If you enjoy drawing, designing, or creating something from scratch, you’ve probably already spent time experimenting on your own. But working alone and working in a structured creative space feel very different. One gives you freedom, the other gives you direction. Fine and digital art summer internships for high school students bring those two together, giving you space to create while also showing you how creative work is developed in real settings.

Picture yourself sitting with a project that doesn’t quite come together at first. You try one approach, then another, adjusting as you go. You might be learning new digital tools, working on visual concepts, or discussing ideas with others who see your work differently. Sometimes you’re focused on technique, other times on storytelling or design. Gradually, you begin to understand how creative ideas are shaped, not just imagined.

How do you choose the right fine and digital art summer internship for high school students?

With so many options available, it can be difficult to know which internships actually offer meaningful experience. Some may be more casual or unstructured, while others provide clearer guidance, mentorship, and project-based learning. Looking at how a program is organised can help you decide.

These internships are often hosted by studios, creative organisations, or universities. You may work on areas like animation, digital illustration, graphic design, or multimedia projects while building practical skills. Alongside this, you also start developing a portfolio, which becomes important if you want to pursue art further. At the same time, you learn how to work within deadlines, respond to feedback, and collaborate with others. 

Without further ado, here are 15 fine or digital art summer internships for high school students. They’ve been selected for their exposure to the art world, faculty mentorship, and global repute.

For adjacent opportunities, consider the fashion and design summer internship.

15 Fine and Digital Art Summer Internships for High School Students

1. Museum of Arts and Design Teen Programs: Artslife

Location: MAD Museum, New York, NY
Cost: $16.50/hr stipend
Acceptance rate/cohort size: 10 students only
Application Deadline: Generally falls in late April
Dates: 6 weeks in summer
Eligibility: Rising sophomores and juniors enrolled in New York City public and charter high schools

Museum of Arts and Design Teen Programs: Artslife allows you to explore both creative work and how museums operate by working across different departments while also developing your own projects. You’ll rotate through areas like curatorial, education, communications, and visitor services, which gives you a clearer idea of how exhibitions are planned and presented.

Alongside this, you’ll create work in artist studios, contribute to a podcast, and design and lead tours, which means you’re constantly switching between making, presenting, and explaining ideas. You’ll also visit other institutions, which helps you compare how different spaces approach art and audiences. You’ll build creative thinking, communication, and a practical understanding of museum work.

Why it stands out: You work across multiple museum departments while creating and presenting your own work.

2. Immerse Education’s Fine & Digital Art Summer School

Location: University College London, London, UK
Cost: Varies; summer school scholarship available through our bursary programme
Deadline: Multiple summer cohorts with rolling admissions
Dates: 2 weeks during the summer
Eligibility: High school students around the world aged 15-18

The Career Insights Program gives you a structured way to explore careers within major global industry hubs. In the Fine and Digital Art Summer track, you gain practical exposure to how creative work is developed and delivered in professional settings. You take part in project-based assignments with established organizations, join small-group workshops, and visit working studios, offices, and production spaces to see how teams operate.

Throughout the program, you receive weekly one-on-one career guidance, along with detailed feedback on your resume and overall profile. At the end, you present your work and observations to professionals, giving you the chance to articulate what you’ve learned and how your interests are evolving. You can find more details about the application here.

Why it stands out: It combines hands-on project work with consistent mentorship and real-world exposure, helping you understand both the creative and professional sides of the field.

3. Art Institute of Chicago | Summer Internship for Teens

Location: Chicago, IL
Cost: A stipend is paid
Application Deadline: Applications open in the spring through After School Matters
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Competitive
Dates: June – August for summer internship
Eligibility: High school students that are at least 16 years old in the Chicagoland area

Art Institute of Chicago’s Summer Internship for Teens allows you to work within an active museum environment where you support events, engage with visitors, and observe how exhibitions and programs are managed. You’ll take part in activities like festivals, tours, and workshops while interacting with staff and artists.

The experience involves both observing behind-the-scenes processes and contributing to public-facing work, which gives you a balanced view of how museums operate. You’ll build communication, organisation, and audience engagement skills through regular interaction.

