Curatorial Associate, Permanent Collections at Smart Museum of Art in Chicago, US

Organisation: Smart Museum of Art, University of Chicago
Location: Chicago, Illinois, US
Salary: $55,000–$60,000 per annum
Contract: Full-time, one-year appointment, with possibility of renewal
Application deadline: Not specified

The Smart Museum of Art at the University of Chicago is seeking a Curatorial Associate, Permanent Collections to support research, collections management and the development of a new collection plan.

As the university’s fine arts museum, the Smart Museum encourages scholarly inquiry and public engagement through exhibitions, collections, research, teaching and public programmes. Its collection comprises more than 17,000 objects and serves as a resource for academic research and engagement with diverse communities.

The successful candidate will work closely with the Curator and other museum departments, contributing to three major institutional priorities: developing a new collection plan, producing a collection handbook and reorganising the museum’s holdings across its storage facilities.

Key Responsibilities

• Support the development of the museum’s collection plan through research, institutional benchmarking and documentation.
• Manage the production of a collection handbook, coordinating editorial, design and publication processes.
• Conduct original research on artworks, including provenance, exhibition histories, conservation records and artist biographies.
• Draft and edit collection entries, curatorial texts and supporting publication materials.
• Maintain and update collection records and documentation.
• Collaborate with curatorial, registration and academic teams on collection storage and reorganisation.
• Support collection loans, exhibition preparation, research enquiries and grant applications.
• Contribute to the training and mentoring of curatorial interns and student employees.

Requirements

Applicants should have a university degree in a relevant field and professional experience in museum or collections-related work.

Preferred qualifications include:

• A master’s degree in art history, museum studies or a related discipline.
• At least two years of experience in a museum curatorial department or comparable research institution.
• Experience supporting collections documentation, scholarly publications or exhibition preparation.
• Familiarity with collections management databases, preferably TMS.
• Strong research, writing, editing and project management skills.
• Knowledge of image rights and reproduction permissions.
• Excellent organisational and communication skills.

The position offers an opportunity to contribute to the research, interpretation and long-term development of a major university museum collection.

Image: Courtesy of Smart Museum of Art.