Curatorial Research Assistant: Major Modern Art Exhibition

metmuseum; New York (NY); On-site; USD 65,000 - 85,000; Full time

Job summary

The Metropolitan Museum of Art seeks a Research Assistant to support the upcoming major Walther Collection exhibition (Fall 2028). You will assist in research, bibliographic work, and exhibition administration across curatorial, publications, and education teams.

Responsibilities include coordinating with registrars, editing the exhibition catalogue, and helping with rights, captions, and image management, while contributing to the exhibition’s design and interpretive materials.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Art History or related field; MA preferred.
• Strong background in the history of photography, media and performance, with global approaches.
• Experience with living artists, ideally within international contexts.
• Demonstrated academic research experience, as an independent researcher or fellow.
• Ability to work in a collaborative, fast-paced environment, and effectively meet deadlines is essential.
• Knowledge of German, Mandarin, Portuguese, or French an asset.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office, Teams, Adobe Acrobat Pro, and Adobe Photoshop; experience with TMS database preferred.

Responsibilities

• Assist with loan paperwork, programming coordination, and artist correspondence.
• Assist with in-depth bibliographic and provenance research; exhibition history compilation.
• Work closely with exhibition Curator and Publications and Editorial Department on the organization of the exhibition catalogue, including editing of texts, securing images and rights, preparing captions and bibliographies.
• Maintain exhibition checklist in TMS and object files; process exhibition agreements and other forms, coordinate with registrars/departmental collections team on database updates as appropriate.
• Coordinate with registrars/departmental collections team to obtain and track installation requirements and other constituent information in TMS.
• Organize meetings with other Met departments, including Design, Education, Editorial, Registrar, External Affairs, and Development, and coordinating agendas and follow-up/next steps.
• Support Curator in development and implementation of exhibition design, working closely in collaboration with Design Department during Schematic Design, Design Development, and Construction Drawing design phases.
• Assist Curator with the composition of interpretive material, including gallery labels, images/captions, digital content, or other assets, and securing rights.
• Assist with grant applications and other fundraising opportunities, as needed.
• Assist with the build-out of the exhibition web page and other promotional materials/media, as needed.
• Assist with coordination of any programs and/or symposia related to the exhibition and lead walkthroughs and gallery talks as needed.
• Assist with gallery installation/deinstallation and working with couriers.
• Database support for Walther Collection rotations across the Museum.

Skills

Art history

Research skills

Organization

Communication

Team collaboration

Education

Bachelor's degree in Art History or related field

MA preferred

Tools

TMS (The Museum System)

Microsoft Office (Excel)

Microsoft Teams

Adobe Acrobat Pro

Adobe Photoshop

Job description

The Metropolitan Museum of Art seeks a Research Assistant to support the upcoming major Walther Collection exhibition (Fall 2028). You will assist in research, bibliographic work, and exhibition administration across curatorial, publications, and education teams.

Responsibilities include coordinating with registrars, editing the exhibition catalogue, and helping with rights, captions, and image management, while contributing to the exhibition’s design and interpretive materials.