Yale University - Museum Assistant II
[Department of African Art]
(CT, United States)

Yale University Art Gallery announces a vacancy in the Department of
African Art. Yale University Art Gallery is a teaching museum, and engages
students and professors both in classes and as a working laboratory for
students employed as assistants and guides. As the oldest college art
gallery in the U. S., it has a long history of serving the academic
community and the public. The new Department of African Art was
established in January 2004, with the donation of the private collection
and endowment from Yale alumnus, Charles B. Benenson, enriching the
existing Yale collection. In December 2006, the newly renovated Louis Kahn
Building will open, with a large new exhibition space for African Art. The
Department staff includes the curator, museum assistant, three bursary
students, and usually one or more undergraduate and graduate interns.

VACANCY:

Museum Assistant II
Yale University Art Gallery
Salary Grade: D

General Purpose
Reporting to the Curator of African Art, provide a high level of
administrative and collection support. Act as primary source of
information and access to the African Art collection for the public,
visiting scholars, faculty, and students.

Essential Duties of Position:
1. Serve as principal source of information on the African Art collection
to the public, visiting scholars, and students.
2. Maintain the order and ensure the special care, security, and proper
user handling of collections and exhibits.
3. Conduct research, identification, classification and cataloguing
related to the collections and exhibits
4. Provide administrative support for accessioning of works of art into
the collection and information about the collection for publication and
display.
5. Serve as a TMS "super user" for the African department, involving
participation in the development of the TMS database, attending monthly
"super user" meetings, and training sub-department and Art Gallery staff
in the use of TMS. Identify problems with the collection database
categories and modules and propose solutions. Create new object records
and review/maintain entries for accuracy and accountability. Run object lists.
6. Oversee and instruct bursary students for clerical tasks and basic
collection care.
7. Maintain departmental library, order photos from outside collections,
maintain object files, and the Yale-Van Rijn Archive of African Art.
8. Compose correspondence related to the collections and exhibitions,
including loan agreements and exhibition materials.
9. Prepare and monitor departmental and exhibition budgets.
10. Coordinate travel arrangements and prepare appropriate forms for
business office approval (i.e., purchasing requisitions, ERs, CRs).
11. Perform clerical functions incidental to museum activities:
photocopying, filing, etc.
12. Obtain security clearance for visitors and accompany visitors to
secured storage areas including showing and handling of artwork.

Education and Training:
1. Bachelor's degree in Art History or related field and at least two
years of museum experience.
2. Preferred: Museum training or comparable museum experience.
3. Preferred: MA in Art History with a specialization in African art.

Skills and Abilities:
1. Must demonstrate the ability to take initiative, anticipate actions
needed and possess excellent organizational and interpersonal skills.
2. Ability to regularly exercise discretion and independent judgment and
to be a team player in an active office environment.
3. Must have well-developed written and oral communication skills.
4. Skills in word processing, data entry, and Internet use.
5. Preferred: Knowledge of African art and a foreign language.
6. Preferred: Experience with Photoshop and TMS, or other database program.

To Apply:

Please send a letter of application with a CV and the names of three
references to:

Michele Schena
Human Resources
Yale University Art Gallery
P.O. Box 208271
New Haven, CT 06520-8271

203-432-9251 (office)
203-432-9260 (fax)

michele.schenayale.edu

Deadline: September 15, 2006

Contact Info:
Michele Schena
Human Resources
Yale University Art Gallery
P.O. Box 208271
New Haven, CT 06520-8271

Website: http://artgallery.yale.edu/
http://www.h-net.org/jobs/display_job.php
jobID=31208