Curatorial Assistant
Part-time Temp less than 35 hrs per wk Part-Time
Chicago, Chicago, IL, US
Salary Range: $19.00 to 21.00 Hourly
| JOB TITLE | Polish Chicago Project Curatorial Assistant |
| DEPARTMENT | Collections and Curatorial Affairs |
| FLSA STATUS | Non-Exempt |
Job Summary
The Polish Chicago Curatorial Assistant will work with the Chief Historian/ Director, Studs Terkel Center for Oral History and the wider project team to support and develop the Polish Chicago Project and the resulting exhibition to open in the spring of 2023. Primarily, the Curatorial Assistant will support the Community Advisory Committee, conduct research regarding Polish communities in the Chicago area, and help develop public programs and the exhibition.
Essential Functions
- Develop and maintain strong relationships with communities working with a community advisory council, organizations, and individuals
- Conduct research in English and Polish regarding Chicagoland’s Polish communities
- Assist in managing the exhibition database
- Assist in developing, planning, and executing programs for the Polish Chicago Project
- Assist in developing plans for the Polish Chicago exhibition
- Assist in liaising with the Polish Museum of America (Chicago) and the Polish History Museum (Warsaw, Poland)
- Assist in potentially acquiring two and three dimensional loan items for the exhibition including contacting potential lenders and assessing potential loans
- Regular written and oral communication in English and Polish (Curatorial Assistant must be a fluent Polish speaker.)
- Work on-site and virtually
- Occasional evening and weekend work
- Driving car and/or van
- Ability to lift, carry, and otherwise move objects weighing up to 20 pounds
The Museum expects all employees to contribute to and promote a positive culture and collegial atmosphere at CHM in three main ways.
1. Embracing the Museum’s mission to share Chicago’s stories, serving as a hub of scholarship and learning, inspiration and civic engagement.
2. Modeling the values that the Museum seeks in all of its staff including:
All-In:Taking and sharing responsibility for the Museum, its mission, and our future.
Welcoming: Demonstrating every day that the Museum is for everyone.
Forward-looking: Anticipating needs, spotting opportunities, and solving problems with determination and ingenuity.
3. Supporting the Museum’s institutional values of Service, Collaboration, Discovery, Creativity, Empathy, Authenticity, Integrity, and Stewardship.
Other Duties
- Contacting individuals via telephone, email, ground mail, and text, writing up research findings, database creation and maintenance, planning and attending meetings
- Other duties as assigned
REPORTS TO: Peter T. Alter, Gary T. Johnson Chief Historian & Director, Studs Terkel Center for Oral History
WORKING RELATIONSHIPS:
The Polish Chicago Curatorial Assistant will work as a part of various teams on all aspects of the project. This includes working with interns, Advisory Committee members, staff of the Polish Museum of America and the Polish History Museum, and the exhibition teams.
Qualifications
- Minimum bachelor’s degree in a social science or humanities or related field
- Extensive and deep knowledge of the Chicago’s Polish communities and knowledge of and ideally connections to leaders in those communities
- Experience working with communities
- Both written and oral fluency in Polish
- Excellent verbal and written communication skills
- Skill in MS Office Suite
- Valid United States driver’s license
- Ability to meet deadlines
- Ability to function independently as well as on a team
- Commitment to the mission, values, and programs of the Chicago History Museum
TO APPLY
Please submit the following as a single document: cover letter and resume. Online submissions with incomplete information may not be considered. E/O/E D/V/M/F. No Phone Calls please.
The application link can be found here: https://workforcenow.adp.com/mascsr/default/mdf/recruitment/recruitment.html?cid=5b362fba-f53e-4789-bc85-d104f0b9a79c&ccId=19000101_000001&jobId=434189&source=CC2&lang=en_US
This job description is not intended to be an express or implied contract between CHM and any employee. CHM employees are employees at will. CHM reserves the right to change or assign other duties to this position as necessary to meet changing business needs. CHM is an equal opportunity employer.