Temporary Research Assistant, Dutch and Flemish Paintings

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Temporary Hourly Boston, MA, US

5 days ago Requisition

The Research Assistant for Dutch and Flemish Paintings is a 6-month temporary position (18-21 hours per week) that plays a critical role in researching opportunities to travel the museum’s Netherlandish paintings to college and university museums. Art of Europe, in collaboration with the Center for Netherlandish Art, is exploring how it might nurture future generations of scholars and enthusiasts by providing direct access to seventeenth-century Dutch and Flemish paintings through an active and sustainable program of loans to colleges and universities.

This position involves researching institutions that might borrow the Netherlandish collections, identifying individuals at those institutions with whom to share the opportunity to borrow, assisting in developing requirements of borrowers and criteria for evaluating interest from potential borrowers, incorporating results from a conservation survey of the suitability for objects to travel, and assisting in developing a budget for a sustainable program to travel the Netherlandish paintings in this way.

This position will work under the supervision of the Rose-Marie and Eijk van Otterloo Curator of Paintings in the Art of Europe department.

• Undertake quantitative analysis of display opportunities at the MFA
• Conduct independent research on university and college art museums
• Research other examples of lending programs, including those that the MFA has participated in
• Liaise with MFA registrars and curators on MFA lending requirements
• Compile object packages, including in relation to a Conservation Survey of the MFA’s Netherlandish paintings
• Draft research reports
• Create PowerPoint presentations for internal and external presentations
• Work with colleagues in AoE on tracking and predicting upcoming loans of Netherlandish paintings
• Maintain accurate files on all research and other aspects of this project
• Other related duties as assigned

• Advanced degree in European art history, or equivalent related experience, demonstrating scholarly ability through publications, conference papers, and other activities.
• Demonstrated interest in and familiarity with the art, architecture, history, and culture of the Dutch Republic and Flanders.
• Experience working in museums or related settings, preferably within a curatorial department, and familiarity with databases and library and electronic research.
• Committed to collaboration with others to achieve the best outcome, the successful candidate is an excellent and timely decision maker able to help all stakeholders stay on schedule and thus move plans and objectives forward.
• Strong sense of accountability for achieving stated objectives and demonstrable experience doing so.
• Exceptional verbal and written communication, with demonstrated presentation skills.
• Organized and able to effectively and efficiently manage multiple priorities with competing deadlines.

Temporary Hourly, 18-21 hours per week

Pay Rate: $27.00 per hour

Six-month Temporary Position

The MFA is an equal opportunity employer. The community and audience we serve is diverse, and we wish to foster that diversity in our workplace. Toward that end, the MFA does not discriminate against individuals in hiring, employment or promotion on the basis of race, religion, color, sex/gender, gender identity and gender expression, age, marital status, national origin, sexual orientation, citizenship, handicap or disability, veteran or military status, political belief, pregnancy, genetic information or any other characteristic protected by law.