The Virginia Museum of Fine Arts invites applications for a Curatorial Assistant. This role provides curatorial and administrative support to the Artistic Director and Chief Curator, assisting them in a full range of capacities.

Position Overview:

Reports directly to the Artistic Director and Chief Curator. The Curatorial Assistant assists the Artistic Director and Chief Curator with quarterly trustee meetings related to acquisitions, including formatting and editing write ups in TMS, preparing agendas and appendices, photography requests, factchecking, provenance research, and filing. This position is also responsible for maintaining the curatorial object files, providing permanent collection support, coordination with Registration, Conservation, and other departments, and other job-relevant tasks, as assigned.

Employee Benefits:

The position offers Commonwealth of Virginia employee benefits such as 12 paid holidays, health benefits and more. VMFA staff also enjoy museum benefits like free admission to special exhibitions, previews of special exhibitions, employee pricing for select museum programs and classes, and discounts at Amuse Restaurant, Best Café, and VMFA Shop.

About the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts:

The Virginia Museum of Fine Arts in Richmond, Virginia, is one of the largest comprehensive art museums in the United States. VMFA, which opened in 1936, is a state agency and privately endowed educational institution. Its purpose is to collect, preserve, exhibit and interpret art, and to encourage the study of the arts. Through the Office of Statewide Partnerships program, the museum offers curated exhibitions, arts-related audiovisual programs, symposia, lectures, conferences and workshops by visual and performing artists. In addition to presenting a wide array of special exhibitions, the museum provides visitors with the opportunity to experience a global collection of art that spans more than 6,000 years. VMFA’s permanent holdings encompass nearly 50,000 artworks, including the largest public collection of Fabergé outside of Russia, the finest collection of Art Nouveau outside of Paris, and one of the nation’s finest collections of American art. VMFA is also home to important collections of Chinese art, English silver, and French Impressionist, Post-Impressionist, British sporting and modern and contemporary art, as well as renowned South Asian, Himalayan and African art. In May 2010, VMFA opened its doors to the public after a transformative expansion, the largest in its history.

The Virginia Museum of Fine Arts is the only art museum in the United States open 365 days a year with free general admission.

Minimum Qualifications

The successful candidate will be energetic, organized, and detail oriented, with the ability to transition easily between supporting roles and working independently.
Strong organizational abilities with an emphasis on process oriented, systematic project work.
Skilled in establishing priorities, coordinating multiple projects simultaneously, and meeting tight deadlines while achieving objectives.
Ability to communicate effectively orally and in writing as well as the ability to establish effective professional working relationships with others internally and externally to the museum.
Proficient with TMS, Excel, Word, PowerPoint, and other commonly used software.
Strong informational research skills with the ability to collect, analyze, and compile information.
Strong proofreading skills. Demonstrated accuracy in creating and keeping records.

Additional Considerations

Experience typically gained through graduation from a college or university with a degree in art history and/or studio art preferred.
Administrative assistant support or exhibition research experience with strong emphasis on project work and documentation procedures, preferably in an arts/museum, academic, state, or non-profit organization. Knowledgeable about museum processes and procedures.