Curatorial Assistant - Department of Prints, Drawings, and Photography

Job Description

Job Description

The Cleveland Museum of Art seeks a highly motivated, energetic individual with strong organizational skills to join the curatorial team as a Curatorial Assistant. The successful candidate will serve a two year term, renewable for a third year. The Curatorial Assistant will work in the department of Prints, Drawings, and Photography, providing support to the Curator of Photography and the Curators of Prints and Drawings.

Applicants should have an interest in working at an encyclopedic art museum and particular interest in the areas of specialization mentioned above. This term-limited position will provide the incumbent with administrative experience working in an art museum, as well as experience assisting in curatorial processes such as the organization of exhibitions, acquisition and lending of artworks, and data management (both in digital and analog/paper formats). The successful candidate will be responsible for administrative tasks such as making business travel arrangements for curators, tracking and coding expenses, and keeping track of multiple budgets and calendars. Additional tasks include requesting and coordinating art movement, visitor registration, and photography. The incumbent will respond to inquiries about the collection and may assist members of the public visiting the art study room to examine works of art. Depending on the level of experience and interests of the incumbent, they may be asked to enhance data in the collections management system by conducting research or writing texts for gallery didactics, gallery guides, the Members Magazine, Thinker blog, museum website, etc. The successful candidate will participate in monthly Curatorial and Departmental meetings, quarterly meetings that address the care of the collection, as well as Curatorial Assistants meetings, and meetings regarding installations in the galleries and special exhibitions.

The museum is seeking candidates who are interested in exploring the possibility of a career in an art museum. Candidates who have demonstrated good organizational skills and experience working on several projects simultaneously, who communicate clearly and are comfortable asking questions, and who collaborate effectively as part of a team are preferred. Applicants should have excellent interpersonal skills and the ability to work with diverse Museum constituents. The ability to handle confidential and sensitive information is expected. A Bachelor’s degree in art history or a related field (e.g., history, classics, anthropology) is required; a Master’s degree in a relevant field is preferred. The incumbent should have strong knowledge of art history plus experience working with databases. The prospective applicant must be comfortable with or able to learn Microsoft Teams and Office Suite (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook), as well as the museum’s internal CMS (collection management system). Fluency or proficiency in another language (such as French, German, Italian, Latin, or Spanish) is a plus, as is experience with handling works of art or rare documents.

The hourly rate for this position will be $24.00 per hour along with a full range of benefits that accompanies the position, including health benefits, the opportunity to participate in the museum’s 401(k) retirement program, generous paid time off, tuition reimbursement after one year of employment, and free admission to museums nationwide. Applications, including a cover letter that addresses the candidate’s interest in the position and the relevance of their experience to the responsibilities of the position, a curriculum vitae, and the names and contact information for three references should be submitted by May 31st, 2026.

Applicants should provide a short academic or professional writing sample (2–5 pages) in art history or a related discipline.