develop strong communication and organizational skills;
• Develop mentor relationships with field practitioners;

• Build peer-to-peer relationships with fellow interns.

DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:

With guidance from the position’s mentors, the intern will:

• create and maintain general admission tickets and ticketed events within Galaxy (Art Institute’s ticketing and admission system);
• Assist with the maintenance of admission’s ticketing hardware;
• Develop and refresh training and process documentation;
• Assist with troubleshooting technical and operational ticketing or admission issues;
• Attend weekly check-ins with the position’s mentors: the associate director of Revenue Systems and the Executive Director of Revenue Systems and Business Intelligence;
• Attend intern cohort professional development programs and museum practice seminars.

QUALIFICATIONS:

• Undergraduate or graduate student; recent graduates (within one year of graduation) will also be considered;
• Due to onsite necessity, applicants must be based in the Chicagoland area and/or attending school in the Chicagoland area over the course of the internship term;
• Willingness to learn to effectively operate revenue applications, principally Galaxy Gateway Ticketing System;
• Detail-oriented and demonstrated organizational skills; ability to multitask and to flexibly prioritize when appropriate;
• Attention to professional self-presentation, including adhering to staff attire guidelines, being punctual, and engaging warmly with museum visitors and colleagues;
• Strong interpersonal, written, and verbal communication skills;
• Familiarity with MS Office and Google Professional Suite.

APPLICATION:

You must upload all of the requested materials below (résumé and essay responses) into only ONE pdf document and list your last name and “Summer 2026” in the title of the file (example: [LAST NAME]_SUMMER2026.pdf.) Please upload your materials where asked in the online application.

PLEASE NOTE: You will not be considered if any requested application element is missing.

To apply for this internship, tell us your story. We want to understand who you are, what motivates you, how you think, and where you’re coming from. Please submit the following materials:

1. Résumé
2. Instead of a traditional cover letter, please respond to the following questions in short essays (no more than 300 words per answer.) We encourage you to provide specific examples to support your answers or to illustrate your ideas:
   1. What about this job description interests you the most?
   2. With the mission of the McMullan Arts Leadership intern program in mind, what perspectives might you bring to this role that you think museums need more of?
   3. How do you envision this opportunity helping you towards your professional goals?

DEADLINE:

This application will close on Friday, February 27 at 11:59 pm CDT. Selected applicants will be asked to interview via video call approximately two weeks after deadline passes.

INTERNSHIP INFORMATION:

Duration of Position: 10 weeks / June 2026 (start date anytime during the week of June 1–5) through August 2026 (end date anytime during the week of August 3–7)

Compensation: Paid – $17.50/hr – 28 hrs/week – Temporary

Schedule: This is a part-time, 10-week position for a currently enrolled or recently graduated undergraduate or graduate student. The intern will work 28 hours per week, for a total of up to 280 hours over the course of the internship. Work days will occur between Monday–Friday; the start date and schedule will be determined upon agreement with the candidate and the host department.

Hourlong virtual and in-person intern professional development programs will be scheduled throughout the internship term that the student is strongly encouraged to attend. These programs will occur during the week; we ask that the intern make this part of their internship schedule.

Format: The internship will be a hybrid of onsite and remote workdays. Due to onsite necessity, applicants based or attending school in the Chicagoland area during the internship timeframe will be prioritized. Internet access and appropriate technology will be necessary to complete this internship, but technological accommodations will be provided by the Art Institute of Chicago.

Number of openings: 1