NAGPRA Coordinator & Community Liaison (End-Dated) at The Metropolitan Museum of Art – Museum Studies

Job Title: NAGPRA Coordinator & Community Liaison

Job Status: Full-time, End Dated

Location: New York, NY

Salary: $95,000 – $120,000

Description

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:

The NAGPRA Coordinator and Community Liaison is experienced in the history and respectful care and presentation of Native American Art. She/He/They will work with the NAGPRA (Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act) Advisor and Associate Curator of Native American Art to continue updating and compiling all collection summaries for documentation and distribution to American Indian Tribes, Native Hawaiian Organizations, and Indigenous Communities. She/He/They will coordinate, organize, and schedule all NAGPRA related activities at The Met.

PRIMARY RESPONSIBILITIES & DUTIES:

Conduct on-going reviews of Native American collections across departments as well as recent NAGPRA correspondence with relevant communities and continue to update collection summaries to American Indian Tribes, Native Hawaiian Organizations, and Indigenous Communities.
Collaborate with the Museum’s NAGPRA Advisor and Curator of Native American Art to further update and distribute NAGPRA collection summaries to tribal communities and National NAGPRA Headquarters.
Assist NAGPRA Working Group and Associate Curator of Native American Art in virtual and on-site consultations with American Indian Tribes, Native Hawaiian Organizations, and Indigenous Communities
Coordinate NAGPRA meetings and collections consultationvisits between relevant Met staff, American Indian tribes, Native Hawaiian Organizations, and Indigenous Communities
Contact archives, art dealers, auction houses, donors, scholars, and researchers with regard to works in the collection
Document and compile NAGPRA related collections data across departments for the museum and for American Indian Tribes, Native Hawaiian Organizations, and Indigenous Communities using The Met’s collection management system.
Work closely with curators to expand upon their ongoing provenance research;
Assist with maintaining object files and other records related to the provenance of the Native American collection;
Oversee efforts to make new provenance information publicly available on The Met’s website and handle tribal requests for provenance information;
Research and advise on repatriation and other requests including potential partnerships and opportunities for co-stewardship of collection items
Assist curator with provenance research on potential acquisitions, proposed gifts, and incoming and outgoing loans for exhibitions;
Other duties as assigned.

EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE:

MA or PhD in Indigenous or Native American Studies, museum studies, art history, anthropology, or archaeology
Demonstrated experience working with American Indian Tribes and Indigenous Communities
Experience with NAGPRA compliance and repatriation protocols
Demonstrated commitment to ethical stewardship of Native American and Indigenous collections
3 – 5 years of experience in provenance research, guidelines, and resources
Interest in furthering The Met’s commitment to ethical collecting practices
Experience using a collections management system to document provenance information
An established network of contacts in the field of provenance research
Familiarity with art market influences of the last 50 years and relevant auctions and sales of Native American Art
Knowledge of external sources of provenance information, such as archives (both in the U.S. and other countries), including those that are not publicly available

COMPENSATION RANGE:

Pay Range : $95,000 – $120,000 / Annually
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

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.

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