Liz Stringer Curatorial Internship 2026
New Zealand Portrait Gallery
Mō mātou | About Us
The New Zealand Portrait Gallery enables audiences to encounter portraits of New Zealanders who, in all their diversity, have shaped our country’s development or influenced the way we think about ourselves. Through portraiture, we offer perspectives on ourselves, our history, our creativity, and our place in the world.
Mō tēnei tūranga mahi | About this role
This paid internship will be an opportunity for you to:
Develop hands-on curatorial, collection and project management skills
Develop your skills and experience across the wide range of activities that take place in a busy public art gallery
Curate one exhibition featuring works from the New Zealand Portrait Gallery Collection, developing curatorial skills including exhibition, research, artwork selection, interpretation and public programme development
- Contribute new perspectives, connections and appreciation of portraiture to the NZPG team
We anticipate the internship to be part-time (approx. 8 hours a week) for 8 months starting in May through to the exhibition opening in December, with additional minimal commitments through January and February while the exhibition is open. The successful applicant will work mostly onsite at the NZPG, flexible working conditions can be negotiated.
Applicants must have a tertiary qualification in art history, museum studies, fine arts or a related subject, or have relevant equal experience.
How to apply
Applicants must submit a proposal for an exhibition in the NZPG Front Gallery space with a 200-word concept. The concept should recontextualise items from the Portrait Gallery’s collection with a fresh perspective. Proposals should include a list of 10-15 proposed artworks featuring works selected from the New Zealand Portrait Gallery Collection and other local public and private collections (ie. Victoria University, Wellington City Council Collection, The Dowse, regional gallery collections, institutional collections, as well as Artists and Dealers’ private collections).
A job description or a plan of the Gallery can be downloaded from our website here
To apply send your exhibition proposal, cover letter and CV with the subject line “Curatorial Internship application” to: admin@nzportraitgallery.org.nz by 5pm Wednesday 24 April 2026.