Why it stands out: It places you in an active museum setting where you contribute to public programs while learning how different teams coordinate day-to-day operations.

4. Bloomberg Arts Internship (BAI)

Location: Baltimore, Boston, Detroit, New Orleans, New York, Philadelphia, and Washington, D.C
Cost: This is a paid opportunity
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Competitive
Application Deadline: Exact dates may vary based on location
Dates: Typically late June to mid-August
Eligibility: Rising high school seniors residing in participating cities: Baltimore, Boston, Detroit, New Orleans, New York, Philadelphia, and Washington, D.C.; Los Angeles may be included for the upcoming program.

The Bloomberg Arts Internship is a paid summer program for rising public high school seniors that places you with arts and cultural organizations in five major U.S. cities. During the internship, you contribute to ongoing projects within museums and similar institutions, where your work may involve exhibitions, administrative tasks, marketing, event coordination, or media-related activities, depending on your placement.

In addition to your day-to-day responsibilities, you take part in structured sessions focused on work readiness and college preparation. These sessions are designed to help you build practical skills such as communication, time management, and professional conduct. With guidance from mentors in the field, you gain a clearer understanding of how cultural organizations function and what different roles involve.

Why it stands out: It combines paid, hands-on experience in established institutions with structured training that supports both your academic and early career planning, giving you a more complete view of the field.

5. The Hearst High School Media Internship @PALEY

Location: The Paley Center, New York, NY
Cost: $17/hour stipend plus travel expense reimbursement
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Selective
Application Deadline: March 30th
Dates: July 6th – August 6th
Eligibility: Rising 11-12 grade students; NY State Working Papers required, even for out-of-state students working in NYC; contact a Family Support Coordinator in NY District Leadership to start the process

The Hearst High School Media Internship @PALEY allows you to explore how media and storytelling work across formats while also producing your own content. You’ll learn about media literacy, meet professionals, and visit production spaces such as studios and newsrooms, which helps you understand how content is created.

Alongside this, you’ll work on your own podcast, where you apply research, scripting, and editing skills. The program combines learning with production, so you’re not just observing but creating. You’ll build storytelling, media skills, and confidence in presenting ideas.

Why it stands out: It connects media analysis with practical production work, giving you a structured way to apply what you learn through a final project while interacting with professionals in the field.

6. Getty Museum Student Gallery Guides

Location: Los Angeles, CA
Cost: Transportation and stipend provided
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Varies
Application Deadline: Varies, check in spring
Dates: 8 weeks in the summer
Eligibility: Ages 16-18, Los Angeles area residents

If you’re based in Los Angeles, the Getty Museum offers a summer role for high school students interested in art and communication. As a Student Gallery Guide, you interact with visitors, explain exhibits, and support a welcoming environment in the galleries. 

The role helps you develop public speaking, collaboration, and audience engagement skills while learning how museums communicate with a wide range of visitors. For students from Boyle Heights, the Getty Teen Lab provides a related program with a STEAM-focused approach, combining art with elements of science and design through project-based activities.

Why it stands out: It focuses on direct visitor interaction and communication, giving you experience in how art is presented and discussed in a public setting while building practical engagement skills.

7. Teen Gallery Guides @ the Getty Villa

Location: Getty Villa, Malibu, CA
Cost: Paid internship; stipend provided upon completion, with transportation and lunch included
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Competitive; small cohorts, not detailed
Application Deadline: Application typically opens in early February
Dates: Mid-June to early August
Eligibility: Teens living in or attending high school in Boyle Heights

The Teen Gallery Guides program at the Getty Villa is a paid summer internship for students who live in or attend high school in Boyle Heights. The program focuses on the Villa’s collection of ancient Greek and Roman art, where you study objects, learn how to research them, and understand their historical context.

During the program, you build skills in engaging audiences and guiding discussions in a gallery setting. You prepare to design and lead interactive sessions for visiting school groups, working alongside other students and museum educators. This experience helps you develop public speaking, facilitation, and teamwork skills within a structured museum environment. Transportation is provided, along with a stipend.

Why it stands out: It emphasizes teaching and interpretation within a focused historical collection, giving you experience in how museums present and explain ancient art to different audiences.

