Curatorial Assistant | Photography

Established in 1929, The Museum of Modern Art is the world’s preeminent institution dedicated to the art of our time. With a dynamic exhibition program and one of the world’s largest collections of modern and contemporary art, MoMA bridges the past and present, the established and the experimental, bringing new ideas to over three million onsite visitors per year—and many more millions in the digital realm. We offer an exciting, inclusive work environment for innovative, talented individuals who are eager to take part in MoMA’s mission, responding to new ideas and initiatives with insight, imagination, and intelligence.

Responsibilities:

• Performs work in relation to care of the collection and arranges for custodial, registration, and preparation work as required by the curatorial staff in the maintenance of the collection in gallery, study, and storage areas.
• Conducts daily collection gallery inspections and assists with follow-up arrangements in the event of damage, deterioration, etc.
• Performs the duties of exhibitions assistant, including research on artists, periods, styles, specific works, locations of works, photograph sources, etc. Assists in cataloging; preparing checklists from compilation to data entry; and coordinating and scheduling work to be done within the Museum and without in such areas as conservation, photography, public information, matting and framing, construction, lighting, etc.
• Assists with the preparation and installation of wall labels. Conducts daily inspection of the works on view in temporary exhibitions and assists with necessary follow-up arrangements.
• Answers inquiries and conducts some gallery tours as necessary for visitors.
  Researches and catalogs the Museum collection and archives under senior staff supervision, and answers related inquiries from the public and scholars.
• Assists in preparing the Forum on Contemporary Photography and meetings of the Photography Council. Assists in the operation of The Erna and Victor Hasselblad Photography Study Center and the administration of the online portfolio submission program.
• Works with curatorial interns as assigned.
• Keeps informed of current activity in the area of departmental interests through gallery and Museum visits, publications, etc. and conveys observations to the senior staff.
• Performs any other duties reasonably related to the functions described above.

Requirements:

• Master’s degree in art history, ABD candidates preferred, with a focus on postwar/contemporary art and some relevant museum experience or equivalent
• Conversant in modern and contemporary art and the history of photography
• Excellent writing, research, and organizational skills
• Highly motivated
• Strict attention to detail, rigorous approach to tasks
• Excellent computer skills
• High level of enthusiasm to work with a curatorial team
• Ability to manage more than one project at a time and to consistently meet deadlines
• Knowledge of one foreign language preferred