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Administrative Assistant, Curatorial

The Curatorial Administrative Assistant will provide support for two curatorial departments at the MFAH: Modern and Contemporary Art and Prints and Drawings.

Duties, responsibilities, tasks and support will include the following:

• Quarterly Subcommittee meetings: both departments hold subcommittee meetings with trustees and supporters four times a year which oversee all collection activities and special projects. Preparation and follow up for these meetings include the following tasks:
  • Create acquisition folders and initiates the numerous acquisition reports for purchases and gifts in collaboration with Curatorial Assistants and Associates. Create agendas and meeting books in BoardEffect platform
  • Send meeting notifications through BoardEffect
  • Email individual RSVP requests to members for meetings
  • Submit and track work orders and AV requests
  • Submit Shipping (for off-site objects) or TR: (for objects already on campus)
  • Assist the curatorial assistant, as needed, with artists' questionnaires and print documentation sheets from artists, presses, and print publishers for the permanent collection files [For P&D only]
  • Assist the curatorial assistant with generating and submission of Conservation Exam Requests for upcoming acquisitions once they have been assigned TR:numbers in TMS, then files CRs when sent back from conservation teams.
  • Maintain the Excel spreadsheet that serves as the in-progress agenda for the next department subcommittee meeting. Documents tombstone information about incoming purchases and gifts; the dates that Shipping Requests and CERs are submitted; the TR: number that objects are assigned; the identity of the person who will be writing the report; and the status of the report (in-progress, finished and pending final review, submitted)
  • Prepare meeting PowerPoints (in collaboration with Curator and CurAsst)
  • Order catering; organize dishware, glassware, and flatware as needed; set up catering table at meeting location; prep meeting room
  • Prepare post-meeting summaries
  • Prepare and submit Purchase Packet and Gift Report paperwork for all new accessions including purchase orders for both departments
  • Keep track of all acquisition paperwork through payment
  • Keep track of financial statements in tandem with acquisitions purchased
  • Send regular announcements and reminders for programs and community events
  • At the end of the fiscal year, migrates copies of object- and artist-related materials (e.g., research [scans from books, typed notes], correspondence with artists/dealers/donors/expert consultants, Conservation Reports, images) from Subcommittee folders to Permanent Collection folders
• Collaborating with the Learning and Interpretation and Development departments:
  • Liaise with L&I and speakers to provide PowerPoints, create promotional flyers, and maintain documentation of ongoing lecture series. This responsibility would include the P&D department's Annual Virginia & Ira Jackson Lecture Series
  • Liaise with the Development department's patron groups for special lectures/events
  • Work with L&I and Development to promote events/lectures/programs
• Exhibitions/Installations/Rotations, Exhibition/Collection Catalogues and Collection Management (some tasks shared with Curatorial Assistant):
  • Assist, when needed, on rotation layouts and anticipate production needs. Installations include works on paper installed in the Beck Building (Lower Level, Ground Floor, 2nd Floor), Law Building, Kinder Building (2nd and 3rd Floors), and intermittently in Rienzi and Bayou Bend.
  • Add pertinent deadlines on Outlook calendar for all rotations, installations, and exhibitions, inviting necessary parties.
  • As needed, assist the curatorial assistant and volunteers with maintenance of Object records in TMS.
  • Obtain rights and reproductions permissions and image files for comparative images
  • When new photography is approved for collection objects, gather information from curators to submit and track formal photography requests. Also, aid in collecting and filing photographs of installations.

• Department admin:
  • Organize flat and digital filing systems
  • Saves important email correspondence, using standard naming convention (date_sender_subject), in appropriate locations for future reference.
  • Prepare files to go to Archives
  • Draft, review with curator, and then mail correspondence for acquisitions to donors/funders; on-view objects in installations/exhibitions for notification to artists/artists's foundations/artist's estates; patron groups
  • Handle misc. mailings and shipments
  • Coordinate trainings and requests for volunteers
  • Assist the curatorial assistant, when needed, with interviews of interns and fellows and to coordinate department specific onboarding and other trainings not handled by Learning & Interpretation for successful applicants.
  • Coordinate travel: communicates with Tzell to determine airfare and lodging options, generates and submits Travel Requisitions and Expense Reports
  • Submit expense reports in AX
  • Assists with organization of annual Art + Paper patron trip to IFPDA Print Fair [for P&D only]

Curatorial Administration (as needed): Administrative assistants may be asked to support other curatorial administrators on an ad hoc basis. Duties would include:

• Organize catering and set up for Curatorial meetings, and assist as needed for Collections Meetings
• Assist with non-staff travel requests

Skills, Knowledge and Abilities:

• As noted by this extensive description, this role requires solid clerical, organizational, and computer skills
• Must be detail-oriented and able to meet deadlines
• Must be proficient with Microsoft programs such as Word, Excel, and Power Point
• Interest in fine arts desirable
• Must be able to work flexible hours, may include occasional evenings and weekends.

Education and Experience:

• Previous clerical office experience, including Microsoft Suite, data entry, proofreading, Adobe Acrobat and PDF
• Associate or Bachelor's Degree in a related field preferred OR a combination of education and related work experience in an office or other related environment

About the MFAH

The MFAH is an organization comprised of 600+ employees and 1,000+ docents and volunteers. The museum is more than 100 years old and ranks nationally among the top 10 art museums in exhibition space, memberships, endowments, and attendance, with 1M visitors annually. Our multifaceted institution includes multiple gallery buildings, a sculpture garden, two art schools, three eateries and two house museums for decorative arts. The encyclopedic collection numbers more than 70,000 works of art in a wide range of media.

As an employer, MFAH offers a supportive, collegial and inclusive work environment and a competitive benefits package.

Working Conditions and Physical Demands

Work will primarily be performed in an office environment. Work will involve extended sitting and computer use. With or without reasonable accommodation, the individual selected must have the capacity to perform effectively all essential functions. In addition to the other demands mentioned, the demands of the job may or will include:

• Must undergo and meet company standards for background and reference checks.
• Required ability to handle multiple tasks concurrently.
• Extensive computer usage.
• Seeing, hearing, speaking, and writing clearly in order to communicate with staff, guests and others.
• Frequent sitting, standing and walking, which may be required for extended periods of time.
• Good vision or corrected by use of glasses and/or contacts for reading and viewing abilities.

Equal Opportunities for All

At the MFAH, we believe that diversity, equity, accessibility, and inclusivity are fundamental to our organization. We welcome all candidates whose experience has prepared them to contribute to our organization and our pledge for workplace diversity, inclusion, and excellence.

Our commitment to our policy and practice of nondiscrimination represents more than good intentions. It provides for employment decisions that are made without regard to race, creed, color, age, gender, sexual orientation