Museum of Reclaimed Urban Space - Summer 2024 Intern

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The Museum of Reclaimed Urban Space (MoRUS) is a 100% volunteer-run history museum on NYC's Lower East Side. Founded in 2012, our mission is to preserve history and promote scholarship of grassroots urban space-related activism by researching and archiving efforts to create community in squats and community gardens from the 1970s onwards. We exhibit materials, run tours, and host events to educate people on the political history of reclaimed space. Find out more about what we do at www.morusnyc.org. The museum is a partner with Time's Up! Environmental Organization, find out more about them at www.times-up.org.

All interns must submit a resume and cover letter to the museum director at billtimesup@gmail.com. This is an unpaid position. We are open Wednesdays through Sundays, 12-5pm - you must be willing to contribute at least 15 hours a week, for ideally 3 months (though we are flexible with shorter/longer terms). At the moment, we are especially in need of an intern to staff the front desk on Fridays.

Responsibilities

All interns operate from the front desk of the museum. Daily responsibilities include:

• Open and close the museum
• Greet visitors (inform them about the museum, make sales, answer questions)
• Clean and organize the space
• Promote the museum and upcoming events across social media platforms

On top of day-to-day operations, interns have the opportunity to take on additional facets of the museum such as:

• Raise funds for the museum by applying to grants and building up our membership program
• Sort and digitize the museum archives
• Update the museum's website
• Run and document museum events through photos, videos, and text - including monthly volunteer green-ups at surrounding community gardens
• Plus anything else you can think of to bring more people to the museum!

Qualifications

Skills: (* indicates skills that are not required but highly preferred)

• Customer service - welcome visitors.
• Organization - keep the space clean and orderly.
• Writing - quickly and clearly compose emails and promotional materials.
• Digital fluency - Google suite, WordPress, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, TikTok, Eventbrite, etc.
• Promotion - advertise the museum online and in-person with creative ways to attract more visitors.
• * Fundraising ability - write grants to fund museum programming.
• * Graphic design - create calendars of events, flyers, merchandise, and more.

Qualities:

• Quick learner - get oriented to the museum's activities and how things work here.
• Eager to take initiative - apply your skills to support the museum's operations.
• Well-versed in NYC history/willing to learn - MoRUS specializes in the history of squats and community gardens on the LES, from the 1970s and onwards.

Education:

• High school diploma
• * Bachelor's degree/working towards one in history, anthropology, or related fields.