The Wende Museum is a free art museum, historical archive, and community center in Culver City dedicated to preserving and sharing the art, culture, and history of the Cold War and its global legacies. Through its collection of more than 100,000 artworks, objects, and archival materials, the Museum fosters exhibitions, research, education, and community engagement that explore the social, political, and cultural changes of the past and their relevance today. We welcome individuals who are interested in supporting this work and helping create meaningful access to history, art, and dialogue. Current employment opportunities are listed below. The Wende Museum participates in E‑Verify.
Student Council 2027
In present times of political and ideological division and the rise of authoritarianism on a global
scale, the Wende Museum and the Thomas Mann House are launching a series of monthly
discussions for college and university students to be better able to understand and navigate these
changes and discourses. Topics under consideration include the crisis of truth; the contested
independence of academic and cultural institutions; and the power of narratives to conceptualize
change.
Together with a small team from the Wende Museum and the Thomas Mann House, students
will prepare each session based on a few sources (texts, podcasts, videos). The final meeting will
take the form of a public workshop or panel discussion with specialists in the fields that were
touched on throughout the sessions. The participating students will have the opportunity to learn
about the field of cultural programming by having access to and close engagement with two
leading cultural organizations in Los Angeles. In addition, students will be able to attend
exclusive events at both the Thomas Mann House and the Wende Museum and learn about their
unique missions.
Starting in January 2027, the meetings will take place every last Friday of the month at 12pm at
the Wende Museum’s Community Center in Culver City. Complimentary lunch and drinks will
be provided.
If interested, please send an application letter to Oliver Hartmann (oliver.hartmann@vatmh.org)
and Joes Segal (jsegal@wendemuseum.org) before November 1, 2026, mentioning your
academic background (college or university and major) and a one-paragraph explanation of why
you would like to join this discussion series. Please mention “Student Council 2027” in the email
subject line.
Collections Internship
The Wende Museum offers Collections Internships for currently enrolled undergraduate or graduate students, as well as recent graduates who are interested in gaining experience in collection management, collection development, and artifact research. Positions are part-time, paid at $18/hour for 120 hours, and available for course credit. Internships are offered year-round, typically beginning in January, June, and September. We are currently accepting applications for our Winter Collections Internship, which is set to begin in January 2027.
The Collections Internship will focus on cataloging the Museum’s incoming acquisitions and existing backlog. Interns will gain experience in key areas of object handling, processing objects, and using a museum database (Mimsy XG). Interns will have the opportunity to directly work with artifacts from the Cold War and be exposed to a variety of museum activities. Potential interns must meet the following criteria for consideration:
- Be available to work part-time between Monday and Thursday;
- Have completed at least one semester of college by the time of application;
- Possess an interest in museum studies, collections management, history, and/or material and visual culture of the Cold War;
- Be comfortable working with databases and computers;
- Be detail-oriented, self-motivated, and independent, with excellent communication skills;
- A reading knowledge of German, Russian, or an Eastern European language is helpful but not required.
Applications for our Winter Internship will be accepted through November 1. To apply, please fill out this form and send PDF copies of your cover letter outlining your interest and a current resume to internships@wendemuseum.org
Please indicate that you are applying for the Collections Internship, both in the email subject and cover letter.