Collections & Exhibitions Assistant

Everson Museum of Art; City of Syracuse (NY); On-site; USD 38,000 - 46,000; Full time

Job summary

Everson Museum of Art seeks a Collections & Exhibitions Assistant to support preservation, organization, and presentation of the museum’s collections and exhibitions. You will bridge curatorial tasks and collections management, aiding installation and handling of objects.

The role requires strong writing, research, and data-entry skills, with attention to detail and the ability to work independently within a dynamic museum environment.

Qualifications

• BA in art history or related field required; MA preferred.
• 1–2 years museum/collection experience preferred.
• Excellent writing and communication skills.
• Demonstrated attention to detail and strong organizational skills.
• Experience with collections management data entry and art handling.

Responsibilities

• Assist curatorial with exhibition details, research, and writing exhibition text.
• Prepare materials for Collections Committee meetings.
• Coordinate travel for curatorial and visiting artists when needed.
• Assist with deaccession research, documentation, and acquisitions process.
• Manage data entry into FileMaker and support collection inventories.
• Assist with loan logistics, shipping, and exhibition installations.
• Photograph artworks and update digital archives as needed.

Skills

Writing

Communication

Attention to detail

Research

Time management

Education

BA in art history or related field

MA preferred

Tools

Microsoft Word

Excel

Outlook

Teams

FileMaker Pro

Job description

Salary: $42,000.00 - $42,000.00 Annually

Application Deadline: Oct 2, 2026

Collections Management

Job Title: Collections & Exhibitions Assistant
Reports to: Director of Curatorial Affairs
Salary: $42,000 annually, non-exempt

Job Summary

The Collections & Exhibitions Assistant plays a key supporting role in the preservation, organization, and presentation of a museum’s exhibitions and collections. Their work bridges both curatorial tasks (research, exhibition planning) and collections management tasks (care, documentation, and handling of objects) and supports the installation of exhibitions.

Essential Job Duties and Responsibilities

• Assist the curatorial department in coordinating details for exhibitions, including exhibition checklists, research, and writing exhibition text
• Compile and distribute materials for Collections Committee meetings
• Field research requests and gift offer inquiries
• Assist with deaccession research and documentation
• Coordinate curatorial and visiting artist travel when necessary
• Manage all aspects of community exhibitions
• Manage rights & reproductions requests
• Assist with the full acquisition process, including obtaining Deed of Gift paperwork from donors, cataloging new acquisitions, and ensuring records are complete
• Assist with managing data entry into FileMaker collections database
• Work with Registrar on collection inventories
• Assist with exhibition installations, including generating loan agreements, coordinating shipping arrangements, preparing objects for display (mounting, framing), and installing objects
• Safely handle, pack, move, and store artworks
• Help implement preventive conservation practices (e.g., controlling light, temp, humidity)
• Occasionally photograph objects and update digital archives
• Coordinate movement of objects to and from exhibition spaces
• Schedule object viewings for researchers or internal staff
• Assist with incoming and outgoing loans logistics (shipping, packing, customs forms, condition reports)

Supervisory Responsibilities

This position does not have supervisory responsibilities.

Education and Experience

• BA in art history or arts related field (MA preferred)
• 1-2 years of experience working at a museum / collection setting
• Excellent writing and communication skills
• Demonstrated attention to detail, as well as organizational, analytical, and time management skills
• Experience with collections management data entry
• Experience with art handling and collections care
• Must be committed to best practices in collections stewardship
• Must be able to work independently and with a variety of staff
• Experience with archives management is a plus

Equipment, Machines and Software Used

Ability to operate various office equipment including computer, printer, telephone, and photocopier.
Computer Software: Microsoft Word, Excel, Outlook, Teams. Familiarity with FileMaker Pro is a plus.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

• Strong attention to detail
• Knowledge of art handling and conservation basics
• Research and writing skills
• Familiarity with collections databases
• Ability to work carefully and follow preservation standards
• Comfort working in secure, climate-controlled environments

Physical and Mental Requirements

• Ability to sit for extended periods of time, stand, walk, climb ladders, bend, stoop, talk, hear, use hands to finger, grasp, handle or feel, and perform repetitive motions of the hands and/or wrists.
• Ability to exert up to 50 pounds of force occasionally, and/or up to 10 pounds of force frequently, and/or a negligible amount of force constantly to move objects.

Environmental Conditions

There is no exposure to adverse environmental conditions. Work is performed in a typical office work environment.

Disclaimer

• All requirements are subject to modification to reasonably accommodate individuals with disabilities.
• This job description in no way states or implies that these are the only duties to be performed by the employee(s) occupying this position. Employees will be required to follow any other job-related instructions and to perform any other job-related duties requested by their supervisor.
• The company reserves the right to add to or revise an employee's job duties at any time at its sole discretion.
• This document does not create an employment contract, implied or otherwise, other than an “at will” employment relationship.

Everson Museum of Art is committed to maintaining a work place free of unlawful discrimination based on race, color, religion, creed, national origin or ancestry, ethnicity, sex, gender (including gender nonconformity and status as a transgender or transsexual individual), age, physical or mental disability, citizenship, military status, including past, current or prospective service in the uniformed services, genetic information, predisposing genetic characteristics, marital status, partnership status, reproductive decision-making, sexual orientation and any other characteristics or other protected classes recognized by applicable federal, state or local law. Everson Museum of Art is fully committed to equal opportunities for all employees.