Exhibitions Assistant

Winterthur Museum, Garden & Library encompasses an unrivaled museum of American decorative arts in its mansion and galleries and a magnificent 60-acre naturalistic garden—all set on 1,000 gorgeous acres.

Winterthur employs a wide array of positions in the areas of curatorial, horticulture, education, conservation, library, maintenance, marketing, development, technology, and administration.

Winterthur offers a unique and rewarding experience that is rich in culture and natural beauty. Winterthur considers its employees and volunteers to be among its greatest assets and welcomes applications from candidates who will contribute their specific skills to its mission “to inspire, enlighten, and delight all of its visitors while preserving and enhancing [Winterthur]” and also uphold its core values of agility, excellence, innovation, integrity, inclusion, and transparency.

JOB DESCRIPTION:

Under the supervision of the Manager of Exhibitions, the Exhibitions Assistant is a key member of the Exhibitions Department which resides within the Collections and Interpretation Division. This highly collaborative role serves as an interdepartmental liaison between the Exhibitions team and staff across the institution. These include, but are not limited to: Marketing, Interpretation and Engagement, Conservation, Registration, and Curatorial.

The Exhibitions Assistant works closely with the Manager of Exhibitions and the Director of Collections to support the development of museum exhibitions and installations from conception to installation. The Exhibitions Assistant plays a critical role in the organization and execution of all exhibitions-related activities and workflows.

Compensation: $48,000 per year

Benefits: Including, but not limited to, medical, dental, and vision insurance; generous paid time off plan including 10 holidays, vacation, personal, and sick time; 403b with employer match for eligible employees; discounts in the museum store and cafe; free general admission for you and your immediate family

Work Schedule: Monday – Friday, 35 hours/week

Responsibilities:

• Support the Manager of Exhibitions and the Director of Collections in collaborating with Curatorial, Conservation, Registration, Facilities, Development, Marketing, Interpretation and Engagement, Finance, Membership, Gardens, and Academic Programs to ensure exhibitions, rotations, and gallery changes are successfully accomplished on deadline and with effective and efficient workflows
• Maintain individual exhibition checklists, including object lists for all installations, rotations, and exhibitions and, with the Exhibitions Manager, maintain comprehensive timelines for major workflows associated with exhibition projects
• Disperse relevant and up-to-date information about exhibitions and installations to all internal stakeholders
• Aid in scheduling and attend exhibition-related planning meetings; collaboratively prepare agendas and hand-outs and, with the Manager of Exhibitions and Director of Collections, participate in critical conversations during planning and design meetings; record and distribute notes for all meetings
• Support the Director of Collections and Manager of Exhibitions in the development of a 3-to-5-year exhibitions schedule
• Assist with maintaining all digital exhibitions-related content on internal platforms (currently Teams) and communicate needed changes to external digital platforms to the Marketing team
• Under the guidance of the Exhibitions Manager, serve as an internal contact for exhibition-related questions and information and as needed, a contact for external stakeholders and vendors
• Support vendors and external partners by providing exhibition information, checklists, and images
• Submit photography requests for objects associated with graphic production and exhibition-related publications
• Secure rights for exhibition content (images, videos, etc.) when necessary and maintain permissions documents to disseminate to other departments for image use
• Assist preparators with object movement, installation, and graphics production and installation when needed
• Assist the exhibitions team with the production, printing, and preparation of labels and the development of gallery interactives and media, as needed
• Ensure that all exhibitions are properly entered and archived in the collections database, project management system, and other systems/locations and archive exhibition content, design, budget and spending information, and other details for each completed exhibition
• Aid the exhibitions team with any and all exhibition related tasks and perform other duties as assigned

Minimum Experience: B.A; experience accepted in lieu of education, with 2+ years of working in a collections management database; knowledge of project management software; educational background in a related field

Preferred Experience: 2+ years of working in a collections management database; knowledge of project management software; educational background in a related field with experience assisting projects in a museum, academic, or nonprofit environment, particularly exhibitions; proven track record of working as part of a team to realize large projects (preferably exhibitions)

Knowledge/Skills:

• Strong skills in written and oral communication, time management, and organization
• Superior project management skills and a proven track record of managing multiple, complex projects simultaneously, with the ability to manage competing priorities
• Highly-collaborative, creative, energetic, and adaptable problem solver with the ability to work on large team projects with diverse professional staff, volunteers, and contractors
• Knowledge of best practices in museum exhibition planning and development processes
• Detail oriented and effective at communicating with all levels within the organization, as well as with external constituents
• Ability to read floor plans and other design documents
• Knowledge and proven ability in EMu (or another collection database software), Microsoft 365 and Adobe Creative Cloud
• Ability to handle confidential information with discretion and diplomacy

Essential Functions:

• Must be able to help with cutting and mounting graphics and basic exhibitions installation needs to support the team
• Must be able to lift 30 lbs.
• Must be able to work at a computer for up to 8 hours a day