Archival Internship

Two-Week Archival Internship – Masonite Plate Documentation
Bread & Puppet Press – Glover, Vermont, June 23 - July 5, 2026

Bread & Puppet Press is seeking a focused, detail-oriented archival intern for a two-week intensive documentation project in our printshop.

For more than sixty years, Bread & Puppet has produced books, posters, banners, and prints using hand-cut Masonite relief plates. These plates — many hundreds of them, possibly more — are the foundation of the Press. They represent decades of political artmaking and printing history and remain active production tools, not static artifacts.

We are undertaking a systematic documentation project to properly archive this collection.

The intern will work closely with the Press Director and printshop team to:

• Inventory and assign unique identifiers to Masonite plates
• Measure and record dimensions
• Photograph each plate (recto and verso as needed)
• Enter metadata into archival software
• Conduct basic condition reports
• Organize plates for safe storage and future retrieval
• Cross-reference plates with published works when possible

This is a hands-on archival project in an active printshop. The plates are working objects — ink-stained, worn, repaired, and still in use. The internship requires care, physical stamina (lifting and moving plates), patience, and sustained attention to detail.

Ideal candidates will have:

• Training or strong interest in archives, library science, museum studies, or material culture
• Experience with collections documentation or archival databases
• Basic photography skills
• Careful handling practices
• Comfort working in a production environment

Room & Board:
Accommodations are simple, even rugged. Interns camp, use outhouses, and have limited access to running water. It can be wet and chilly even in June — come prepared to rough it. Meals are provided daily by the Bread & Puppet cook. If you require different accommodations, please let us know. Alternative housing options are very limited, but we will do our best to talk it through.

To apply, send a statement of interest, relevant experience or coursework, and your availability to solveig@breadandpuppetpress.org