Curatorial Cataloguing Fellow

Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco

famsf.org

The Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco is seeking 8 Curatorial Cataloguing Fellows. This fellowship program aims to support the Museums’ strategic goal to significantly enhance the scope of information available about works of art in the Museums’ collection, and make this information digitally accessible to a wider public. The two-year paid Fellowship program, onsite in San Francisco from September 2025-August 2027, is designed to provide an important professional development opportunity for eight emerging art museum professionals. We strongly encourage applicants from backgrounds historically underrepresented in the art museum field. This fellowship will advance participants’ curatorial training through rigorous research and cataloguing experience.

A Fellow will be assigned to each of FAMSF’s eight curatorial departments: Achenbach Foundation for Graphic Arts (works on paper); Arts of Africa, Oceania and the Americas; American Art; Ancient Art; Contemporary Art; European Decorative Arts and Sculpture; European Paintings; and Textile Arts. Fellows will be matched based on areas of interest and experience and will work directly with department curators, who will serve as supervisors and offer mentorship throughout the fellowship. Applicants may apply to more than one department.

Schedule: This 2 year, fixed-term Union position from September 2025-August 2027. The workweek is Monday - Friday, 8 hours a day, 40 hours per week onsite at the de Young and Legion of Honor Museums in San Francisco, CA.

Benefits: This is a Union position with a benefits package including medical, dental, vision, 401(k) for retirement, and paid time off. Relocation support may be available for successful candidates who are outside the Bay Area.

Pay: Fellows begin on Step 1 of the union wage scale, which is $27.00 per hour.

Application deadline: Friday, February 14, 2025 (9pm PST)

How to apply: Please submit your application online through the FAMSF Career Center: https://workforcenow.adp.com/mascsr/default/mdf/recruitment/recruitment.html?cid=4902ad8d-5f90-407d-a266-97e4567c890b&ccId=19000101_000001&lang=en_US&selectedMenuKey=CurrentOpenings

Responsibilities

Typical duties and responsibilities:

Work closely with curatorial staff to review and update department collection records through in-depth library and web-based research, primary and secondary source documents, consultation with outside scholars and institutions, and object file review.
Review and enhance object records and organize records in physical and digital files.
Research, compile and catalogue object provenance, exhibition history, bibliographic references, and geography; input data into the Museums’ collections database, TMS.
Work closely with the Collections Information team to ensure proper documentation of the collection in TMS as per FAMSF cataloguing guidelines and protocols.
Perform advanced searches, create packages, and analyze collection data in TMS.
Perform data cleaning and data entry in the TMS database with close attention to detail for consistency, accuracy, and adherence to the FAMSF cataloguing guidelines.
Participate in department and TMS project meetings on the implementation of cataloguing standards and guidelines.
Regularly meet with supervisors to set goals, discuss progress and to track work.

Requirements

Education and Training: Completion of a BA degree or higher by Summer 2025 in Art History, Museum Studies, Anthropology or a related field. Coursework in an area relevant to this fellowship is a plus.

Skills and Abilities:

Self-motivated, highly organized, and deadline-driven.
Excellent organizational, writing, and communication skills, and a work product that exhibits a high degree of detail and accuracy.
Strong interpersonal skills and willingness to be part of a team.
Familiarity with both conventional and contemporary methods of object-based research
Ability to conduct directed independent research.
Flexibility in meeting shifting demands and priorities.
Ability to take initiative to independently complete tasks.
Ability to achieve and sustain best curatorial practices.
Strong computer skills
Comfort sitting at a computer for an extended period of time.
Ability to perform repetitive movements related to typing and computer work.

How to Apply

We are accepting applications online through our career center: https://workforcenow.adp.com/mascsr/default/mdf/recruitment/recruitment.html?cid=4902ad8d-5f90-407d-a266-97e4567c890b&ccId=19000101_000001&lang=en_US&selectedMenuKey=CurrentOpenings

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