Curatorial Assistant: Exhibitions & Research

National Museum of Wildlife Art; Chicago (IL); On-site; USD 55,000 - 65,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical insurance

Dental insurance

Vision insurance

Life insurance

Retirement plan

Paid time off

Job summary

Wrightwood 659 seeks a full-time Curatorial Assistant to join our team, reporting to the Executive Director. The role supports preparation and execution of major loan exhibitions, with a focus on organization, writing, and collaboration with curators, lenders, and partners.

The ideal candidate holds a Master’s in Modern/Contemporary Art or equivalent, with 1–2 years museum experience, strong writing and communication skills, and proficiency in MS Office.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in art history required; Master’s preferred.
• 1–2 years of art historical or museum experience.
• Competent to work in basic curatorial functions.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Outlook.
• Reading fluency in at least one foreign language is preferred.

Responsibilities

• Assist with exhibition prep, installation and deinstallation.
• Coordinate with curators, lenders and partners; write labels and didactics.
• Manage curatorial workflows, timelines and cross-team communication.
• Prepare loan requests; maintain lender communications.
• Line-edit catalogue copy and bibliographies; coordinate with authors.
• Prepare in-gallery didactics, digital interactives and online content.
• Liaise with graphic designers for brochures, labels and ads.
• Research topics for tours, educator training, and content.
• Lead curatorial tours on exhibition topics.
• Create photologs and manage image permissions with marketing.
• Organize public programming; draft speaker agreements and remarks.
• Write/edit content for marketing materials and newsletters.

Skills

Public speaking

Editing/writing

Communication

Multitasking

Education

Bachelor's degree in Art History

Master's degree in Modern/Contemporary Art (preferred)

Tools

MS Word

MS Excel

MS PowerPoint

Outlook

Job description

Wrightwood 659 seeks a full-time Curatorial Assistant to join our team, reporting to the Executive Director. The role supports preparation and execution of major loan exhibitions, with a focus on organization, writing, and collaboration with curators, lenders, and partners.

The ideal candidate holds a Master’s in Modern/Contemporary Art or equivalent, with 1–2 years museum experience, strong writing and communication skills, and proficiency in MS Office.