Job Listing
 🔗Historic Weave Room Exhibit and Collections Intern – 480 hours

  • Internship
  • NCPE Internship
  • Lowell, MA
  • $17.00 USD / Hour
  • Applications have closed
  • Department: Lowell National Historical Park - Cultural Resources Program
  • Job Reference #: 4123
  • Job Summary: The intern will assist the Exhibits Specialist with the inventory and evaluation of textiles produced by the historic weave room. They will have the opportunity to collaborate with other park staff projects related to weave room demonstrations.
  • Job Qualifications:

    The preferred candidate will have the following qualifications:

    –          Demonstrated interest in textile history, textile conservation, applied textile design, or industrial history. Prior experience working with or identifying woven fabric is preferred, but not required.

    –          Knowledge of/interest in environmental controls in a museum setting (temperature, humidity, pests).

    –          Ability to work independently, maintain attention to detail, and see tasks through to completion.

    –          Knowledge of basic digital photography.

    –          MS Office Suite proficiency, particularly excel spreadsheet knowledge.

    –          Museum Collections/inventory database skills are preferred, but not required.

  • How to Apply:

    Click on the application button at this listing and follow the instructions to apply online.

  • Job benefits: Paid Time Off (PTO), Housing Stipend of $400.00/month
  • Physical Demands / Work Environment: Must be able to regularly lift 25 lbs. and stand/sit for long periods of time. Work conditions may include machine shops and equipment storage areas without environmental controls. Storage spaces may be small, difficult to access, or require standing on stepladders or bending to reach low shelves. The intern must comply with verbal and written safety policies and personal protective equipment requirements. The intern will work on-site in the Boott Cotton Mills Museum and will be provided a personal workspace.
  • Application Email: waso_cr-intern@nps.gov

Website National Park Service/NCPE Internship Program

Lowell National Historical Park, located in downtown Lowell, Massachusetts, is approximately 28 miles northwest of Boston. As an urban park, it commemorates the history of America’s Industrial Revolution. Park sites include the Boott Cotton Mills Museum with its historic weave room with 88 operating power looms, a historic boardinghouse, and an operating historic trolley system and mill turbine. The largest hydro power canal system in the U.S. originated as a transportation canal in 1796 and is now preserved throughout the city. Guided tours by boat or foot tell the story of the transition from farm to factory, chronicle immigrant and labor history, and trace the impact of industrial technology. The Cultural Resources Division, in the Boott Cotton Mills Museum, maintains museum collections and exhibits and manages the weave room.

The successful candidate will prepare accurate counts of several hundred bolts of cloth stored in two different buildings. They will collect information on each bolt, including type (weight and weave), yardage, and condition, and evaluate which bolts are best suited for commercial product uses or community-based art installations The intern will create a digital document (such as an inventory sheet or database) to centralize, annotate, and disseminate this information as needed to staff and external partners. Some on-site educational training will be provided to assist the intern with identifying textiles and understand the relationship between environmental conditions and textile preservation.

Completion of the textile inventory is the primary goal of the internship.  However, with satisfactory progress on this project, the intern may be able to participate in affiliated projects that fit with the intern’s interests, such as community-based art projects that utilize the inventoried cloth, planning for textile exhibitions, or new commercial product creation.

The intern will work with LOWE’s Exhibits Specialist who will serve as the team lead for the project and facilitate work with other staff, including the Collections Manager or Weavers/Loom Operators, as needed. All work will be carried out under the supervision of the Cultural Resources Manager, who will convene periodic team meetings to assess progress and address any issues or concerns.  This project is essential for the park’s successful long-term planning of space use and product development and the intern will support park-wide operations as well as providing immediate support to historic demonstrations.

This position is part of the Internship Program administered by the National Council for Preservation Education (NCPE). The program is a partnership between the National Park Service and NCPE. The successful applicants must be 30 years of age or younger (or 35 years or younger if a Veteran) when they begin the internship. Other eligibility requirements apply; visit https://preservenet.org/ncpe-internships/ for details and instructions on how to apply.

Qualified NCPE interns who complete their internships may count their position towards earning a Public Land Corps (PLC) Non-Competitive Hiring Authority certificate.  Once earned, the PLC hiring authority certificate may be used to apply for eligible Federal temporary, term, or permanent positions. Visit the website listed above for details about this benefit. Successful completion of the internship does not guarantee Federal employment.