Name: Natalie Cincotta
Class Year: 2026
Major: Art History
Minor: Museum Studies
Internship Organization: Arch Street Meeting House
Internship Title: Education and Research Intern
Location: Philadelphia, PA
What’s happening at your internship? We would love to hear what kind of work you are doing!
Arch Street Meeting House in the Spring
My internship is unique because it was actually a spring semester internship that I extended into the summer! Over the course of my time there I have witnessed the building going through renovations, the creation of a completely new exhibition space, and the difference between winter and summer operations. I’ve worked on a good number of projects since I started, – Created two education activities for visitors to learn about Quaker history – Learned to manage and added to the new online archive system for the objects collection – Researched and documented a nearly 140 object Quaker family collection – Researched a Quaker signature quilt for a new Exhibit. – Assisted in visitor outreach, 4th of July celebrations, and front desk work. I’ve enjoyed each task for different reasons, but I’m very glad to have had a truly wholistic experience working in a small museum.
Why did you apply for this internship?
Me and Jennifer Gray at the Red White and Blue To-Do! block party
As an Art History major, I am of course interested in the history and museum functionality of Art. However, I have had a love for all kinds of museums from a very young age. I vividly remember my father taking me and my siblings to small museums and historical houses throughout the Northeast and igniting my interest in local history. I’ve really been able to explore this in my minor in Museum Studies, and through my internship experience. In all honesty, I reached out to Arch Street Meeting house in the spring because I was looking for any museum that would give me an opportunity to intern. While I was eager to work at larger Art institutions, my limited experience in the museum world and Bryn Mawr classes told me that it would be wise to consider small historic places as well. In these museums, with smaller staff, surrounded by physical history, I anticipated receiving a much more intimate understanding of museum basics. I was right, and I couldn’t be happier with where I ended up.
What has been your favorite part of this internship?
(From left to right) Isabella Dorfman ’17, Elizabeth Tinker ’97, (me) Natalie Cincotta ’26
By far my favorite part of this internship was my experience interacting with the public during the Old City museum’s Red White and Blue To-Do! On July 2nd a collection of smaller museums in the Old City area host a day of music performances, food trucks, a parade and an informational block party. I helped my supervisor Jen during this block party and spoke with the public about Quaker history and Philadelphia. I even used some of my Italian knowledge to speak with a tourist family (shoutout to the Bryn Mawr Italian Department!). I worked on many skillsets this summer, but I think the most challenging to achieve was this confidence to converse with strangers in an educational setting. Learning how to be confident in your own knowledge and share it with others without boring them is an incredibly daunting task. Yet, it became one of my favorite skills to practice. Working on this at my internship has inspired me to look for more public classes at Bryn Mawr, for instance, I have enrolled in an Italian Tri-Co Philly class this fall.
What is most rewarding about your internship?
The relationships I’ve formed! If there is one thing that I have found inspiring about my supervisors and co-workers at ASMH, it is their commitment to working in constant collaboration. The team at ASMH is small, so everyone works across multiple departments. While this can be hectic at times, I enjoyed forging relationships with each person that makes the museum work as well as it does. In the same way that I’ve formed connections with my teachers and advisors at Bryn Mawr, I felt it was very easy to reach out to absolutely anyone for assistance. The close-knit community that surrounds ASMH really brings it to life, including the staff, volunteers, visitors, hired contractors, event companies, and even the Quaker friends who meet their every Sunday. Something truly rewarding during the summer months of my internship was the work I did researching an archived quilt for the independent exhibition coordinator who is a Bryn Mawr alum! It was amazing to see how strong the alumni network is in any field of study but especially in Museum work. I give all my thanks to Elizabeth Tinker ‘97 and another Bryn Mawr alum I worked with, Isabella Dorfman ’17 for their support and guidance as I learned how to do exhibition research this summer. I encourage anyone interested in Philadelphia history to come see the new exhibition space at Arch Street Meeting house when it is completed this coming spring!