Sightseeing during an art internship in Colombia

Photography, Design, & Art Internships in Colombia

A single plaza in downtown Medellín holds more than twenty bronze sculptures donated by the city's most famous son, and that gift from Fernando Botero says something genuine about how deeply art is woven into the city's sense of itself.

Medellín's art world extends well beyond that single plaza, home to a modern art museum built inside a converted industrial complex, a neighbourhood once defined by violence now covered in murals painted as part of its own genuine transformation, and a contemporary gallery scene increasingly confident on the international stage. For interns, that context offers something rare, art that carries real social weight alongside aesthetic ambition.

Whether you're a university student, recent graduate, gap year student or career changer, our art internship in Medellín can help you build practical experience within a city that treats art as a genuine tool for change.

Apply now

24

Guaranteed Internship
Vetted roles in leading Medellín museums, galleries and community art organizations. 

14

Complete Overseas Support
Visa assistance, Medellín housing, social & cultural events and 24/7 staff support included. 

22

Global Career Network
Join 15,000+ alumni with dynamic workshops, networking events, and employer references. 

Example art host organizations in Colombia

Interns have previously joined organizations across Medellín's museum, gallery, community art and craft sectors. The organizations featured represent examples of the types of professional environments where participants have gained experience.

Why do an art internship in Colombia?

Fernando Botero's donation of dozens of sculptures and paintings to his home city turned a single downtown plaza into one of Latin America's most recognizable public art spaces, and the museum housing much of his broader legacy maintains genuinely serious curatorial standards around a collection that means something personal to the city itself. Working near that world means seeing how a single artist's generosity can reshape a city's relationship with art entirely.

Comuna 13, a neighbourhood once synonymous with the city's most difficult years, has become internationally known for murals painted by local artists as a genuine act of community reclamation, work that carries real social and political weight alongside its visual impact. Medellín's contemporary art museum, housed in a converted industrial complex, has built increasingly ambitious programming connecting local artists with international movements, while the city's craft and textile traditions continue feeding into contemporary practice in genuinely interesting ways.

Medellín is particularly strong in areas such as museum curation, community and public murals, contemporary gallery representation and craft traditions, giving you exposure to art carrying genuine social significance.

Experience art as a genuine tool for transformation

Botero's civic legacy
See how a single artist's donation to his home city reshaped Medellín's relationship with public art entirely.

Deep specialization
Explore the art world across curation, community murals, gallery representation and craft.

Latin American networking
Build connections within Medellín's increasingly confident regional art community.

Art with social purpose
Learn how murals and community art projects have become genuine tools for reclaiming and reshaping neighbourhoods.

Meeting other students and interns during an art internship in Colombia

Explore art internships in Colombia

Medellín's art landscape spans major museums, community mural projects, contemporary galleries, craft organizations and cultural institutions. Your internship could give you the opportunity to see how organizations in the city use art to preserve heritage and drive genuine social change.

Museum Curatorial Support

Medellín's museums require genuine scholarly rigour to research and present collections that carry real civic and personal significance for the city. Your internship could involve supporting exhibition research, object documentation or catalogue preparation.

You could work on: Exhibition research support · Object documentation · Catalogue preparation · Archive research

Contemporary Gallery Representation

Medellín's galleries represent artists across genuinely different career stages, increasingly connecting local practice with international markets. You could support exhibition coordination, artist research or client communications.

You could work on: Exhibition coordination support · Artist research · Client communications · Inventory management

Art & Social Transformation Projects

Organizations using art as a genuine tool for community development require real coordination between creative vision and practical, on-the-ground impact. You could support program research, impact documentation or stakeholder engagement.

You could work on: Program research support · Impact documentation · Stakeholder engagement · Report drafting

Art History & Research

Medellín's museums and cultural institutions produce genuinely rich research, particularly around Colombian and Latin American art history. You could support literature review, archival research or citation documentation.

You could work on: Literature review support · Archival research · Citation documentation · Bibliography preparation

Looking for art internships beyond Colombia? Explore our international art internships to discover opportunities across a range of destinations. 

