Student internships
The Commonwealth Center for Humanities and Society strongly encourages students to pursue hands-on learning through its internships with our regional arts and culture partners.
Student internships
Education should not be confined to the campus. Internships allow students to develop relationships with Louisville's most important cultural institutions, acquire crucial skills and gain experience that prepares them for professional life after graduation.
Apply for an internship
Partner institutions offer extraordinary resources for research, internships and other learning experiences, such as:
- Filson Historical Society's collection of 1.5 million original manuscripts
- The Speed Art Museum's 14,000 works of art
- The American Printing House for the Blind's two largest libraries on blindness nationally
- Riverside, the Farnsley-Moremen Landing's 300 acres of archaeology-rich land beside the Ohio River
- Farmington's and Locust Grove's thriving interpretive programs at historic homes.
Internship opportunities at partner institutions have included research on 19th century agricultural economics, a study and exhibition of posters from China's Cultural Revolution and helping to launch "Unbound," a fiction-reading radio program at Louisville Public Media.
Upcoming internship opportunities
Internship opportunities open each spring semester. Visit this page regularly to see the latest placements and application information.
I had the opportunity to work with the Iroquois Library as the African Immigrant and Refugee Programming Intern... I was able to combine my knowledge gained in anthropology and Pan-African Studies and put them into practice.
...having the opportunity to work as the Photograph Collections Intern at the Filson Historical Society has been the perfect introduction to understanding how all of my passions can translate into a professional setting outside of my education.
Our previous interns
In the Spring 2024 semester, the CCHS facilitated the placement of interns at The Filson Historical Society, Portland Museum, Louisville Story Project and Locust Grove. Each internship comes with an award of $500 toward tuition.
- James Petko, Filson Historical Society. Site supervisors, Jennie Cole and Kelly Hyberger.
- Soraya Robinson, Louisville Story Project. Site supervisor, Joe Manning.
- John O'Neal, Locust Grove. Site supervisor, Carol Ely.
- Chloe Purdy, Locust Grove. Site supervisor, Carol Ely. Internship director, Matthew Ruther.
- Peyton Gose, Portland Museum. Site supervisor, Katy Delahanty. Internship supervisor, Dr. Jonetta Weber.
- Elijah Humble, Portland Museum. Site supervisor, Katy Delahanty. Graduate advisor, Dr. Theresa Keeley.
In the Spring 2023 semester, the CCHS facilitated the placement of interns at The Filson Historical Society, Frazier History Museum and Locust Grove. Each internship comes with an award of $500 toward tuition.
- Joshua Keown, Education and interpretations internship at Locust Grove. Site supervisor, Carol Ely, executive director of Locust Grove.
- Zachary Keown, Digital collections internship at the Filson Historical Society. Site supervisor, Hannah O'Daniel McCallon, curator of digital collections at the Filson Historical Society.
- Ashleigh Roth, Museum collections internship at the Filson Historical Society. Site supervisors, Maureen Lane, curator of museum collections and exhibit coordinator, and Brooks Vessels, assistant museum curator and exhibits designer at the Filson Historical Society.
- Nova Villier, Education internship at the Frazier History Museum. Site supervisor, Heather Gotlib, director of education and outreach at the Frazier History Museum
In the Spring 2022 semester, the CCHS facilitated the placement of interns at the Filson Historical Society and the Frazier History Museum. Each internship comes with an award of $500 toward tuition.
- Ansel Combs, Fine Arts major and Creative Writing minor, received digital collections internship at the Filson Historical Society and worked closely with his site supervisor, Danielle Spalenka, an associate curator of digital collections.
- Lucy Wedding, graduate student in Critical and Curatorial Studies, spent this spring at the Frazier History Museum as an education intern under the supervision of Heather Gotlib, director of education and outreach.
- Jade Wiglesworth, Art History Major and Fine Arts Minor, examined Native American Collections at the Filson Historical Society and worked with her supervisor Kelly Hyberger, Native American collections specialist.
In the Spring 2021 semester, the CCHS facilitated the placement of interns at the Filson Historical Society and the Frazier History Museum. Each internship comes with an award of $500 toward tuition.
- Abigail Briney, Major in Art History and minoring in French and Management. Her site supervisor was Heather Potter, curator of photographs at the Filson.
- Nicole Clay, pursuing a degree in Public History. She worked as an education Intern at the Frazier History Museum. Her site supervisor was Heather Gotlib, director of education and outreach at the Frazier History Museum.
- Chelsea Giovacchino, a graduate student pursuing her MA in Interdisciplinary Humanities. She was a research intern at the Filson Historical Society, “Mapping Jewish Louisville.” Her site supervisor was Dr. Abby Glogower, curator of Jewish Collections at the Filson Historical Society
- Alanna Parham, a major in Liberal Studies, minor in Arts Studio, worked as a digital collections intern at the Filson Historical Society. Her site supervisor was associate curator of digital collections at the Filson, Danielle Spalenka.