Description
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 Department
The project to renovate The Met’s galleries for the art of the ancient Near East (also referred to as West Asia) will reimagine the stories and spaces that present the objects from this region to the public; powerfully affirming the place of non-Western art at the heart of The Met; and facilitating infrastructure upgrades that align with strategic goals around sustainability and accessibility. The galleries will illustrate the beauty, history, and cultural diversity of a vast region encompassing Iraq, Iran, Central Asia, Turkey, Syria, Lebanon, Israel, Palestine, Jordan, and Yemen. The renovation will re-center this collection in integrative and forward-thinking ways, engaging a general audience as well as NY-based heritage communities and diaspora groups whose histories are displayed within the galleries. Designed by the architectural firm NADAAA, the galleries will integrate architectural features and materials that reinforce new curatorial frameworks and regional perspectives, expanding the perspectives, narratives, and interpretations developed by the curators. Didactics will be rethought, with an emphasis on the works’ ancient and modern histories. Major forms of visual expression surveyed relate to themes such as the natural and supernatural, materiality, image making, text and image, and ordering the universe. Giving voice and making visible the artistic dynamism through digital features and prompts to additional online content will contribute to a refreshed understanding of the art of ancient West Asia. Overall, this project seeks to foster care and concern for the objects, people, communities, and diverse histories represented within this collection.
GENERAL STATEMENT OF RESPONSIBILITIES & DUTIES:
As the Research Associate, you will provide critical research support for exhibition, installation didactics, in-gallery video, and digital content for the re-envisioned galleries for ancient West Asian art. You will work directly with the curatorial team and colleagues in the Audience Engagement Departments to develop this new content. This position was conceived to help provide professional development for a specialist in ancient West Asian art seeking a curatorial career.
This is a position with an established end-date or time frame. Time period will begin upon hire: 18 months.
PRIMARY RESPONSIBILITIES & DUTIES:
- Research works of art in the collection that will be featured in the new galleries
- Work with curators on research of content concerning ancient West Asian narratives and the interface of ancient West Asia and other Met curatorial departments
- Assist with image research and management for in gallery and digital presentation
- Research and assemble chronologies/timelines and geographies/maps
- Provide support with drafting gallery texts for object and case labels, as well as sub-section commentaries
- Coordinate the development of content for digital features with a particular focus on a projection experience in the Assyrian Sculpture Court
- Coordinate content for gallery audio guides
- Assist with planning outreach to West Asian heritage communities
- Assist with project schedules and tracking project status
- Other related duties as needed
REQUIREMENTS & QUALIFICATIONS:
- MA in Art History, History, Anthropology, or Archaeology specializing in ancient West Asia required, PhD or ABD preferred.
- Related curatorial experience required
- Strong research skills with proven follow-through
- Excellent organizational and planning skills; strong attention to detail
- Excellent written and verbal communication skills
- Ability to work both independently and collaboratively, and to exercise initiative.
- Knowledge of art history required
- Fluency with Microsoft Office Suite (Word, Excel, PowerPoint) required.
COMPENSATION RANGE:
- Pay Range: $68,000.00 - $70,000.00 / Annually
- 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.
Benefits Offerings
The Museum provides competitive compensation, and generous benefits and perks for all eligible employees. Note: Benefits Offering may differ based on Employee Status.
- 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
Research shows that women and people from underrepresented groups often apply to jobs only if they meet 100% of the qualifications. We recognize that it is highly unlikely that someone meets 100% of the qualifications for a role. If much of this job description describes you, then please apply for this role.
The Met is committed to the full inclusion of all qualified individuals. As part of this commitment, The Met will ensure that persons with disabilities are provided reasonable accommodations. If reasonable accommodation is needed in this process, please contact benefits@metmuseum.org.
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.
