Norval Summer 2026 - Curatorial Internship Programme

Please note:  Your résumé MUST be approved by a CCI Peer Career Advisor in order to apply in Handshake. (If your résumé was approved last year and updated with new experiences, it remains valid.)

Curatorial Internship, Norval Foundation, Cape Town, South Africa, Cape Town arrival date: June 20; internship period (5 weeks): June 22-July 24; and a couple of extra days in Johannesburg.

 Structure:

• The internship is five weeks long, with a couple of days spent in Johannesburg with artist and Norval Foundation Senior Curator Karel Nel.
• The remaining five weeks will be spent in Cape Town with the Norval Foundation’s Curatorial team and the related departments: Art Education, Collections Management, Marketing and Communications, and Public Programming.
• An introductory workshop will set out the Norval Foundation’s mission and its place within the historical and geographical context of South Africa and the wider continent.
• Interns will complete a research assignment over the course of the internship period, in an area of their choosing which is applicable to Norval Foundation, under the supervision of the Curators and senior Curator.
• Gallery and museum visits, first in Cape Town, then in Johannesburg.

 Objectives:

• The main objective of the internship is to learn about the practical realities of museum practice and cultural production in the Global South, outside of the Western paradigm.
• To gain a greater sense of the role of the curator, as well as the day-to-day operations of art institutions.
• To learn how the various departments of a museum work in tandem to best communicate artistic expression to audiences who are knowledgeable about art, as well as those who have not been exposed to art prior to their visit to the Foundation.
• To contribute meaningfully to Norval Foundation and its mission to widen access to contemporary art and to honor the contributions of artists from Africa and its diaspora to the wider cultural discourse.

 Additional Details:

• Dates of Internship: June 22-July 24, 2026. Students must arrive in South Africa on June 20.
• Internship work schedule: Monday-Friday, full-time.
• Seeking students with prior exposure to art history, museum work, or African culture.
• This internship is funded with a CCI award of $5,000.00. If you are offered and accept this internship, please be aware that your funding for this position is provided by CCI, and therefore you will be required to complete funded internship paperwork. 
• The $5000 grant may be used for transportation, food, and housing.
• The three students are responsible for arranging their own housing. Norval will advise and respond to questions regarding location. Housing costs will be paid by the students from their $5000 grant.

 Cape Town

Set at the southernmost tip of the African continent, Cape Town is nestled between the iconic Table Mountain and the Atlantic Ocean. It is known as South Africa’s most cosmopolitan city, attracting visitors from around the world because of its natural beauty, vibrant night life, and unique art scene. The city is home to both established and experimental commercial galleries, museums, and private foundations, along with a close-knit but welcoming community of artists, curators, writers, and dealers. Cape Town’s colonial and Apartheid history reverberates within the cities present-day social geography. This history continues to be interrogated by cultural workers, adding to the weight of the city’s cultural discourse.

Norval Foundation

The Norval Foundation is a privately funded art institution dedicated to the research, education, and exhibition of twentieth and twenty-first-century visual art from South Africa and beyond. The exhibition programme mainly consists of thematic group exhibitions and solo retrospectives highlighting Modern and Contemporary artists from Africa and its diaspora. The Foundation also houses the Homestead Collection, a holding of seminal works of Modern art from Southern Africa, as well as art by some of the continent’s most well-known living artists, such as Yinka Shonibare C.B.E. and Zanele Muholi. Located in the Steenberg area of Cape Town, adjacent to Table Mountain National Park, the Norval Foundation combines art with an appreciation for nature, best experienced in the Sculpture Garden.

The Norval family are the founders and initial funders of the Norval Foundation. Their aim is to make art widely accessible to local and international visitors by creating a centre for art. 

The CCI Select Internship Program offers Middlebury students the opportunity to take part in impactful, hands-on internships across the U.S. and around the world. Each position is chosen for its strong mentorship, meaningful learning outcomes, and potential to help students explore career interests in a real-world setting.

• Funding: Interns receive a $5,000 CCI award to support their summer experience.
• Requirements: Your résumé must be CCI-approved to apply. Selected interns must participate in all cohort meetings and complete pre-internship forms, a post-internship evaluation, and a donor thank-you letter. 
• Eligibility: Open to returning Middlebury students. Seniors graduating in May 2026, students not enrolled in Spring or Fall 2026, and those planning to transfer are not eligible.

These internships are made possible through the generosity of Middlebury College donors who believe in the power of experiential learning.

Explore your interests. Gain experience. Make an impact — with CCI Select.

*****Please send two reference letters:  one from a professor and the other from a museum or similar to Alicia Gomez at agomez@middlebury.edu