Lois & Arthur Stainman Research Assistant [Part-Time End Dated]

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, 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.