Students

University of Richmond Students

Whether curating exhibitions, creating social media posts, designing tours, researching the collection, or guiding visitors through the galleries, UR students are central to the mission of the University of Richmond’s museums.

students in gallery pointing at framed art

Student Employment

The University Museums offer approximately 25 employment opportunities per academic year as Visitor Engagement Assistants (VEAs). VEAs greet and guide visitors to our special exhibitions at the Harnett Museum of Art in the Modlin Center and the natural science displays in the Lora Robins Gallery in the Boatwright Memorial Library. Students receive training in orienting visitors and delivering interpretive tours. They also assist with special events. Students work in rotating 2-hour shifts, allowing them to learn about and guide visitors in all exhibitions on view. Students can apply for this opportunity by emailing Kayla Solsbak (kayla.solsbak@richmond.edu) for more information.

Student looking at art

Internships

Before the start of each fall semester, typically in August, the Museums post up to ten internships for UR students in different areas of museum work. Opportunities vary according to the museum’s priorities and students’ areas of interest and experience.

UR Student Internships for 2026-27

Visit the student employment website for information about internships available this academic year, and then submit your application and cover letter. 

 

Student standing in front of a painting

Student Trips

The Harnett Museum of Art organizes student art acquisition trips on an annual basis. These trips vary in duration and destination, but the objective stays the same: students get a deep-dive experience of the art world and vote to acquire an artwork for their university’s art collection. Check back here for details on this year’s trip. If you would like to learn more about this opportunity, please contact us.

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Student Projects

Nothing Concrete 

The artworks in this collection create a space for open reflection, inviting audiences to consider nuanced narratives and interpretations of the Reconstruction Era. The pieces selected for this exhibition foster contemplation regarding the fragile balance between devastation and hope, fragmentation and growth, and suppression and empowerment. The imagery of rising plants, shattered glass, and alien red skies invites viewers to reflect on the resilience, tension, and rebirth that defined this transformative period.

Curated by Phoebe Porter, ’28, a student in the University of Richmond History Department, these pieces draw on her studies both inside and outside the classroom and reflect her engagement with the Reconstruction era through both academic study and personal interpretation. The exhibition serves as both a historical reflection and a call to continue examining how the legacies of this pivotal era persist in shaping the American experience today.

View the artworks