On the Island

Intern Needed for Visual Documentation Project in Star Island’s Vaughn Cottage Museum & Library

We have some exciting news for island history buffs and museum studies students – the next big project for Vaughn Cottage includes making the many interesting Shoals artifacts found in Star Island’s museum available for viewing online!

The Vaughn Cottage collection includes artifacts ranging from stone tools and arrow points dating to 6000 BP (Before Present) and maps from the years Gosport Village and the Isles of Shoals set the price of cod worldwide, to old photographs from the bygone era of the grand, nineteenth-century Victorian hotels (Star Island’s 1876 Oceanic Hotel is still operating today!). The collection also celebrates the life and work of Celia Thaxter, poet, artist, and Shoals resident whose parlor brought artists and writers like Ralph Waldo Emerson and Nathaniel Hawthorne to visit. Vaughn Cottage is open seasonally and offers beautiful exhibits each year and books for loan in a quaint, seaside cottage on Star Island.

Do you know an interested and qualified candidate for the internship described below? Share our post and stay tuned for project updates and future online access to the Vaughn Cottage collection!

Vaughn-Thaxter Internship

Star Island is hiring an intern to work in Vaughn Cottage Museum & Library this summer to continue ongoing efforts to bring high quality preservation methods to the island’s home for historical artifacts.

The Vaughn-Thaxter Internship will focus on visually documenting the Celia Thaxter Museum collection via Past Perfect software so that Star Island Corporation may make the history inside Vaughn Cottage digitally accessible to the public.

Internship goals and responsibilities include: To build the museum’s digital photography portfolio of all artifacts within the collection. To work with the Vaughn Curator to maintain security and proper care of all museum space and equipment. The Vaughn-Thaxter Intern must become familiar with Isles of Shoals history, participate in trainings held by Island Heritage and Artifacts Committee members and advisors, and support the Assistant Conference Center Director in coordinating and completing the visual documentation project. The Vaughn-Thaxter Intern will also support the Vaughn Curator by hosting museum hours and elementary education programming as needed.

This is a residential position on Star Island. Star Island is part of the Isles of Shoals, a small group of islands just off the coast of Maine and New Hampshire. The island is home to a seasonal conference center serving nearly 300 guests a week and operated by just over 100 staff members. Star Island is a great place to be a part of a dynamic community, experience island living, and enjoy a unique natural environment.

Desired qualifications/skills/coursework: Recent graduate or student pursuing degree in museum studies or photography. The ideal candidate has intermediate or advanced photography experience. Must have basic photography experience. Previous experience using Past Perfect museum software preferred. Ability to work independently with limited supervision.

Start and End Dates: 12-week period between mid-May and mid-August 2018 (exact start/end dates are flexible)

Time Commitment: 36-42 hours/week

Compensation: A $1500 stipend will be provided in 3 monthly payments. Room and board is provided, including all meals, dormitory-style accommodations in staff quarters and a rustic island environment. Island residency is required 5-6 days per week with transportation to and from the island provided from Star Island’s dock in Portsmouth, NH.

How to apply: Please complete the general Star Island employment application: https://starisland.org/working/#seasonal (including the two requested references if application has never worked or interned on Star Island before) and submit a resume and cover letter to aminer@starisland.org