Sculpture Studio Technician

Zymtronix Catalytic Systems Inc; City of Ithaca (NY); On-site; USD 36,000 - 41,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health care options

Retirement contributions

Education benefits

Job summary

The Sculpture Studio Technician at Cornell University oversees daily operations of the Sculpture Studios in Ithaca, ensuring spaces, equipment, and shared resources are well organized, safe, and ready for teaching and research. You will work with faculty to adapt layouts, storage, and access to evolving needs across traditional and digital sculpture techniques.

You will recruit and supervise student monitors, provide training on safety, and collaborate with the Director of Material Practice to

Qualifications

• Associate degree required with 2–4 years of relevant sculpture/fabrication experience.
• Demonstrated knowledge of sculpture techniques and materials (wood, metal, ceramics).
• Ability to instruct and guide users with varying experience; strong safety judgment.

Responsibilities

• Maintain and organize Sculpture Studios, ensuring safety and readiness for teaching and independent work.
• Supervise, train, and schedule student monitors to support studio operations and access, including evenings and weekends.
• Provide technical guidance on materials, processes, equipment, and fabrication challenges to students and faculty.

Skills

Technical instruction

Safety awareness

Collaborative

Communication skills

Education

Associate degree

Tools

Adobe Creative Cloud

Job description

The College of Architecture, Art, and Planning (AAP) at Cornell University is seeking a Sculpture Studio Technician to steward the day-to-day operation and continued development of the Sculpture Studios. You will keep the spaces, equipment, and shared resources organized, safe, functional, and ready for use. Just as importantly, you will identify what needs improvement and follow through on practical solutions.

This is a wide-ranging role supporting the Art Department curriculum in wood, metal, ceramics, mold making, soft sculpture, papermaking, and many other additive, reductive, and mixed-material processes, alongside digital fabrication technologies such as laser cutting and CNC. No one is expected to arrive as an expert in every technique. You will need substantial hands-on skill, sound technical judgment, a strong understanding of safety, and the curiosity to learn as practices and teaching needs evolve.

Renovated less than five years ago, the facility has a strong foundation and real potential still to be realized. You will help bring that potential to life by refining studio layouts and storage, establishing dependable operating routines, maintaining and repairing equipment, and improving how shared spaces and resources are used. You will also help assess equipment needs and carry out approved purchases, installations, and improvements. This is an opportunity to help shape studios that are not only well run, but lively and inspiring places where students and faculty want to make work.

You will work closely with Sculpture faculty to understand their courses and research, prepare the studios to support courses, and provide technical guidance on materials, processes, equipment, and fabrication challenges. You will assist with in-class demonstrations and develop safety instruction suited to the processes students will use. You will also provide training to thesis students, independent users, and others who need access outside a Sculpture course. This work calls for strong technical knowledge, thoughtful problem-solving, and a collaborative approach that respects the different ways faculty teach and artists work. Faculty bring their artistic and educational approaches; you bring deep knowledge of the spaces, tools, and possibilities within them.

You will recruit, train, schedule, and supervise student monitors who help maintain studio operations and support approved evening and weekend access. You will also prepare monitors for appropriate responsibilities involving digital fabrication equipment. Working with the Director of Material Practice, Environmental Health and Safety (EHS), and Material Practice colleagues, you will maintain sound safety practices, oversee chemical and regulated waste management, and help improve training and access across the Sculpture and Rand woodshops.

We’re looking for someone who takes pride in making a complex facility work well: a technician who notices what needs attention, can make and repair things, exercises sound judgment, and follows through. If you enjoy both the daily craft of running a studio and the longer term challenge of helping it thrive, this is a chance to make a lasting contribution to the work of students and faculty at AAP.

Summary

The Sculpture Studio Technician oversees the daily operations of the Sculpture Studios, maintaining organized, functional, and equitable spaces for teaching, independent work, and research. Working with faculty and the Director of Material Practice, the technician adapts studio layouts, storage, equipment, and access to evolving needs across traditional and emerging sculpture practices, including laser cutting and CNC.

