Shapiro-Silverberg Assistant Curator of Judaica

Museum of Fine Arts, Boston; Boston (MA); On-site; USD 78,000 - 81,000; Full time

Job summary

The Museum of Fine Arts, Boston seeks an Assistant Curator to support and enrich the Judaica program within the Art of Europe department. This role involves curatorial and administrative duties, installing and rotating Judaica objects, cataloging, and coordinating with Conservation, Exhibitions, and Design.

Responsibilities include research, object management, and contributing to public programming, publications, and outreach, while supporting internships and teen programs.

Qualifications

• Postgraduate degree in Art History, Jewish history and/or Jewish studies, demonstrating scholarly ability in the field.
• Strong scholarly research skills and excellent writing and presentation abilities.
• Commitment to community and audience outreach and involvement.

Responsibilities

• Support installations and rotations of Jewish objects and coordinate with multiple departments.
• Research, care, management, and documentation of the Judaica collection; catalog objects and update records.
• Assist with donor groups, events, and invitation materials; coordinate logistics for on-site and off-site programs.

Skills

Organizational skills

Scholarly research

Academic writing

Audience engagement

Public outreach

Education

Postgraduate degree in Art History/Jewish Studies

Tools

The Museum System (TMS)

Job description

The Museum of Fine Arts, Boston seeks an Assistant Curator to support and enrich the Judaica program by taking on a wide range of curatorial and administrative responsibilities. The Shapiro-Silverberg Assistant Curator of Judaica will report to the Charles and Lynn Schusterman Curator of Judaica.

Judaica is one of the newer areas of collecting at the MFA. The museum’s growing Judaica holdings center on Jewish ritual art for the home and synagogue, but also include works – from paintings and sculpture, to postcards and ancient coins – that are an expression of the Jewish experience, history, and culture, stretching across time, place, and media.

Based within the Art of Europe department, the Shapiro-Silverberg Assistant Curator may also be included in opportunities working with the broader European decorative arts collection.

Essential Functions

• Under the guidance of the Schusterman Judaica Curator, the Assistant Curator will support installations and rotations of Jewish objects, and plan for the integration of works in galleries across the museum. They will collaborate with Conservation, Exhibitions, and Design to check objects’ condition, submit installation requests, oversee installations, update locations, and notify Member & Visitor Services, PR, and Development.
• Perform duties related to the research, care, management and documentation of the collection; catalog objects though in-depth research, generate and update object files, make proposals for conservation treatments and photography, oversee the annual audit of the Judaica collection, create and edit records on TMS, move objects to and from labs and photo studios. In consultation with museum-wide colleagues, receive new objects, and identify, catalogue and place them in storage.
• Support the Schusterman Judaica Curator in setting up a new patron group or Curator’s Circle; this position will help with the planning and administration of the donor group, while also contributing to the program with their own talks and original research. Tasks include donor outreach, assistance with selecting annual events and inviting guest speakers (both in-house and external); writing and submitting event invitations and tracking RSVPs; coordinating logistics for on-site events, off-site trips, collection visits, and virtual programs; arranging internal meetings with the Steering Committee of the Judaica Curators Circle, colleagues, and external contacts; providing general communications and requests for various museum departments; carrying out payments for honoraria, travel, and hotel stays.
• Support the curatorial department with the MFA Pathways Internship program: assist the Schusterman Judaica curator with hiring and training interns, helping to organize their professional development in a range of museum careers and practices, and in close collaboration with different museum departments. Provide similar support for the museum’s Teens programs, such as the Teen Arts Council and STEAM Team, work with the Judaica Curator to mentor high-school students and develop a variety of workplace skills.
• Assist the Schusterman Judaica Curator in the preparation of exhibitions, as requested; carry out research, put together object checklists, write loan correspondence, contribute to publication research, website development, and public programming.
• As directed by the Schusterman Judaica Curator, assist with new acquisitions: conduct research, create and maintain objects files and other museum records, communicate with Conservation, Registrars and the Provenance Chair. May be required to travel to examine items for acquisition.
• Respond to public enquiries from scholars, students, and general visitors, including requests for information on the museum’s collection, and input on objects’ images sent by email; assist visitors coming to the department and help with the identification of objects brought for examination.
• With guidance from the Schusterman Judaica Curator, assist in the production of a wide range of museum interpretative texts and exhibition-related materials as requested, including wall panels, object labels, gallery surveys, and press releases.
• Work with Public Relations and the Creative team to propose and write social media posts and museum website material to ensure the digital visibility of the Judaica collection.
• Perform other duties as responsibilities necessitate.

Qualifications And Requirements

• Postgraduate degree in Art History, Jewish history and/or Jewish studies, demonstrating scholarly ability in the field. Proven interest and work in a particular area of Judaica.
• 1 to 3 years of curatorial and museum experience in the field.
• Reading and writing knowledge of biblical and modern Hebrew is essential; reading knowledge of Yiddish is preferred. Proficiency in another European language is desirable.
• Strong organizational skills and attention to detail.
• Scholarly research skills, with excellent writing and presentation skills, and an ability to engage different audiences.
• Commitment to community and audience outreach and involvement.
• Experience working with European decorative arts beyond Judaica is a plus.
• Experience with museum databases. Knowledge of “The Museum System” (TMS) is preferred.
• Clear commitment to IDEA (inclusion, diversity, equity, access), through projects and collaborations that foster a culturally inclusive and welcoming environment.

Salary And Schedule

Salary: $78,472 - $81,000

Full-Time, 35 hours per week

This position is affiliated with the United Auto Workers Union.

The MFA is an equal opportunity employer. The community and audience we serve is diverse, and we wish to foster that diversity in our workplace. Toward that end, the MFA does not discriminate against individuals in hiring, employment or promotion on the basis of race, religion, color, sex/gender, gender identity and gender expression, age, marital status, national origin, sexual orientation, citizenship, handicap or disability, veteran or military status, political belief, pregnancy, genetic information or any other characteristic protected by law.