Art Technician

Whitney Museum of American Art; New York (NY); On-site; USD 51,000 - 73,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical, Dental, Vision

403(B) elections

Generous PTO

Commuter benefits

Admission to museums

Pet insurance

Citibike membership

Local 810

Job summary

The Whitney Museum of American Art seeks Art Technicians to handle artwork entering and leaving the museum and its warehouse, including offsite work on permanent collection pieces and loans. This full-time role supports a 2-year project and collaborates with Registration, Curatorial, and Conservation teams.

Responsibilities include installing artwork, packing for transport, maintaining storage areas, and supervising temporary staff on projects.

Qualifications

• Ability to use hand and portable power tools and shop tools.
• Willingness to learn to operate scissor lifts and forklifts.

Responsibilities

• Install artwork and related elements, care for the collection, and pack artwork for transport.
• Maintain and organize art storage areas; perform preparatory work with building-related skills.
• Assist with daily truck loading/unloading and courier duties.
• Perform gallery maintenance around installed artwork and supervise temporary staff on projects.
• Chaperone external vendors around artwork; participate in floodwall installation and related training.

Skills

Manual dexterity

Safety awareness

Physical stamina

Tools

Scissor lifts

Forklifts

Job description

Art Technicians are responsible for the handling of all artwork entering and leaving the Whitney Museum and its warehouse. In addition to working at these locations, Whitney Art Technicians also work offsite on permanent collection works and temporary loans. Art Technicians will work closely with the Registration, Curatorial, and Conservation departments, as well as artists themselves. This is a full-time regular role and will be supporting a 2-year project.

Responsibilities

• Installation of artwork and artwork related elements, collection care, packing artwork for transport
• Maintain and organize art storage areas
• Preparatory work, which may includemetal work, carpentry, mount making, and many other similar building skills
• Truck loading/unloading on a daily basis
• Courier work
• Gallery maintenance work around installed artwork
• Supervising temporary staff and other art handling staff when leading a project
• Chaperoning outside vendors around artwork
• Participation in the installation of a floodwall to protect the museum in emergencies. This responsibility also includes periodic training that might include a full or partial deployment.

Requirements

• Ability to use hand and portable power tools and shop tools, mat room tools, safe moving practices using moving equipment
• Knowledge on how to operate scissor lifts and forklifts or be willing to learn how

Compensation & Benefits

• Pay rate of $44.92 per hour
• Medical, Dental, Vision, 403(B) elections
• Generous PTO benefits
• Commuter benefits - parking and mass transit
• Admission to world-renowned museums across the city and nationally
• Pet insurance and discounted membership for Citibike
• This role will be covered under Local 810.

About the Whitney

The Whitney Museum of American Art, founded in 1930 by the artist and philanthropist Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney, houses the foremost collection of American art from the twentieth and twenty-first centuries. From her vision arose the Whitney Museum of American Art, which has been championing the most innovative art of the United States for 86 years. The core of the Whitney’s mission is to collect, preserve, interpret, and exhibit American art of our time and serve a wide variety of audiences in celebration of the complexity and diversity of art and culture in the United States. Through this mission and a steadfast commitment to artists themselves, the Whitney has long been a powerful force in support of modern and contemporary art and continues to help define what is innovative and influential in American art today. Its signature exhibition, the Biennial, is the country's leading survey of the most recent developments in American art.

EEO Statement

The Whitney Museum of American Art is an Equal Opportunity Employer. The Museum does not discriminate because of age, sex, religion, race, color, creed, national origin, alienage or citizenship, disability, marital status, pregnancy, partnership status, caregiver status, veteran status, gender (including gender identity), sexual orientation, genetic information, predisposition, or carrier status, arrest or conviction record to the extent required by applicable law, credit history, domestic violence, sexual violence, or stalking victim status, or any other factor prohibited by law. The Museum hires and promotes individuals solely on the basis of their qualifications for the job to be filled. The Museum encourages all qualified candidates to apply for vacant positions at all levels.