Research Assistant for Medieval Arts
About the Metropolitan Museum of Art
The Metropolitan Museum of Art collects, studies, conserves, and presents significant works of art across all times and cultures in order to connect people to creativity, knowledge, and ideas.
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. Since it was founded in 1870, The Met has always aspired to be more than a treasury of rare and beautiful objects. Every day, art comes alive in the Museum’s galleries and through its exhibitions and events, revealing both new ideas and unexpected connections across time and across cultures.
GENERAL STATEMENT OF RESPONSIBILITIES & DUTIES:
The Research Assistant for Medieval Arts position has been funded by the Giorgi Family Foundation to assist Andrea Myers Achi, Assistant Curator in The Department of Medieval Art and The Cloisters with work related to the Museum’s Early Christian and Byzantine Collections. The primary project through 2024 will be the completion of the organization, installation and deinstallation of the exhibition “Africa and Byzantium” (working title) that opens October 30, 2023. The show will explore translations of Byzantine art and culture by local and foreign artists working in Africa from the fourth through fifteenth centuries and beyond. Additionally, the Research Assistant will be involved with the continuing development of the organization of the Museum’s Byzantine Egyptian collections; and assisting with the maintenance of the Early Christian and Byzantine portions of the Medieval Department’s permanent galleries. All of this is done in collaboration with C. Griffith Mann, Michel David -Weill Curator in Charge of the Department and other curators as relevant.
PRIMARY RESPONSIBILITIES & DUTIES:
- Oversee and coordinate database regarding the prospective loans
- Oversee and coordinate preparation of loan letters and forms
- Assist with bibliographic research and support editorial work for the catalogue
- Assist with installation and support cross-departmental work in the implementation of the exhibition
- Assist with organizing interpretative materials related to
- Byzantine Egyptian collections
- Other duties as assigned
REQUIREMENTS & QUALIFICATIONS:
- Fully vaccinated with an FDA or WHO authorized vaccine (or approved for an exemption as a reasonable accommodation due to a disability, sincerely held religious belief, or pregnancy, or because you are a victim of domestic violence, stalking, or sex offenses).
Experience and Skills:
- expertise in Byzantine Art or related field
- demonstrated organizational skills for exhibition development
- Strong communication skills, attention to detail, and experience
- coordinating complex projects
- computer literacy with TMS or other collection management
- system, exhibition database development, image scanning
- work with previous Museum exhibitions preferred
- work with previous exhibition websites preferred
- reading knowledge in Koine Greek or a relevant ancient language preferred
Knowledge and Education:
- graduate work in Byzantine or Classical studies required
- expertise on medieval eastern Mediterranean art or related field required
- travel in eastern Mediterranean preferred
APPLICATION INSTRUCTIONS:
Applicants are asked to please provide a cover letter in addition to your resume, expressing your interest in the position. Applications can be submitted via the posting on LinkedIn. Alternatively, applications can be submitted via email to Careers@MetMuseum.org – please reference position “Research Assistant for Medieval Arts“ in the subject line of the email. Applications received with the requested cover letter will be given priority.
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.
