Museum Instructor/Curatorial Assistant, American Art and Arts of the Americas

Museum Overview

The Brooklyn Museum is a world-renowned cultural institution dedicated to preserving and showcasing art, history, and heritage. Our mission is to bring people together through art and experiences that inspire celebration, compassion, courage, and the will to act. Our vision is to serve as an institution where art is a powerful force for personal transformation and social change. Celebrating our differences and learning about our diverse communities through our collections, exhibitions, and programming is the core of who we are and what we do.

We are committed to creating and cultivating a community of talented, passionate people who are inspired to make the Museum an important hub of community activity and a great global destination. Our staff have the opportunity to grow their professional skills and work collaboratively with colleagues they admire and respect. Read more about our story here.

About The Role

The Curatorial Assistant, American Art and Arts of the Americas, assists with collection and exhibition-related projects for the American Art, Arts of the Americas, and Indigenous Art collections. The Curatorial Assistant supports the administration of collections in collaboration with internal and external stakeholders and conducts and assists with scholarly research and writing. This individual works closely with the curators for American Art, Arts of the Americas, and Indigenous Art on a wide range of projects across the Arts of the Americas and Europe Curatorial department.

Responsibilities

• Provide general administrative support for the department and curators
• Serve as a primary point of contact for collection- and exhibition-related projects and internal and external inquiries for internal and external stakeholders
• Maintain departmental files and TMS records relating to objects, artists, and exhibitions
• Field scholarly inquiries and organize collection visits from researchers, school groups, donors, and the public
• Assist with and contribute to temporary and collection gallery exhibitions, rotations, activations, reinstallations, including, but not limited to:
• Assisting with the formulation of proposals and exhibition concepts
• Compiling and maintaining exhibition checklists, including schedules, installation plans, framing, media components, etc.
• Conducting subject-specific research
• Drafting acquisition or deaccession justifications
• Research and draft exhibition didactics
• Drafting labels and other exhibition texts
• Conducting collection and exhibition tours as requested
• Collaborating with colleagues across departments, including but not limited to Conservation, Education, Visitor Experience, Exhibitions, Editorial, Graphic Design, Development, and Registrar
• Lead assigned research projects related to the collections, including on potential loans, proposed acquisitions, and deaccessions
• Write social media posts about works in the collections
• Visit potential donors and lenders with curators
• Other duties as assigned
  
  

Preferred Skills:

• Familiarity with collection databases such as The Museum System (TMS)
• Knowledge of European Art, Decorative Arts and Design, or art of the Spanish Americas
• Some foreign language skills
  
  

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in art history, museum studies, visual culture, or a related humanities discipline, or two to three years of experience in a museum or other cultural organization
• Highly detail-oriented, organized, and able to prioritize among multiple projects
• Excellent oral and written communication skills
• Experience with collaborative projects
• Background in scholarly research and writing
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office and basic office functions (e.g., scanning, filing)
  
  

Department: Curatorial, Arts of the Americas and Europe

Reports to: Curator of American Art

Salary: $51,034.00

Union status: DC37 Local 1502

FLSA status: Non-Exempt

Position type: Full-time

Schedule: 35 hours per week, Monday–Friday, 9 am–5 pm. This position is subject to occasional evening and weekend hours.

Benefit Offerings

The Museum provides competitive compensation along with generous benefits and perks for all eligible employees. Individual benefit offerings may vary based on position type and union status.

• Medical, dental, vision and life insurance
• 401(k) Savings Plan and Pension Plan
• Generous paid time off, including annual vacation leave, sick leave, and 13 Museum holidays
• Short-term and long-term disability coverage
• Flexible Spending Accounts (FSAs) & Health Savings Accounts (HSAs) for eligible pre-tax health care, dependent care, and commuter expenses
• Employee Assistant Program
• Free admission to various NYC museums and cultural institutions
• Early access to Museum exhibitions
• Invitations to staff-only programs, tours, and on-site engagement events
• Opportunities to participate in community initiatives and Museum programs
• 40% discount for staff in Museum shops
• 20% discount at Museum café
• All positions are based in Brooklyn, New York, with some eligible for a hybrid work schedule (three days on-site / two days remote)
  
  

Apply Today

We recognize that it’s unlikely that any candidate will meet 100% of the desired qualifications for a role. If much of this job description resonates with you, we strongly encourage you to apply today. We’re committed to welcoming candidates with a wide range of experiences and perspectives – especially those who see themselves contributing to our mission to bring people together through art and experiences that inspire celebration, compassion, courage, and the will to act.

If you have questions about our online application system, please contact us at job.applicationquestions@brooklynmuseum.org