Curatorial Assistant

GENERAL OVERVIEW

The Curatorial Assistant provides essential support for the entire Curatorial and Exhibitions Department, serving as the central coordinator for the team of curators, Chief Preparator, and Registrar. This role functions as a critical communication hub, facilitating correspondence between internal teams and external partners while managing departmental calendars, meeting schedules, and press deadlines. The position handles general correspondence, requests for information, database management, support for exhibition-related programs, and coordination of work on current and future exhibitions.

DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES Administrative & Communication Coordination

• Manage and coordinate calendars for the entire curatorial team, Chief Preparator, and Registrar


• Schedule and organize departmental meetings, ensuring all relevant team members are included


• Prepare and distribute meeting agendas and follow up on action items


• Facilitate timely and efficient communication between curatorial department and other museum departments


• Handles correspondence with artists, galleries, lenders, and other external partners


• Coordinate artist and public program participants' travel and accommodations within the approved budget


• Assists in creating presentations for Board of Trustees' Exhibition Committee and other meetings as needed


• Prepare physical materials for meetings with artists, curators, gallerists, or collectors as needed


• Manage publication mailings to donors and lenders and handle general mailing

Exhibition Support & Production

• Organize exhibition documents on the server and Google drive, ensuring working and final drafts are saved


• Support the Curatorial team in creating labels and gallery guide text


• Help facilitate artist projects and the commissioning and production of new works


• Schedule installation photography; work with artists, galleries, and internal museum staff to develop installation photography shot lists

Press & Image Management

• Assist the curatorial team in tracking and managing press deadlines related to exhibitions and programs


• Support with image requests for each exhibition, the AAM website, education materials, and press use


• Ensure all necessary press materials are prepared and distributed according to timelines


• Maintain organized digital archives of press coverage and exhibition documentation

Project Coordination

• Help track and coordinate departmental tasks across exhibitions and curatorial calendars


• Maintain the master calendar of curatorial meetings, exhibition deadlines, and related events


• Ensure efficient information flow between curators, preparators, and registration staff


• Monitor workflow across multiple concurrent exhibitions and alert team members of upcoming deadlines


• Assist in all Art Week programming as needed


• Assist with general curatorial inquiries


• Attend and participate in exhibition-related programs


• Other duties as assigned

KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS, ABILITIES

• Excellent working knowledge of art history, especially contemporary art and the international contemporary art world


• 1–2 years' experience in a museum or contemporary art gallery


• Strong editing and document-preparation skills; strong computer skills a must


• Exceptional organizational skills and ability to coordinate multiple calendars and schedules


• Experience with meeting facilitation and agenda preparation


• Strong attention to detail and ability to multitask under pressure in a fast-paced, team-oriented environment


• Demonstrated communication skills with ability to coordinate effectively between multiple departments and external partners


• Ability to represent the museum with a high level of integrity and professionalism, adhere to museum policies, maintain confidentiality, and support management decisions in a positive, professional manner


• Demonstrated effective written and oral communication skills; ability to work effectively and diplomatically with staff, trustees, artists, arts professionals, press, and the public


• Proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite, Google Workspace, and database management


• Experience with project management software (Asana preferred)

Salary and Benefits 

The salary for this position is $31 to $34 per hour which equates to $65,000-$70,000 per year. Aspen Art Museum offers a competitive package of benefits. 

Hours and Work Schedule

This is an hourly position requiring availability generally from Monday through Friday, with an occasional weekend, evening, and holiday work. The Curatorial Assitant position is non-exempt from the Fair Labor Standards Act and will receive overtime pay for all hours worked in excess of forty in a seven-day workweek or over twelve hours in a day. 

Location

This position is located in Aspen, Colorado.

APPLICATION INSTRUCTIONS 

All applications must be accompanied by a cover letter and résumé. Cover letters should be responsive to the mission of Aspen Art Museum and the responsibilities and qualifications presented in the prospectus. Review of applications will begin immediately and continue until the successful candidate has been selected.

All inquiries will be held in confidence.