Job Information
Location:
Houston, Texas, United States
Job ID:
51511601
Posted:
November 1, 2019
Position Title:
Curatorial Assistant
Company Name:
The Menil Collection
Job Function:
Curator
Entry Level:
No
Description
The Curatorial Assistant provides administrative and research support to the Curator of Collections and members of the Senior Curatorial Department.
The role of Curatorial Assistant is a three-year appointment which may be extended beyond its initial ending date.
Specific Duties
Assist the Curator of Collections and Curatorial Department with researching and cataloging the Museum’s permanent collection of ancient and pre-18th century European Art. Update and maintain object records in the curatorial object files, collection database (TMS), museum website, and other online resources.
Work with staff in collection management, conservation, and other museum departments to ensure the proper care and storage of the permanent collection and loans.
Prepare reports, budget templates, and other administrative documentation for distribution. Write and edit formal correspondence with dealers, scholars, and other museum professionals. Work with curatorial and other museum staff in other departments to schedule meetings, tours, and itinerary logistics for visiting scholars or museum professionals.
Write, edit, and assist with the production of object labels, online features (website and social media), and other public-facing materials.
Assist with exhibition research, planning, and other support functions, such as maintaining checklists, image files, bibliographic information, lender correspondence, grant proposals, publication research and production, website development, and public program planning.
Assist with the research and preparation of reports for potential acquisitions for the collection, including provenance, exhibition history, and bibliographies.
Assist with coordinating internships.
Function as a liaison for visitors, special guests, and organizations by responding to inquiries and, as necessary, conducting tours at the Menil.
Qualifications
Minimum qualifications: Bachelor’s degree in art history, anthropology, or museum studies required; Master’s preferred. Area of concentration in the arts of the ancient Mediterranean (Greek, Roman, Etruscan, Near East) or pre-18th-century European art.
Minimum of 2 years of museum experience with superior research and writing skills.
Must exercise discretion in dealing with confidential information about the collections, have strong written and verbal communication skills, and be organized and efficient in managing time-sensitive deadline.
Proficient in Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, and PowerPoint), familiarity with database management (TMS).
Must be self-motivated, attentive to detail, and able to prioritize workload.
Professional appearance and demeanor.
Salary and benefits competitive and commensurate with experience. Please send resume, cover letter, and writing sample (not to exceed 2,500 words) to: Human Resources Department, The Menil Collection, 1511 Branard Street, Houston, Texas 77006. Application materials may also be emailed to: hr@menil.org.
Applications will be accepted through November 30, 2019.
Job Information
Location:
Houston, Texas, United States
Job ID:
51511601
Posted:
November 1, 2019
Position Title:
Curatorial Assistant
Company Name:
The Menil Collection
Job Function:
Curator
Entry Level:
No
About The Menil Collection
The Menil is located in central Houston and receives extensive local, national, and international recognition for its innovative exhibitions, conservation research, publications, scholarship, and unique architecture. The landmark Renzo Piano-designed main building houses much of the permanent collection, which focuses on Greco-Roman and Near East antiquities; Byzantine and medieval art; the cultures of Africa, the Pacific Islands, and the American Pacific Northwest; and twentieth-century and contemporary painting, sculpture, film, works on paper, books, and installations. The thirty-acre residential neighborhood features several dedicated arts pavilions, including the Cy Twombly Gallery, the Dan Flavin Installation at Richmond Hall, and the former Byzantine Fresco Chapel, which now houses long-term contemporary installations, and the Menil Drawing Institute, which opened in 2019.
In 2009, David Chipperfield Architects was engaged to envision a new master plan for the Menil campus. The plan recognizes as fundamental principles the meandering green spaces and dialogue between arts buildings and residences. Resulting projects include the new Energy House, Stern and Bucek’s Bistro Menil, and Michael Van Valkenburgh Associates’ gateway landscape and parking lot, all of which were funded through the Menil’s first ever capital campaign (2012-17), which raised $121 million. The most extraordinary of these additions is the most recent, Johnston Marklee’s Menil Drawing Institute, a vibrant yet peaceful space designed to foster the acquisition, study, teaching, conservation, exhibition, and storage of drawings.
The Menil Collections’s many green spaces and varied outdoor sculptures contribute to the unique vitality of what English architectural critic and writer Reyner Banham has referred to as a “neighborhood of art.” Admission to the museum buildings, green spaces, and public programs is always free of charge to visitors.
"The Menil is widely regarded as the gold standard in institutional concept and design. And admiration for it tends to shade into devotion. Its 30-acre campus of low-slung buildings in a leafy park in this city has become as much pilgrimage site as cultural destination."
Holland Cotter, The New York Times
November 29, 2018
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