Curatorial Assistant for Asian American Art (contract position)

The Smithsonian American Art Museum (SAAM) seeks an outstanding emerging scholar of Asian American art to contract as a curatorial assistant. The job offers invaluable professional experience for a scholar interested in an art museum career. The selected candidate will be fully integrated into SAAM’s curatorial team, working under the supervision of an experienced curator and in collaboration with staff from various departments. They will be active in acquisitions planning and development; collections assessment and research; project administration; and gallery installation and interpretation. This is a one-year position with the possibility of renewal for up to two additional years, if performance is satisfactory.

The Curatorial Assistant for Asian American Art will play a key role in an initiative to expand the representation of works by artists of Asian and Pacific Islander descent in SAAM’s collection. With the supervisory curator, they will construct a collecting plan, research artists, and examine artworks being considered for acquisition. The Curatorial Assistant will also survey SAAM’s existing holdings to better identify and document works related to Asian American and Pacific Islander communities. They will conduct research to enhance collection records and will recommend culturally appropriate terminology for metadata in order to make these works more accessible through accurate collection data management. Lastly, the Curatorial Assistant will participate in the upcoming reinstallation of SAAM’s permanent collection galleries, working to support the robust representation of Asian Pacific American experience, perspectives, and artistic accomplishment through research and writing that will inform the selection of works as well as the production of interpretive material and programming, both analog and digital.  

Requirements

Applicants shall have expertise in Asian American art and history and demonstrate scholarly excellence in addition to a strong interest in a museum career. A PhD in art history within the last five years is preferred, but the position is open to individuals with other academic specialties, such as American Studies, Asian American Studies, Pacific Islander Studies and Women’s Studies. Experience in some aspect of museum practice, including but not limited to collection management or exhibition development, is a plus. Strong technological capacity and experience developing digital humanities projects would also be highly valued. The successful candidate will be skilled in verbal and written communication, exhibit digital fluency, and be able to balance diverse tasks within the areas of research, collections management, and administration. 

The Curatorial Assistant will be employed as a contractor with an annual salary not to exceed $84,500. The position will begin no sooner than October 11, 2022.