Current Opportunities

Art Bridges Fellow, Joslyn Art Museum

The Art Bridges Fellow at Joslyn Art Museum will hold a three-year fellowship position that supports the new Art Bridges Collection Loan Program, as well as Joslyn Art Museum during its temporary closure for an exciting new building addition, renovation, and reinstallation. The Art Bridges Fellow will play a vital role in increasing access to art for others during this unique period in the museum's history. Many of the Art Bridges Fellow's responsibilities will follow the journey of objects in the Art Bridges Collection Loan Program, which includes highlights from the American Art Collection, Western American Art Collection, and Postwar and Contemporary American Art collection. This person will report to the Associate Registrar.

The Art Bridges Fellow at Joslyn will be part of the inaugural cohort of the Art Bridges Fellows Program. The Art Bridges Fellows Program is dedicated to creating diverse museum leadership with a national cohort of emerging arts professionals and mentors. Through its newly-formed Art Bridges Fellows Program, the foundation will establish deep career pathways for historically underrepresented groups and offer new models for fellowship roles within museums.

Beginning in fall 2021, the foundation will work with its national network of museum partners to identify opportunities for Art Bridges Fellows who will join an institution for a three-year appointment connected to Art Bridges initiatives.

Position Summary

This three-year fellowship position will be focused in collections management and registration, with the Art Bridges Fellow’s responsibilities split between supporting the Art Bridges Collection Loan Program and Joslyn with its needs during this unique transitory period. In supporting the Art Bridges Collection Loan Program, the Fellow will gain considerable experience in all aspects of the program, including project management, condition reporting, object packing, and shipping logistics. In addition to working closely with the collections staff, there will be opportunities to work closely with curatorial and education staff at both Joslyn and Art Bridges, especially in regards to Learning & Engagement funded initiatives to support the borrowing institutions in the Collection Loan Program.

Additionally, the Art Bridges Fellow will gain exposure to and experience in all aspects of a museum’s closure, deinstallation, and reinstallation through hands-on experience. This includes best practices in art handling, condition reporting, tracking object movements, object research, data entry using the TMS database, and installation in preparation for reopening. The Fellow will get a wide variety of hands-on experience in all aspects of collections management, including the permanent collection, loans, and temporary exhibitions.

Responsibilities include:

• Assisting with all aspects of loan preparation and travel for the Art Bridges Collection Loan Program, including condition reports, photography, shipping logistics, and object placement
• Assisting with Learning & Engagement funded initiatives to support the borrowing institutions in the Collection Loan Program with new interpretive materials
• Conducting further object and artist research on works in the Art Bridges Collection Loan Program
• Supporting Joslyn staff with all aspects of deinstallation and reinstallation due to the renovation and building addition, including art handling, tracking object movements, and condition reports
• Assisting with storage inventory, rehousing, and cataloguing initiatives
• Assisting with object research related to the reinstallation, including provenance research
• Supporting Joslyn staff with updating and reestablishing data standards for TMS as part of a significant database cleanup
• Other duties as assigned

The Art Bridges Fellow will propose and complete a capstone project on the Art Bridges Collection Loan Program with Joslyn and collaborations with borrowing institutions. The Art Bridges Fellow will also attend two annual Art Bridges convenings in Bentonville, Arkansas, including a month- long residency and orientation.

Requirements and Qualifications

The ideal candidate is an emerging museum professional with an avid interest in collections management. Previous knowledge, interest, and/or experience in studio art or art history, as well as experience with art handling in either a museum or gallery environment is preferred, but not required. The candidate must have a college degree, preferably with a focus in Art History, History, Museum Studies, or a related field, but all levels of postsecondary education will be considered. Experience may be substituted for educational requirements.

Additionally, the ideal candidate will possess:

• Keen observational skills and attention to detail
• Excellent organizational skills

• Excellent oral and written communication skills
• Ability to work collaboratively in a team environment as well as independently
• Ability to manage multiple deadlines simultaneously
• Proficiency in the Microsoft suite of office software
• Proficiency with database data entry; experience with collections management software, especially TMS, is preferred
• Ability to lift 30-40lbs

About Joslyn Art Museum

Joslyn Art Museum is a major regional resource for the collection, preservation, and interpretation of the visual arts. Through its collections, exhibitions, and education programs, Joslyn Art Museum seeks to foster appreciation and enjoyment of art for the benefit of a diverse regional and national audience. The Museum is housed in two landmark structures, including its original 1931 building, acknowledged as one of the finest examples of Art Deco architecture in the Midwest, and a 1994 addition by Sir Norman Foster, his first commission in the United States. At present, the Museum has embarked on an ambitious physical and programmatic expansion.

Working with the highly acclaimed architectural firm, Snøhetta, the Museum will add a new building providing a significant increase in gallery and program space. The expansion comes at a time of significant collection growth and greater community engagement.

About Art Bridges

Art Bridges is the vision of philanthropist and arts patron Alice Walton. The mission of Art Bridges is to expand access to American art in all regions across the United States. Since 2017, Art Bridges has been creating and supporting programs that bring outstanding works of American art out of storage and into communities. Art Bridges partners with a growing network of over 150 museums of all sizes and locations to provide financial and strategic support for exhibition development, loans from the Art Bridges collection, and programs designed to educate, inspire, and deepen engagement with local audiences. The Art Bridges Collection features American masterworks of early American art to present day and encompasses painting, sculpture, and photography.

About the Art Bridges Collection Loan Program

The Art Bridges Collection Loan program introduces a new way of circulating art among museums dedicated to American art across the U.S. While traditional lending models are costly and exclusive, the Art Bridges Foundation seeks to make the borrowing process more accessible to museums operating with limited resources for loans and to encourage professional relationships between lending and receiving museums nationwide.

Led by Art Bridges’ Collection Loans & Exhibitions department, the foundation will work with museum partners with broad, deep holdings of American art to identify selections from their collections available for long-term loans. Art Bridges will then place individual loans or group loans of up to fifteen artworks with small to mid-sized institutions that can last from twelve to twenty-four months. The first loans will be on view by Summer 2022.

Works of art available through the collection loan program will feature a wide array of artists, including American masterworks, intended to provide a springboard for receiving museums to reach new audiences and engage their local communities.

To Apply

Please email a cover letter and resume as a PDF or Word file to careers@joslyn.org.

Individuals from historically underrepresented groups are encouraged to apply. Salary range: $40,000 - $42,000

Art Bridges and Joslyn Art Museum are equal opportunity employers and are committed to building and maintaining a culturally diverse workplace that is free of discrimination and harassment of any kind. We encourage women, minorities, individuals with disabilities and veterans to apply. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, religion, color, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, veteran status, or any other status protected by the laws or regulations in the locations where we operate.