Junior Production Artist – Design- at the Metropolitan Museum of Art – Museum Studies

Job Title: Junior Production Artist

Job Status: Full-time

Description

About the Metropolitan Museum of Art

The Metropolitan Museum of Art collects, studies, conserves, and presents significant works of art across all times and cultures in order to connect people to creativity, knowledge, and ideas.

The Met presents over 5,000 years of art from around the world for everyone to experience and enjoy. The Museum lives in two iconic sites in New York City—The Met Fifth Avenue and The Met Cloisters. Since it was founded in 1870, The Met has always aspired to be more than a treasury of rare and beautiful objects. Every day, art comes alive in the Museum’s galleries and through its exhibitions and events, revealing both new ideas and unexpected connections across time and across cultures.

About the Design Department

The Design department designs and installs approximately 50+ exhibitions and rotations per year, alongside capital construction and buildings projects at various stages of design, gallery reinstallation projects, and special projects for the Director’s office. The studio provides design services for a building that is over 2 million square feet and contains objects from 17 curatorial departments, collaborating with over 50 departments to serve an average of over 7 million visitors annually.

The Design Department includes Exhibition Design, Graphic Design, Lighting Design, and Production teams. As part of a four-person team, the Junior Production Artist brings organizational skills, a collaborative spirit, and adaptability to production for exhibitions and other projects. This position responds to production needs with pragmatism, responsiveness, and flexibility in close consultation with the other Production team members.

GENERAL STATEMENT OF RESPONSIBILITIES & DUTIES:

The Junior Production Artist is responsible for extensive hands-on production (printing, trimming, lamination, mounting) and installation of various graphic materials for a wide array of exhibitions and other projects at the museum. They will assist Production Artists on production for large and medium projects, and be individually responsible for small projects as assigned. Duties also include production and installation of selected interior and exterior signage, as well as requesting and reviewing prepress proofs from external vendors as needed. Critical to this position is close collaboration and support for team members as well as effective communication with Design department colleagues, multiple museum constituents, and outside vendors.

Please Note: This is an exempt, full-time position.

PRIMARY RESPONSIBILITIES & DUTIES:

Hands-on fabrication of graphics (labels, didactic texts, and other graphics) including printing, trimming, lamination, mounting for gallery installations, exhibitions, and other museum signage
Installation of object labels, didactic texts, cut vinyl, wallpaper graphics; mock up of various graphic and exhibition elements as need
Colormatching to various in-gallery materials as required
Assist with quality control of materials, production, and installation
Assist with new production processes and support refinement of current techniques
Assist with maintaining department reprographic technology and digital equipment (printers, laminator, vinyl cutter)
Maintaining material inventory and supplies in coordination with other team members
Communicate effectively and efficiently with museum constituents and external vendors and contractors
Timely production, delivery, and installation of exhibition graphics in adherence to overall exhibition schedule
Attend meetings to review exhibition design, schedule, and installation as needed
Other related duties including weekly installation/rotation of exhibition banners, interior and exterior signage

REQUIREMENTS & QUALIFICATIONS:

Fully vaccinated with an FDA or WHO authorized vaccine (or approved for an exemption as a reasonable accommodation due to a disability, sincerely held religious belief, or pregnancy, or because you are a victim of domestic violence, stalking, or sex offenses).

Experience and Skills:

Strong attention to detail and high level of craft
Strong communication skills and ability to work as a collaborative colleague
Ability to multi-task and handle multiple projects simultaneously
Familiarity with Adobe Creative Suite software (InDesign, Illustrator, Photoshop) and Microsoft Office products
Familarity of design fundamentals and color theory

Ability to lift approx. 25-30 lbs.
Comfortable with heights up to 20 feet
Ability to operate a scissor lift during installation; training is mandatory and will be provided

Knowledge and Education:

BA in Art or related field a plus
1-2 years of experience in a graphic fabrication field preferred
Art handling/installation experience a plus

APPLICATION INSTRUCTIONS:

Applicants are asked to please provide a cover letter in addition to your resume, expressing your interest in the position. Applications can be submitted via the posting on LinkedIn. Alternatively, applications can be submitted via email to Careers@MetMuseum.org – please reference position “Junior Production Artist – Design Department“ in the subject line of the email. Applications received with the requested cover letter will be given priority.

The Metropolitan Museum of Art provides equal opportunity to all employees and applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, creed, sex, sexual orientation, national origin, ancestry, age, mental or physical disability, pregnancy, alienage or citizenship status, marital status or domestic partner status, genetic information, genetic predisposition or carrier status, gender identity, HIV status, military status and any other category protected by law in all employment decisions, including but not limited to recruitment, hiring, compensation, training and apprenticeship, promotion, upgrading, demotion, downgrading, transfer, lay-off and termination, and all other terms and conditions of employment.