What are the responsibilities and job description for the Curatorial Assistant in Office of Academic Programs, 2025-2026 position at Oberlin?
The Office of Academic Programs at the Allen Memorial Art Museum (AMAM) at Oberlin College seeks a recent Oberlin College graduate (Class of 2020 to 2025) to fill the position of Curatorial Assistant. This is a non-continuing, full-time, 10-month Administrative and Professional Staff position beginning August 1, 2025 that reports to the Interim Curator of Academic Programs. The position has the possibility of renewal.
Responsibilities
The Curatorial Assistant takes an active role in the day-to-day activities of the Office of Academic Programs, which develops new and innovative ways of making the AMAM and its collections central to the Oberlin College and Conservatory academic experience by working closely with faculty members and students. To that end, the Curatorial Assistant provides crucial support for the Interim Curator by:
- managing the calendar of class visits and faculty meetings;
- attending and contributing to planning meetings for class visits and other student-facing programs such as Shared Art;
- developing and producing resources for class sessions;
- co-supervising two student assistants;
- preparing the Print Study Room and gallery spaces for teaching and learning;
- compiling and tracking statistics related to the Office’s outreach;
- conducting research on the AMAM’s collection as well as topics in higher education, museums, and object-based pedagogies;
- contributing to discussions about how to deepen student and faculty engagement with the AMAM and its collections; and
- performing other duties as assigned.
In addition, the Curatorial Assistant will have the opportunity to gain experience in object-based teaching strategies by planning and teaching museum visits.
Essential Job Functions
Marginal Job Functions
Required Qualifications
- Bachelor’s degree from Oberlin College awarded between 2020 and May 2025 with substantial coursework in object-focused fields of study such as art history, studio art, history, anthropology, or archeology.
- Ability to correspond and interact professionally with a wide range of faculty, staff, and students by email, on the phone, and in person.
- Ability to collaborate with colleagues in the Office of Academic Programs, the AMAM’s staff, and across campus.
- Ability to work independently and with an awareness to know when to seek guidance and assistance.
- Confidence to speak in front of classes and large audiences and to enforce museum policies.
- Commitment to fostering an inclusive learning environment for all Oberlin students.
- Willingness to dream big, make achievable plans, and act punctually.
Desired Qualifications
- Knowledge of the AMAM collection.
- Familiarity with museum education and/or objects-based learning.
- Previous art-handling experience.
- Previous museum teaching experience.
- Previous administrative assistance experience including calendar management and event planning.
- Experience using Excel for statistics, Google Forms, Google Calendar, TMS (The Museum System), Slack, and Trello.
Compensation
The position has a salary of $35,000 and includes an excellent benefits package.
Special Instructions to Applicants
Applications will be accepted until 11:59 pm on April 15, 2025. An information session about this position will be held on April 8, 2025, at 12:15pm on Zoom. You do not need to attend to apply.
Required application materials:
Required application materials:
- 1-page cover letter describing the candidate’s interest in the position and relevant experience for the qualifications of the position
- 250-word responses to the following questions:
- What actions can you imagine someone in this role taking that would make the AMAM a better environment for college-level learning than it is today? (maximum 250 words)
- How does this position fit into your long-term academic or career goals? (maximum 250 words)
- 1-page résumé
- Unofficial undergraduate transcript with GPA
A list of names and contact information for three references, at least one of whom must be an Oberlin College faculty member.
Documents Needed to Apply
Required Documents
Optional Documents
- Cover Letter
- Resume
- List of References
- Unofficial Transcripts
- Additional document
Salary : $35,000
