Curatorial Department Assistant - Asian Art

Minneapolis Institute of Art (Mia)

Curatorial Department Assistant - Asian Art

Part-time (30 hours weekly), non-exempt, union

Hourly rate: $29.83 - $30.42

Onsite; not eligible for relocation

The Job

To provide administrative and directed curatorial support to the department of the Department of Asian Art.

In this role, you will…

Administrative

• Answer incoming telephone calls and relay all messages.
• Assist Curators with scheduling meetings, making travel arrangements, processing invoices, and reconciling expenses.
• Attend department and organizational meetings.
• Coordinate and oversee researchers’ visits to the department.
• Coordinate and oversee special projects for department interns.
• Department project management.
• Handle all requests from public and museum staff that do not require curatorial input/response such as object information, photo requests, photography permission requests, appraisal/authentication information.
• Help maintain Curators’ calendar, including scheduling meetings and appointments as directed.
• May draft, route, and maintain contracts from Mia-approved templates for curatorial approval.
• Order and maintain inventory of office supplies.
• Prepare and maintain correspondence, manuscripts, lectures, PowerPoint presentations, and other documents.
• Route incoming and outgoing mail.
• Other administrative duties as assigned.

Curatorial Support

• Arrange installation photo documentation.
• Assist curators in adhering to exhibition planning process timelines.
• Assist with all aspects of gallery rotations as directed.
• Compile installation requirements and restrictions.
• Data entry.
• Generate checklists and other reports.
• Image gathering/scanning.
• Loan correspondence as directed.
• Provide materials and information for traveling exhibitions.
• Track expenses in exhibition budget forms as directed.
• Write and/or edit texts as directed (gallery labels and panels, blog entries, scholarly research, etc.)
• Assist with exhibition-related publications including but not limited to:
• Assist Curators to be on time and on budget for all exhibitions.
• Assist Curators with exhibition-related didactics including object label copy and wall texts.
• Compiling research as directed.
• Locating images and resource materials.
• Mailing catalogues to photo and object lenders.
• Proofread all material intended for publication.
• Securing copyright permissions.

Collections Record Keeping

• Assist curators with accession proposals and presentations for new acquisitions, including editing, images, formatting, and research as directed by curator.
• Communicate and work with donors and galleries as needed.
• Compile research documents and checklists for internal and external use.
• Coordinate gallery work and schedule location changes with Registration, Art Crew, and label production.
• Coordinate with Visual Resources for photography and MACC for conservation.
• Department project manager for Art Champions conservation program.
• Organize and maintain object files, coordinating with Library staff as necessary.
• Provide object data and artist information to Registrar(s).
• Update object records in TMS database.

Accounting

• Assist with financial record-keeping tasks as designated by Supervisor.
• Communicate with the Finance department.
• Maintain all departmental expense and account records.
• Process all approved departmental expenditures, including travel expenses, general expenses, purchase orders, interdepartmental budget number requests, etc.
• Work with Supervisor on establishing department budget for each fiscal year.

Additional Responsibilities:

• Participate in museum committees and groups, as approved by supervisor.
• Perform other related duties and responsibilities as required or assigned.

To be successful in this role, you have…

• Ability to work with and communicate effectively with people of a variety of different educational, ethnic, language, and economic backgrounds.
• Excellent professional skills with a high degree of accuracy and attention to detail.
• Excellent language and communication skills.
• Ability to maintain confidentiality and discretion in handling sensitive departmental relations and records
• Ability to initiate and follow through on assigned and independent projects; self-motivated

Requirements:

Required:

• College coursework in the humanities and/or demonstrated interest in art history
• Two or more years previous experience in a similar administrative position with organizational emphasis
• Familiarity with Microsoft Word, Excel, and PowerPoint; keyboarding speed of 60 wpm

Preferred:

• Bachelor of Arts in art history, arts administration, fine art, or museum studies
• Knowledge of Chinese art history
• Non-profit/museum experience
• Basic Chinese language skills

Mia Culture

The Minneapolis Institute of Art (Mia) is an audience-centered, equitable and inclusive workplace where everyone is welcome. Mia is Mission Driven, Generous, Agile, Emotionally Aware, and Positive, and endeavors to create a workplace culture where staff are responsible to one another, to our visitors, and to themselves to do the best work possible.

Mia Benefits and Perks

Health and Wellness: Mia offers comprehensive health benefits, including medical, dental, paid life insurance, short-term and long-term disability, and vision coverage. We have a wellness and employee assistance program to support your overall wellbeing.

Financial Security: We provide financial peace of mind with a variety of options, including a Flexible Spending Account (FSA) for health expenses and a Dependent Care Account (DCA) for dependent care expenses. Our 403(b) Retirement Savings Plan includes a percentage of salary contribution from Mia after two years of employment (and minimum hours and age eligibility requirements are met).

Additional Perks: In addition to paid vacation, personal, sick days, enjoy a balanced work-life with a 37.5-hour work week and 11 paid holidays.

Join Mia and enjoy a workplace that values your health, financial security, and personal development, all while contributing to a vibrant cultural institution.

To Apply

To be considered for this position, please apply online at https://jobs-artsmia.submittable.com/submit.

Posting Deadline

No set expiration date. Job postings typically stay posted until candidates are selected for phone interviews.

Mia is committed to championing policies and practices that value diversity, foster equity, and empower an accessible and inclusive environment. Our strength lies in the diversity among the broad range of people who contribute their time and talents to Mia. We consider inclusion and accessibility a driver of institutional excellence and seek out diversity of participation, thought, and action. It is our aim, therefore, that our employees, trustees, interns, and volunteers reflect and embrace these core values.

Mia is recognized by the Age-Friendly Institute’s Certified Age Friendly Employer (CAFE) program that identifies organizations committed to being the best places to work for employees aged 50 .

AN AFFIRMATIVE ACTION / EQUAL EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER