Technician-Modern And Contemporary Art

The Art Institute of Chicago shares its singular collections with our city and the world. We collect, care for, and interpret works of art across time, cultures, geographies, and identities, centering the vision of artists and makers. We recognize that all art is made in a particular context, demanding continual, dynamic reconsideration in the present. We are a place of gathering; we foster the exchange of ideas and inspire an expansive, inclusive understanding of human creativity.

Please click on the links below to view our competitive, comprehensive benefits package:

• Hiring Range
• Benefits
• PTO Overview
• Job classification: full time hourly staff
• Grade Level: 6

Please submit a cover letter and resume to be considered for this position.

ABOUT THE DEPARTMENT

Spanning 1900 to the present, Modern and Contemporary Art maintains a collection that ranges from the beginnings of the international avant-gardes of the 20th century to the art of our present moment. The collection includes over 3,000 works, encompassing painting, sculpture, installations, time-based media, photography, and works on paper. Wide ranging in geography and scope-with particular strengths in European 20th-century modernism, International Surrealism, midcentury and postwar painting and sculpture, as well as the histories and contemporary legacies of Minimal, Post-Minimal, and Conceptual Art-the department maintains a regularly rotated and expansive presentation of its collection in more than 50,000 square feet of dedicated gallery space across two floors of the museum's Renzo Piano-designed Modern Wing. The department additionally presents several large-scale and focused exhibitions and programs annually, including in the Donna and Howard Stone Film and Video Gallery and on the Bluhm Family Terrace, and actively collaborates with artists and scholars to commission and present many live events each year, from performances and screenings to artist's talks and lectures.

ABOUT THE POSITION

Reporting to the Collections Manager, this role organizes, coordinates, and supervises art preparation and movement for department gallery rotations, reinstallations, and exhibitions, collaborating with curators, collection manager, installation crew, registrars, conservators, facilities, and security colleagues; relocates and installs art in the departmental galleries and storage areas; provides basic care, including maintenance of objects and displays in storage and on view; monitors environmental conditions of the galleries and storage areas; performs location tracking in the museum's database; and supervises and assists in the preparations of objects for installation and shipment.

RESPONSIBILITIES

Art movement and installation : In consultation with the curators and collection manager, responsible for planning and scheduling departmental art movement and installations; directs departmental art handling, moving art to and from galleries, storage areas, committee and trustee meetings, and imaging and conservation studios; requests installation and/or packing crew as needed for art movement and provides functional supervision of art handlers and packers in installing, deinstalling, packing, and unpacking objects as directed. * May act as courier for the department. As needed, may make mounts and mannequins for the display of objects.

Object tracking: Updates location changes in museum database within 24 hours of art movement as per museum guidelines; performs systematic location checks of storage areas; creates documentation maps with measurements of gallery installations after each reinstallation.

Collections in care: Organizes and maintains storage areas as needed; assists in the care, conservation, installation, and storage of the departmental collection. Under the supervision of Conservation and Science, performs minimal tasks, including light dusting and inspecting the condition of, labeling, and measuring objects; supervises preparation of objects for display, including placing mount work requests. * Assists visiting scholars, students, and visitors in the safe examination of objects in storage and study areas.

Gallery maintenance: Performs regular maintenance of galleries, including dusting platforms and casework; checks and monitors temperature and humidity conditions in the galleries and storage areas; places work requests and schedules work with Facilities for the department related to painting, lighting, cleaning, stanchions, and casework; facilitates work in the galleries and storage areas for contractors; installs object labels for the collection and replaces existing labels as needed. * Occasionally may be asked to create digital gallery mockup proposals for use by the department.

Safety and security: Ensures all security procedures are followed in galleries, including temporary removal notices, proper securing of objects to walls and mounts, and securing of storage areas; and responds as needed in case of art, gallery, or storage emergency.

Training and best practices: Adheres to training in art handling as provided by museum colleagues; participates in periodic trainings to learn new techniques; and keeps abreast of and offers recommendations based upon best practices in the field related to safe and secure art handling, materials, and installation.

PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS

⋅ Frequently lifts, carries, and moves objects, including art, weighing up to 50 pounds.

⋅ Comfortable working at elevated heights, such as ladders, scaffolding, and ariel lifts.

⋅ Periods sitting at a desk and working on a computer; operates a computer and other office productivity machinery, such as a copy machine and printer.

⋅ moves about inside the office to access file cabinets, office machinery, etc.

⋅ Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, ability to adjust focus, and the ability to sustain prolonged visual concentration.

QUALIFICATIONS

⋅ Minimum of two years of experience handling works of art or equivalent experience working with objects required

⋅ Ability to learn museum-specific collection database systems

⋅ Familiarity with or specialization in departmental field a plus

The successful candidate should:

⋅ Be highly detail-oriented and organized;

⋅ Demonstrate initiative

⋅ Have a proven track record of careful, experienced art handling;

⋅ Embrace the museum's commitment to creating an inclusive and equitable institution;

⋅ Have an open-minded and collaborative approach to working and communicating with all colleagues across the museum;

⋅ Have strong communication, organizational, time management, and multitasking skills.

⋅ Have the ability to work in high pressure situations

UNION: This position is part of a bargaining unit represented by AFSCME Council 31.

ABOUT THE ORGANIZATION

The Art Institute of Chicago is an equal opportunity, equal access employer fully committed to achieving a diverse and inclusive workplace. We believe in a staff culture that benefits from a wide range of experience, backgrounds, and career paths, and we encourage nontraditional candidates to apply.

DETAILS

Reports to Collection Manager, Modern Contemporary Art