Lois & Arthur Stainman Research Assistant, American Wing at the Metropolitan Museum of Art
Job Title: Lois & Arthur Stainman Research Assistant, American Wing
Job Status: Full-time
Location: New York, NY
Salary: $32.00 – $33.00
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.
About the American Wing
Established in 1924, the American Wing is the only western collecting area of The Met’s seventeen curatorial departments to regularly blend so-called fine and decorative arts in our more than 75 galleries. With a collection of diverse works by African American, Asian American, Euro-American, Latin American, and Native American makers—representing some 20,000 objects and ranging primarily from the mid- 17th to early-20th century—the Wing is one of the largest and most comprehensive holdings of North American artistic expression in the world. These collections include painting, sculptures, drawing, and decorative arts (furniture, textiles, regalia, ceramics, basketry, glass, silver, metalwork, jewelry), as well as historic interiors and architectural fragments, produced by highly trained and self-taught artists, both identified and unrecorded. An active department with a curatorial staff of 13, the Wing regularly programs wide-ranging exhibitions and installations that bring fresh approaches to our holdings.
GENERAL STATEMENT OF RESPONSIBILITIES & DUTIES:
As the Research Assistant, you will assist with a variety of American Wing curatorial initiatives. Focusing on 18th- and 19th-century painting and drawing, you will assist with the documentation and cataloguing of diverse works and collection records. You will also provide administrative support for collection development and gallery installations, among other curatorial efforts.
This is a part-time position (three days a week) with an established time frame or end date. Time frame will begin upon hire: 2 years.
PRIMARY RESPONSIBILITIES & DUTIES:
- Investigate and document diverse works—both canonic and newer acquisitions—augmenting bibliographic material of primary and secondary sources
- Assist curatorial team in collections research, building object files
- Assist with collections documentation and recordkeeping
- Other duties as assigned
REQUIREMENTS & QUALIFICATIONS:
- M.A. in History of Art or American Studies (ABD preferred)
- Advanced knowledge of American art and culture, specifically late 19th-century painting and drawing
- Some past experience in curatorial museum departments
- Familiarity with research resources and TMS
- Highly organized and detail-oriented independent research skills
COMPENSATION RANGE:
- Pay Range: $32.00 – $33.00 / Hourly
- 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
How To Apply:
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.