Associate Curator at the Metropolitan Museum of Art

Job Title: Associate Curator

Job Status: Full-time

Location: New York, NY

Salary: $84,000 – $95,000

About The Metropolitan Museum Of Art

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. Millions of people also take part in The Met experience online.

Since its founding in 1870, The Met has always aspired to be more than a treasury of rare and beautiful objects. We are committed to fostering a collaborative and respectful work environment with a staff as diverse as the audiences we engage. Our staff members are art lovers who are passionate about working toward a common goal: creating the most dynamic and inspiring art museum in the world.

At The Met, every staff member – from security officers to researchers to scientists and beyond – lives by our core values of respect, inclusivity, collaboration, excellence, and integrity.

Respect: Engage one another with collegiality, empathy, and kindness, always.

Inclusivity: Ensure that all are and feel welcome and valued.

Collaboration: Reach across boundaries to exchange ideas and work together toward our shared mission.

Excellence: Lead the cultural world in quality and expertise—and inspire curiosity and creativity.

Integrity: Hold ourselves to the highest moral standards, admit when we fall short, and then evolve.

GENERAL STATEMENT OF RESPONSIBILITIES & DUTIES:

You are a visionary and energetic scholar specializing in 18th and 19th century historic dress. You will be charged with developing special exhibitions and gallery rotations (both independently and in collaboration with other curators), researching and publishing original scholarship on the CI’s world-renowned collection, and actively participating in the broader life of The Museum through collaborations with other curators, designers, conservators, and educators, among others. You will play a key role in stewarding and cultivating patrons to support CI’s acquisitions and fundraising efforts.

PRIMARY RESPONSIBILITIES & DUTIES:

  • Organize and support Costume Institute exhibitions and gallery rotations
  • Research and propose works for acquisition, and author justification reports; participate in collection assessment
  • Act as key author and essayist for exhibition catalogues and other specialized publications, including online content
  • Be a point person for the CI Collection, assist the public and visiting scholars with research requests and appointments whenever necessary
  • Cultivate and steward donors for acquisition and fundraising
  • Contribute to education and public programming
  • Lead tours of departmental exhibitions
  • Develop and lead training sessions for The Costume Institute docent group
  • Foster and maintain excellent working relationships with Met staff, collectors, patrons, colleagues from other international institutions, scholars, dealers, and other individuals involved with the interests of the Museum
  • Contribute ideas to and participate in Friends of the Costume Institute and Visiting Committee events
  • Other duties as assigned

EDUCATION & EXPERIENCE:

  • Six years of experience in the museum or academic field with a focus on 18th and 19th century fashion
  • M.A., Ph.D., or equivalent in art history, costume, or related field
  • Expertise in 18th and 19th century fashion and broad knowledge of fashion history.
  • Demonstrated thought leadership and scholarship, including evidence of original published research
  • Demonstrated engagement with international critical theory and artistic practice
  • Demonstrated commitment to broad international audiences and learning, evidence of participation in symposia, lectures, and other public engagement
  • Excellent interpersonal and communication skills with artists, museum colleagues, donors, and the general public
  • Must be a proactive, communicative team player with proven follow-through
  • Ability to create and maintain well-researched and precise records
  • Experience with exhibition budgets
  • Exhibition and publishing experience

COMPENSATION RANGE:

  • Associate Curator Pay Range : $84,000 – $95,000
  • The advertised pay scale reflects the good faith minimum and maximum salary range for this role. The advertised pay scale is not a promise of a particular wage for any specific employee. The specific compensation offered to a candidate may be dependent on a variety of factors including, but not limited to, the candidate’s experience, education, special licensing or qualifications, and other factors.

Location Requirements

At time of employment, employees are expected to be located within commuting distance of the Museum. “Commuting distance” means that they are located in one of following states: New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, or Pennsylvania (the “Tri-state and PA” areas), and be able to commute to and from the Museum in a single day.

Benefits Offerings

The Museum provides competitive compensation, and generous benefits and perks for all eligible employees. Note: Benefits Offering may differ based on Employee Status.

  • Medical, dental, vision and life insurance
  • 403(b) basic retirement plan and optional matching retirement plan with an outstanding employer match
  • Considerable paid time off, including annual leave, sick leave, and 13 Museum holidays
  • Long-term disability coverage
  • Flexible Spending Accounts & Health Savings Account (pre-tax income for eligible health care expenses)
  • Commuter benefits (pre-tax income for parking or mass transit expenses)
  • Free financial-planning services
  • Financial assistance for relevant coursework, seminars, and training programs
  • 25% discount for staff in Museum shops
  • A subsidized staff cafeteria
  • Access to the Museums Council pass, which grants free admission to various museums and cultural institutions

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Research shows that women and people from underrepresented groups often apply to jobs only if they meet 100% of the qualifications. We recognize that it is highly unlikely that someone meets 100% of the qualifications for a role. If much of this job description describes you, then please apply for this role.

The Met is committed to the full inclusion of all qualified individuals. As part of this commitment, The Met will ensure that persons with disabilities are provided reasonable accommodations. If reasonable accommodation is needed in this process, please contact benefits@metmuseum.org.

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.