About AAP

The College of Architecture, Art, and Planning at Cornell University (Cornell AAP) includes the departments of Architecture, Art, City and Regional Planning, the Paul Rubacha Department of Real Estate, jointly led by AAP and the SC Johnson College of Business, the multicollege Department of Design Tech, and the Cornell Mui Ho Center for Cities. The college spans three locations in Ithaca, New York City, and Rome, Italy, each with world class facilities and cutting edge technologies.

Cornell AAP is about acts of transformation. We are committed to reimagining and reshaping the world in new ways, every day. A vital college at one of the nation's foremost research universities, Cornell AAP brings faculty, staff, and students together from around the world to take up some of today's most urgent challenges and advance research, inquiry, and collaborative approaches to designing, making, and doing that make a more just and resilient future.

Position Details

This position is 100% onsite at our Ithaca location. Schedule is M-F and may require work to 7pm.

Requirements

• Resume and Cover letter
• Ability to provide technical instruction and guidance to users with varying levels of experience.
• Associate degree and 2–4 years of relevant experience with sculpture, fabrication equipment, techniques, and safety practices in a shop or studio environment, or an equivalent combination of education and experience.
• Demonstrated knowledge of sculpture techniques and materials, including wood, casting, and ceramics.
• Experience with Adobe Creative Cloud.
• Strong communication and customer service skills
• Sound judgment in assessing projects, equipment use, and safety; ability to work independently and collaboratively.
• Ability to cultivate and develop inclusive working relationships with students, faculty, staff, and community members.

Preferred Skills

• Experience working in an academic or shared-use studio or shop.
• Experience supervising, training, or scheduling student employees or staff.
• Experience with papermaking and metalworking.
• Experience with CNC machining and laser cutting.
• Experience maintaining equipment, implementing upgrades, or developing shop procedures and documentation.

Benefits

• Our benefits programs include comprehensive health care options, generous retirement contributions, access to wellness programs, and employee discounts with local and national retail brands. We invite you to follow this link to get more information about our benefits: Understand Your Benefits | Working at Cornell.
• Our leave provisions include health and personal leave, three weeks of vacation and 13 holidays: Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Memorial Day, Juneteenth, Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving and the day after, and an end of the year winter break from December 25-January 1. To offer greater flexibility for observing faiths and traditions we also offer two additional floating holidays. Learn more about our generous leave provisions: Holiday and Accrued Time Off | Working at Cornell.
• Cornell's impressive educational benefits include tuition-free Extramural Study and Employee Degree Program, tuition aid for external education, and Cornell Children's Tuition Assistance Program. Learn more about our extensive educational benefits: Education Benefits | Working at Cornell.
• Follow this link to learn more about the Total Rewards of Working at Cornell: Total Rewards | Working at Cornell.

Visa Sponsorship

Visa sponsorship is not available for this position.

Job Family

Academic Support

Level

D

Remote Option Availability

Onsite

Company

Endowed

Contact

Jacob Irving ([e-mail])

Pay Rate

$26.00 - $29.69 hourly.

EEO Statement

Cornell welcomes students, faculty, and staff with diverse backgrounds from across the globe to pursue world class education and career opportunities, to further the founding principle of "... any person ... any study." No person shall be denied employment on the basis of any legally protected status or subjected to prohibited discrimination involving, but not limited to, such factors as race, ethnic or national origin, citizenship and immigration status, color, sex, pregnancy or pregnancy related conditions, age, creed, religion, actual or perceived disability (including persons associated with such a person), arrest and/or conviction record, military or veteran status, sexual orientation, gender expression and/or identity, an individual's genetic information, domestic violence victim status, familial status, marital status, or any other characteristic protected by applicable federal, state, and local law.

Cornell University embraces diversity in its workforce and seeks job candidates who will contribute to a climate that supports students, faculty, and staff of all identities and backgrounds. We hire based on merit, and encourage people from historically underrepresented and/or marginalized identities to apply. Consistent with federal law, Cornell engages in affirmative action in employment for qualified protected veterans as defined in the Vietnam Era Veterans’ Readjustment Assistance Act (VEVRAA) and qualified individuals with disabilities under Section 503 of the Rehabilitation Act. We also recognize a lawful preference in employment practices for Native Americans living on or near Indian reservations in accordance with applicable law.