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Exhibitions Intern, Roman Vishniac Archive
International Center of Photography
The Roman Vishniac Archive is a recent and groundbreaking gift to the ICP’s permanent collection and a recipient of a major grant from the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA). Roman Vishniac’s photographs of Central and East European Jewish life, captured from 1935-38, are considered the last photographic documentation of these now vanished Jewish communities. The majority of his work has never been published or seen by the public, and the collection includes tens of thousands of prints, negatives, contact sheets, personal correspondence, audio material, and ephemera. We are building a comprehensive archive of the famed photographer’s entire body of work and are planning a large-scale traveling retrospective, scheduled to open at ICP in 2013.
Vishniac and his family escaped from Europe after the outbreak of World War II and arrived in the United States in January 1941. The Arts Intern will have the opportunity to work on a unique group of previously unknown photographs taken by Vishniac during his first years in America. These America photographs, which were taken after Vishniac’s famous European images, were unknown until recently and constitute an important facet of the archive’s holdings. Initial research has revealed that as a new immigrant attempting to eke out a living in the US, Vishniac accepted commissions to photograph Jewish social service organizations in the New York area. The work he produced during these years is remarkable for its documentation of the landscape of American Jewish social services and cultural life during a period in which the leadership of these organizations was shifting from Europe to America. This project represents a rare opportunity for an intern to work directly with a body of work that has never been published or seen by the public. Our ultimate goals include: correct identifications and dates for the photographs; a physical reorganization of the material to reflect new discoveries; and written descriptions of the finest examples from the collection to be used in future presentations, grant applications, and preparations for the retrospective.
Most of the research will be conducted onsite, and the intern will have the opportunity to work with vintage prints, negatives, contact sheets, and paper archives. The intern will also have the opportunity to conduct offsite research at other institutional archives throughout Manhattan.
Interested candidates who meet all eligibility requirements should submit all parts of their applications by email to the contact below. A current resume, letter of interest, and contact information (including phone numbers) for three references are required for consideration. Please see this website's "HOW TO APPLY" section for more details.
Qualifications:
The intern should be detail oriented, conscientious, resourceful, and eager to learn. An ideal intern would be passionate about history and interested in the sociopolitical context of these photographs. Excellent research and writing skills and the ability to work independently are also crucial to the successful completion of this project. The intern’s responsibilities will include: conducting independent research both at ICP and off-site, working with the archive’s database; the careful handling of precious material, and working with Rachel Travis, the archive’s research associate, to meet project goals.
Contact: Submit application to Allie Clark, Human Resources Assistant / Internship Coordinator - internships@icp.org.
International Center of Photography
The Roman Vishniac Archive is a recent and groundbreaking gift to the ICP’s permanent collection and a recipient of a major grant from the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA). Roman Vishniac’s photographs of Central and East European Jewish life, captured from 1935-38, are considered the last photographic documentation of these now vanished Jewish communities. The majority of his work has never been published or seen by the public, and the collection includes tens of thousands of prints, negatives, contact sheets, personal correspondence, audio material, and ephemera. We are building a comprehensive archive of the famed photographer’s entire body of work and are planning a large-scale traveling retrospective, scheduled to open at ICP in 2013.
Vishniac and his family escaped from Europe after the outbreak of World War II and arrived in the United States in January 1941. The Arts Intern will have the opportunity to work on a unique group of previously unknown photographs taken by Vishniac during his first years in America. These America photographs, which were taken after Vishniac’s famous European images, were unknown until recently and constitute an important facet of the archive’s holdings. Initial research has revealed that as a new immigrant attempting to eke out a living in the US, Vishniac accepted commissions to photograph Jewish social service organizations in the New York area. The work he produced during these years is remarkable for its documentation of the landscape of American Jewish social services and cultural life during a period in which the leadership of these organizations was shifting from Europe to America. This project represents a rare opportunity for an intern to work directly with a body of work that has never been published or seen by the public. Our ultimate goals include: correct identifications and dates for the photographs; a physical reorganization of the material to reflect new discoveries; and written descriptions of the finest examples from the collection to be used in future presentations, grant applications, and preparations for the retrospective.
Most of the research will be conducted onsite, and the intern will have the opportunity to work with vintage prints, negatives, contact sheets, and paper archives. The intern will also have the opportunity to conduct offsite research at other institutional archives throughout Manhattan.
Interested candidates who meet all eligibility requirements should submit all parts of their applications by email to the contact below. A current resume, letter of interest, and contact information (including phone numbers) for three references are required for consideration. Please see this website's "HOW TO APPLY" section for more details.
Qualifications:
The intern should be detail oriented, conscientious, resourceful, and eager to learn. An ideal intern would be passionate about history and interested in the sociopolitical context of these photographs. Excellent research and writing skills and the ability to work independently are also crucial to the successful completion of this project. The intern’s responsibilities will include: conducting independent research both at ICP and off-site, working with the archive’s database; the careful handling of precious material, and working with Rachel Travis, the archive’s research associate, to meet project goals.
Contact: Submit application to Allie Clark, Human Resources Assistant / Internship Coordinator - internships@icp.org.
