Assistant Curator of American Textiles

About the American Wing

With a collection of roughly 20,000 works of art and design by African American, Asian American, Euro-American, Latin American, and Native American makers—ranging primarily from the mid-17th to early-20th century, with select contemporary expressions—the American Wing, founded in 1924, represents one of the largest and most comprehensive holdings of North American artistic expression in the world. These dynamic collections, housed in some 75 galleries, include paintings, sculpture, drawings, furniture, textiles, regalia, ceramics, basketry, glass, silver, metalwork, and jewelry, as well as historic interiors and architectural fragments—produced by highly trained and self-taught artists, both identified and unrecorded—comprising an expansively defined American art department housed within a global museum. An active department with a curatorial staff of twelve, as well as administration and collection colleagues, the American Wing regularly programs diverse exhibitions and installations that bring fresh approaches to our wide-ranging material.

Responsibilities

• Contribute to ongoing collection research, assessment, and refinement of American textiles
• Identify opportunities within the collection to bring fresh ideas and narratives to installations and gallery rotations
• Research and write interpretive materials, including gallery texts as well as printed and online Museum publications
• Assist with and propose gallery installations, some with accompanying publications
• Recommend artwork for acquisition in collaboration with conservators, other curators, collection managers, and collectors
• Cultivate and steward donors for acquisition and fundraising support, including membership in departmental support groups
• Contribute ideas to and participate in programming for departmental support groups and American Wing Visiting Committee (advisory group)
• Lead tours of departmental exhibitions and installations
• Develop and lead training sessions for American Wing volunteer guides
• Contribute to educational mission of Museum through public lectures, gallery talks, classes, and mentoring of interns and fellows
• Contribute to broad range of public and patron programs and to building relationships with local communities as well as global audiences
• Foster and maintain positive working relationships with museum colleagues across the U.S. as well as with members of scholarly communities, dealers, collectors, and diverse audiences
• Respond to public inquiries
• Other duties as assigned

Qualifications

• Master's degree with specialization in American textiles; PhD or ABD preferred
• Understanding of basic textile structures, materials, and techniques as well as experience with textile handling
• 3-5 years museum experience directly related to required curatorial duties and responsibilities
• Demonstrated track record of scholarly research and publication; participation in symposia, lectures, and other forms of public engagement
• Demonstrated achievement in current curatorial practice
• Passion for object-centered research, presentation, and interpretation
• Ability to create and maintain well-researched and precise collection records
• Demonstrated commitment to exploring wide-ranging approaches to American art and culture, and to engaging directly with diversity, equity, access, and inclusion (DEIA) initiatives in museum and professional communities
• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills (written, oral, visual) and respected engagement with colleagues across a complex organization and externally with scholars, donors, dealers, and broader publics
• Ability to work both independently and collaboratively with all American Wing staff and varied colleagues throughout Museum as proactive, communicative team player with proven follow-through
• Ability to contribute to an inclusive and affirmative work environment
• Excellent computer skills, familiarity with TMS, Adobe Suite, and Microsoft Office Suite

Pay

Pay Range: $87,000—92,000 Annually

Schedule

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

• 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