8. Arts for Learning | ArtWorks Summer Internship

Location: Miami, FL or remote
Cost: $14/hour
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Moderate
Application Deadline: May 1st
Dates: 5 weeks in the summer
Eligibility: Florida high school students

This six-week paid internship from Arts for Learning Miami is designed for high school students interested in exploring different creative disciplines, including visual arts, dance, creative writing, and animation. During the program, you work with professional artist mentors to develop your own projects while gaining a clearer understanding of how creative work is approached in a professional context.

The internship can be completed remotely, allowing you to participate even if you are not based in Florida, and you may be eligible to earn community service credit. Alongside creative work, you also build practical skills such as communication, time management, and project development.

Why it stands out: It offers flexibility through remote participation while combining mentored creative work with skill-building that supports both artistic development and broader academic goals.

9. Metropolitan Museum of Art High School Internship

Location: The Metropolitan Museum of Art (The Met), New York, NY
Cost: $1,100 stipend
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Unspecified, small cohort
Application Deadline: March 13th
Dates: July 7th – August 7th
Eligibility: Students in grade 10 or 11 who reside in and attend a high school or home school in New York, New Jersey, or Connecticut

The High School Internship Program at the Metropolitan Museum of Art offers a structured introduction to how a large museum operates. During the summer, you are placed within specific departments,  such as curatorial, education, design, imaging, or digital media,  where you contribute to project-based work that supports exhibitions and public programs. Alongside your departmental work, you take part in workshops, group discussions, and mentoring sessions with museum staff.

These experiences help you understand how research, interpretation, and presentation are developed and delivered in a museum setting. You also gain insight into different career paths within cultural institutions, from administrative roles to creative and technical positions. The program concludes with a presentation where you share your work with peers and staff.

Why it stands out: It gives you direct experience within specific museum departments, helping you see how different roles contribute to exhibitions and public engagement in a large institution.

10. Holocaust Museum LA Summer Internship

Location: Holocaust Museum LA
Cost: A stipend is paid
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Unspecified
Application Deadline: March 27th
Dates: June 22nd – July 17th
Eligibility: Students in grade 10 or 11; must reside in and attend school in New York, New Jersey, or Connecticut

The High School Summer Internship at Holocaust Museum Los Angeles is designed for students interested in museum work, archives, education, or nonprofit organizations. During the program, you learn about Holocaust history through primary sources, survivor testimonies, artwork, media materials, and group discussions, while also observing how museums collect, preserve, and present historical information.

You work with museum staff and mentors on tasks that may include archival support, educational programming, and visitor engagement. You also collaborate with other interns on a final group project that relates to the museum’s educational goals. Throughout the experience, you develop skills in research, communication, teamwork, and presentation within a structured learning environment.

Why it stands out: It combines historical study with practical museum-related work, giving you experience in how educational content is developed and shared with the public in a nonprofit setting.

11. Whitney Museum of American Art | Summer Opportunities

Location: New York, NY
Cost: Free; Metrocard provided
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Limited
Application Deadline: Not specified
Dates: Year-round, including summer opportunities
Eligibility: High school students in New York City

The Whitney Museum of American Art Youth Insights programs give you different ways to engage with contemporary art and museum practice as a high school student. Depending on the track, you may meet weekly to make your own artwork, discuss ideas with peers and artists, or explore how arts organizations and careers function in New York City. In YI Arts Careers, you take part in a summer program where you visit arts institutions, meet museum staff and professionals, and learn about different roles in the arts sector.

In YI Introductions, you explore American art through discussion, creative projects, and writing in a program designed for English Language Learners. Students who complete these programs may later apply for YI Leaders, a paid internship role.

Why it stands out: It offers multiple entry points into museum-based learning, from studio practice to career exploration, with a pathway that can lead from participation into a paid leadership role.

12. Internships at the Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage

Location: Mainly in-person in Washington, D.C.
Cost: $700/week stipend
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Not mentioned
Application Deadline: Summer: March 1st; applications for fall, winter, and spring can be submitted anytime, at least six weeks before the internship start date
Dates: 8 to 17 weeks, year-round
Eligibility: High school students are eligible; also open to non-U.S. citizens

Internships at the Smithsonian Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage give you the opportunity to take part in ongoing work that documents and shares cultural traditions from different communities around the world. Depending on the position, you may contribute to areas such as folklore research, cultural anthropology, museum studies, arts administration, graphic or web design, video production, marketing, social media, or library science.