Example art internship roles in Colombia

Depending on your skills and interests, you could take on a role such as:

  • Graphic Design Intern
  • Creative Design Intern
  • Branding & Design Intern
  • Digital Heritage Design Intern
  • Gallery Operations & Digital Design Intern
  • Art Gallery Design Intern
  • Digital Content Designer
  • Creative Video Production Intern

Your exact role will depend on your host organization and placement.

Explore more example Art roles >

Sightseeing during an art internship in Colombia

What can you gain from our art internship in Colombia?

An art internship in Medellín offers real access to a city that treats art as a genuine tool for transformation, developing practical skills that go well beyond a single line on your CV/resume.

 

  • Build Colombian art experience

    International experience on your CV/resume shows future employers that you've worked within a city where art carries genuine civic significance. 

  • Work on real art projects

    Practical skills develop through projects that could touch curation, community murals, gallery work or craft traditions, depending on your placement. 

  • Grow your Latin American art network

    Curators, muralists and gallery professionals across Medellín become genuine contacts, alongside fellow interns from around the world. 

  • Understand art as genuine social tool

    Murals and community projects reveal how art can reshape a neighbourhood's story, not just decorate its walls.

  • Experience Medellín's art culture

    Botero's civic legacy, mural-driven transformation and craft heritage together shape how the city approaches art. 

TIG interns during an art internship in Colombia

What's included in the Colombia internship program?

Support throughout your internship covers placement, accommodation, visa assistance, career coaching and 24/7 in-country help, designed to help you get the most from the experience.

Explore the full Colombia internship program >

Hear from our interns in Colombia

Andreea Prodan
Andreea Prodan
Watch their story
Felicia Aull
Felicia Aull
Watch their story
Gabriella Goring
Gabriella Goring
Watch their story

"I decided on Colombia, and especially Medellín, because I was always interested in Latin America and travelling here also gave me the opportunity to practise my Spanish. For me, it was a way to improve my Spanish, and it just seemed like the perfect option. To be honest, it’s surpassed my expectations. I’ve really enjoyed the city and always felt safe walking around." - Andreea Prodan, intern in Colombia

"The Colombian people are so friendly and so willing to share their culture with you. Everybody has been very patient, especially with the language barrier. As long as you are willing to learn and show an appreciation and respect for their culture, I’ve found that people are very willing to share their culture with you. So, I’ve really enjoyed that." - Gabriella Goring, Colombia intern

Exploring Medellin's street art during an art internship in Colombia

Is a Colombia art internship right for you?

A Medellín art internship could be a great fit if you're drawn to art carrying genuine social and civic weight alongside aesthetic ambition.

University students, recent graduates, gap year participants and career changers alike can build practical skills while experiencing how Medellín's institutions and communities use art to preserve heritage and drive real change. Your portfolio, professional network and sense of where an art career could take you all stand to grow from the experience.

What is it like to live as an art intern in Colombia?

Plaza Botero becomes a genuine meeting spot rather than just a tourist stop once you're actually living nearby, the bronze sculptures worn smooth in places where generations of locals have leaned or perched for a photo. A visit to Comuna 13 means more than admiring murals from a distance, guides who grew up in the neighbourhood share stories that turn the artwork into something you understand rather than just photograph.

The converted industrial halls of the modern art museum host openings regularly enough to become a genuine social habit, and weekend craft markets scattered around the city offer an easy way to meet artisans working in traditions passed down for generations. It's a place where the line between art and everyday life barely seems to exist at all.

Apply now

IMG_5337 (1) (1)

FAQs

cerrar popup image

Realize your potential with an international internship

Apply now

  • 1

    Apply online

    Complete our simple application form and tell us about your passions, qualifications, and experiential requirements.

  • 2

    Interview

    If your interview is successful, confirm your enrollment with a tuition deposit.

  • 3

    Secure your internship

    Collaborate in the internship placement process & accelerate your career.