Curatorial Research Assistant

The Peabody Essex Museum (PEM), one of the most dynamic art museums in the United States, is seeking a Curatorial Research Assistant for Japanese Art. Founded in 1799, PEM is dedicated to transforming peoples lives by creating a museum experience that celebrates the capacity of art and culture to inform and change our understanding of our place in the world. By presenting art and culture in new ways, by linking past and present, and by embracing artistic and cultural achievements worldwide, the museum offers unique opportunities to explore multilayered and interconnected arenas of creative expression.

The Curatorial Research Assistant will work closely with the Deputy Chief Curator and members of the Registration, Collections Management, and Phillips Library staff to evaluate, select, catalogue and research works of Japanese cloisonné and related ephemera from the Fredric T. Schneider Collection, a large and important gift from the late Fredric T. Schneider and Lynn W. Reiser. . Working with PEMs Collection Documentation and Digitization Specialist, also funded through the Schneider Collection gift, the Curatorial Research Assistant will develop and maintain checklists of the collection, manage digital and paper research files on the collection, assess the collection, and write label copy and didactic text for works in the collection.

In addition to working with the Schneider Collection, the Curatorial Research Assistant will create and update digital records for PEMs existing Japanese Art collection and support scholarly research on the collection. Working closely with the Deputy Chief Curator, the Curatorial Research Assistant will support planning for future installations of Japanese Art at PEM.

The ideal candidate will have a masters degree in art history, museum studies, Japanese or a related field and at least one year of experience in a museum or visual arts organization. This role requires written and spoken Japanese language skills, familiarity with standard museum practices, art historical research methods, object cataloguing, and collections management databases. Knowledge of Japanese art and/or material culture objects or willingness to learn is preferred.

Will be expected to handle art objects. Experience with museum collections databases and object cataloguing is preferred. PEM uses M+ as its collections digital management system. Proficiency in Microsoft Office, including Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Access. A combination of related training, education, and/or experience will be accepted. The hiring range for this role is $21.63 to $24.07 per hour commensurate with experience.