A University-Museum Partnership for Creative Internships in Cultural Technology

Engaging disenfranchised populations in cultural work is a challenge. New Mexico Highlands University (NMHU) is an Hispanic Serving Institution located in rural northern New Mexico. Our students reflect the regional culture and are primarily Hispanic and Native American. They had little interest in museums, places where they felt marginalized and unwelcome. We designed the AmeriCorps Cultural Technology Internship Program with the mission to make real change in museums while providing access to meaningful careers for NMHU media arts students. How do we do it? We start by paying our interns; it is no secret that economically disadvantaged students cannot afford to forego payment. We encourage student voices because they often possess multi-generational knowledge of New Mexico's cultural heritage. We place a high value on the technology skills that our students contribute when working in the most prestigious New Mexico museums. Our 10-year-old program proves why this is a game-changing, sustainable, and replicable model for university-museum partnerships. By encouraging the students to use their skills in cultural institutions and paying them a living wage, we have changed the narrative from one of exclusion and disenfranchisement to one of inclusion and engagement.