Staff positions
Currently, there are no staff positions available. Please check back again in the future or consult the University of Chicago employment site.
University of Chicago student positions
The following jobs and internships are only available to University of Chicago students.
Student Docent Program
Smart Museum docents serve as public ambassadors for the Smart Museum and assist the Museum in fulfilling its educational mission as gallery teachers for a range of K-12, University, and adult audiences. Docents lead the Smart Museum’s efforts in reaching K-12 audiences through the curricular tour programs—smART Explorers for fifth grade and Art in Focus for third grade—in addition to assisting with single visit tour requests from university, adult, and other student audience groups. Docents also assist with the facilitation of family programming at the Smart Museum and the Blackstone and Bessie Coleman branch Chicago public libraries.
Applications for the next docent class will be made available late summer 2012.
Internships
University of Chicago students gain direct experience in museum work through year- and summer-long internships in a variety of areas, including our curatorial, registration, education, marketing, and business offices. Qualifications vary by department; all positions are paid and require approximately 10–19 hours of work each week.
Interns are typically hired in the fall for one-year, renewable positions.
Registration Intern
Overview
Assist the Registrar’s office at the Smart Museum of Art. Duties include maintaining the electronic and paper records and other documentation that catalog both the permanent collection and loans to the museum, as well as overseeing the movement, packing, storage, and shipment of these objects.
Duties
- Assist with cataloging works both in the collection and on loan to the museum and prepare condition reports, inventories and receipts.
- Assist with maintaining the systems that catalog, document and report on both the permanent collection and loans to the museum.
- Assist with replying to information requests and generating internal and external documents relating to loans, exhibitions, and acquisitions.
- Assist with the packing, unpacking, installation, deinstallation, and storage of artwork.
- Assist with the campus loan program, processing loan renewals and performing routine condition checks of artwork.
- Assist with the integrated pest management program, monitoring for pest activity within the museum
- Assist with archiving departmental records.
- Other duties as they arise.
Qualifications
Applicant must be highly sensitive to the necessity of confidentiality and absolutely accurate record keeping and be familiar with database management, networking and image processing. S/he must be extremely detail-oriented, have excellent written and verbal communication skills, possess the ability to see projects through to completion, and be able to work well both with others and independently.
A concentration in art history preferred, along with previous office or museum experience. Familiarity with PCs, Microsoft Word and Excel, FileMaker Pro, and Adobe Photoshop CS2 is essential; familiarity with scanning software and The Museum System (TMS) is desirable.
Physical demands include the ability to see and write or type; the ability to lift and carry moderately heavy objects; the ability to crouch, climb, balance, sit, and stand for long periods of time; the ability to safely handle and transport artworks; and the ability to withstand various outdoor temperatures.
Hours
Applicant must be available to work 12 hours a week during the school year (32 weeks) and 24 hours a week during summer. Start date will be for summer or early fall, depending on candidate availability, and will continue through the 2012/2013 school year.
Pay rate
$11/hour, College work-study eligibility is desirable but not required.
To Apply
Send a cover letter and resume to:
Sara Hindmarch
Assistant Registrar
Smart Museum of Art
The University of Chicago
5550 S. Greenwood Ave
Chicago, IL 60637
shindmarch@uchicago.edu
No phone inquiries please.
Baristas
When positions are open applications are made available at the Museum's information desk.
Gallery Attendants
The Smart Museum of Art’s Gallery Attendants are responsible for maintaining security within the Smart Museum gallery and lobby areas during public hours. Within this role, the Gallery Attendant acts as a public representative of the Museum and the University by greeting patrons and providing information as needed. Work schedules are flexible quarterly and can be designed to fit around a student’s class schedule. Docents who wish to receive additional working hours at the Museum are strongly encouraged to apply and will receive a premium hourly rate.
Qualifications
University of Chicago student. Excellent verbal communication and interpersonal skills. Interest in visual art encouraged. Ability to stand for long periods of time. Work-study encouraged, but not required.
Hours
Starting immediately with year-round employment, approximately 8–15 hours per week.
Pay rate
$8.25/hr; higher if a multi-session docent cross-training program is completed
To Apply
To apply, please fill out an application at the Museum’s information desk. Applications are always accepted.
No phone inquiries please.
The University of Chicago is an Affirmative Action / Equal Opportunity Employer.
Now on view
Discover how artists have transformed the simple act of sharing food and drink into a new kind of art.
Feasts in the Ancient World
Friday, May 25, noon
Archaelogist Geoff Emberling discusses feasting traditions in ancient Mesopotamia and explores connections to the culture of the Middle East today.
