Curatorial Assistant

MISSION

The Art Institute of Chicago shares its singular collections with our city and the world. We collect, care for, and interpret works of art across time, cultures, geographies, and identities, centering the vision of artists and makers. We recognize that all art is made in a particular context, demanding continual, dynamic reconsideration in the present. We are a place of gathering; we foster the exchange of ideas and inspire an expansive, inclusive understanding of human creativity.

OUR VALUES

All staff members are expected to embrace the museum’s commitment to creating an inclusive and equitable institution and to adhere to the museum’s shared values.

• Our museum reflects and deepens our collective humanity; the arts are integral to an inspired and just society.
• We respect and acknowledge each of our colleagues’ contributions and expertise across all roles within our organization.
• We share in the responsibility to create an antiracist culture built on equity, inclusion, and justice for all, acknowledging that these efforts are intersectional and ongoing.
• We encourage and advance a culture of hospitality, empathy, and gratitude for each visitor, supporter, and member of our staff.
• We embrace innovation and foster change with a progressive understanding of—and obligation to reconsider—our past.
• We sustain an open and dynamic civic platform, inviting and advancing the diverse perspectives of our city, staff, visitors, and supporters.
  
  

About The Department(s)

Spanning 1900 to the present, Modern and Contemporary Art maintains a collection that ranges from the beginnings of the historical avant-gardes to the art of our own time. The collection includes over 3,000 works, including painting, sculpture, installations, time-based media, photography, and works on paper. Wide ranging in geography and scope, with particular strengths in International Surrealism, Postwar Painting and Sculpture, as well as the histories and contemporary legacies of Minimal, Post-Minimal, and Conceptual Art, the department maintains an active cycle of collection rotations in over 40,000 square feet of dedicated gallery space, encompassing two floors of The Modern Wing. With a team including five curators, the department presents several large-scale and focused exhibitions and programs in temporary exhibition galleries, the Donna and Howard Stone Film and Video Gallery, and on the Bluhm Family Terrace, actively collaborating with artists and scholars to commission and present many live events each year, from performances and screenings to artist’s talks and lectures.

Please click on the links below to view our competitive, comprehensive benefits package:

• Hiring Range
• Benefits
• PTO Overview
• Job Classification: Special Projects Staff
• Grade Level: 5
  
  

About The Position

The curatorial assistant supports both the ideation and the realization of a large-scale survey of Cy Twombly’s work scheduled for 2028. This key role contributes to the success of the exhibition on every front, including research, documentation, correspondence, database management, the drafting of texts for catalogue and interpretive materials, and the facilitation of internal and external meetings. In addition to coordinating regularly with numerous colleagues within the museum—curatorial, exhibitions, collection and loans, design, conservation, interpretation, publications, and more—the assistant will also be a primary liaison for this exhibition’s co-organizing institution. The position is term-limited, with an expected duration of three years, and the successful candidate will be a pivotal, full-fledged member of the exhibition team, with the possibility of joining in research travel and producing new scholarship.

The Curatorial Assistant reports to the curator-at-large.

Responsibilities

• Under the direction of the curator, assists and participates in all aspects of the development, administration, and implementation of the exhibition, as assigned.
• Coordinates with museum departments as well as external partners to manage curatorial work.
• Supports, conducts, and presents both thematic and object-based research. This might include research into ownership, publication, and exhibition histories, following biographical and reception-history trails, locating archival materials, conducting oral histories, corresponding with scholars, and more.
• Updates, organizes, and tracks museum databases, internal drives, and research files.
• Prepares materials for internal and external meetings and presentations as needed.
• Helps track lender correspondence, including loan agreements and provenance documentation.
• Tracks author correspondence, deadlines, image requirements, and produces text as needed for exhibition catalogue and interpretive materials.
• Assists with grant applications and fundraising efforts to support the exhibition as needed.
• Occasionally assists curators with departmental duties, including those related to acquisition and collection rotation.
• Supports relationships with artists, galleries, dealers, collectors, lenders, donors, and peers.
• Provides exhibition tours and supports wider educational programming as needed.
  
  

Physical Requirements

⋅ Occasional evening and weekend commitments may be required, including the possibility of national and international travel.

Qualifications

⋅ Master’s degree or equivalent experience in art history or related subject required

⋅ Familiarity with or specialization in departmental field required

⋅ Proficiency with Microsoft Office and Google suites required; ability to learn museum-specific database and project management systems

⋅ Knowledge of foreign languages as appropriate to areas of specialty preferred

⋅ The Successful Candidate Will

￫ be highly detail-oriented and organized, with strong project management skills;

￫ demonstrate both steadiness and initiative within a fast-moving project timeline;

￫ embrace the museum’s commitment to creating an inclusive and equitable institution;

￫ bring an open-minded and collaborative approach to working with all colleagues;

￫ be excited to delve into deep research and to participate in the generation of new ideas;

￫ and be an excellent writer and communicator.

About The Organization

The Art Institute of Chicago is an equal opportunity, equal access employer fully committed to achieving a diverse and inclusive workplace. We believe in a staff culture that benefits from a wide range of experience, backgrounds, and career paths, and we encourage nontraditional candidates to apply.

UNION INFO

This position is part of a bargaining unit represented by AFSCME Council 31.

This job description in no way states or implies that these are the only duties performed by the employee occupying this position. Employees may be required to follow other job- related instructions and to perform other job-related duties as requested, subject to all applicable state and federal laws. Certain job functions described herein may be subject to possible modification in accordance with applicable state and federal laws.

Equal Opportunity Employer

This employer is required to notify all applicants of their rights pursuant to federal employment laws. For further information, please review the Know Your Rights notice from the Department of Labor.