You support active projects connected to initiatives like the Smithsonian Folklife Festival, Smithsonian Folkways Recordings, and the Ralph Rinzler Folklife Archives. With guidance from Smithsonian staff, your responsibilities may include archival research, assisting with audio or video editing, supporting exhibition planning, or helping produce digital content. 

Why it stands out: It places you within ongoing cultural documentation and media projects, giving you experience in how large-scale archival and public programs are researched, produced, and maintained.

13. ArtXpress Internship Program

Location: Milwaukee Art Museum, Milwaukee, WI
Cost: Paid internship
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Selective
Application Deadline: May 22nd
Dates: July 7-31
Eligibility: Milwaukee-area high school students in grades 11-12 between the ages of 16 and 18

The ArtXpress Internship Program at the Milwaukee Art Museum is a paid summer opportunity for Milwaukee teens to work together on a public mural project that focuses on a social issue relevant to the city. You work with local practicing artists and other interns, using the museum’s exhibitions and permanent collection as reference points while you research, plan, and develop the mural.

Alongside studio-based work, you also take on a mentoring role with elementary students from Milwaukee Public Schools. This includes leading guided museum tours and facilitating art activities that help younger students engage with artworks in the collection. The program concludes with the installation of the completed mural on a Milwaukee County bus and a public launch event at the museum.

Why it stands out: It combines collaborative mural-making with community engagement and teaching experience, resulting in a public artwork that is displayed beyond the museum space.

14. CITYarts PR and Marketing Internship

Location: CITYarts Inc. Office, New York, NY
Cost: None for high school students; interns aged 18 years or more will receive a stipend
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Unspecified
Application Deadline: Rolling
Dates: Flexible
Eligibility: High school students can apply; no explicit international student eligibility mentioned

The CITYarts PR and Marketing Internship brings a communications and design focus to the various fine and digital art summer internships for high school students, especially if you want to understand how public art organisations reach their audiences. In this role, you contribute to outreach tasks such as managing social media accounts, updating website content, and drafting public communication materials. You also help create print and digital assets like flyers, brochures, and graphics using tools such as Illustrator and Photoshop.

Depending on the project needs, you may assist with research for partnerships, support community outreach efforts, or contribute to basic video content. You work closely with a project coordinator and other staff to understand how different types of content are planned and produced. Through this internship, you gain exposure to how an arts organization structures its communication and engagement efforts, while building skills in design, content creation, and project coordination.

Why it stands out: It combines design and communications work in a nonprofit setting, giving you practical experience in how outreach and marketing are used to support arts programs and community engagement.

15. New-York Historical Society Museum & Library | Student Historian Internship Program

Location: New York, NY
Cost: $700 stipend
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Not specified
Application Deadline: Not specified
Dates: July 7th – August 13th
Eligibility: Domestic high school students in grades 10, 11, or 12

In this internship, you explore New York City’s history using museum collections and archival materials, then use your research to develop digital projects that present those stories in accessible formats. You work with primary sources to understand how historical narratives are constructed and interpreted.

You collaborate with other interns on team-based projects, combining research, writing, and visual or digital media to communicate what you find. The work involves both independent investigation and group coordination, with support from supervisors as you develop your ideas into finished outputs.

Why it stands out: It connects historical research with digital storytelling in a collaborative setting, giving you experience in how archival materials can be used to create public-facing projects.

From Studio Practice To Career Clarity

Creative internships can show you how art moves beyond personal projects and into museums, studios, galleries, archives, and public-facing spaces.

The 15 fine and digital art summer internships for high school students featured here cover design, digital media, museum education, marketing, archives, and community art.

Each opportunity gives you a different way to test your interests, build practical skills, and understand how creative teams work in real settings.

Ready to see where your creativity could lead? Explore our Career Exploration blogs for creative pathways, industry insights, study routes, and future roles.