Collections Fellow - Grant Funded

Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts•Philadelphia, PA

About The Position

The Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts (PAFA) is hiring a grant-funded, part-time temporary Collections Fellow for early-career museum professionals, recent college graduates, and current graduate students seeking experience in collections care, management, and refinement. Working with PAFA curators, registrars, and collections managers, the Fellow will receive training in Axiell, a collections management database, and develop areas of interest in collections research, care, maintenance, and refinement. The position also offers exposure to day-to-day museum operations and opportunities to meet with fellows in the same grant-funded cohort at local cultural organizations. The Fellow reports to PAFA's Director of Archives, Library, Collections. The position is 20 hours per week, from January 2027 through December 2027, and pays $20 per hour ($400 per week). It is not eligible for PAFA employee benefits. The work is divided between PAFA's Permanent Collection (75%) and the John Rhoden Collection (25%). Permanent Collection work includes research and administrative support for collections assessment, care, and refinement; preparing condition reports; reviewing catalogued artworks; researching and verifying provenance, exhibition histories, and bibliographic references; documenting critical opinions in literature; preparing and editing materials; scheduling project-team meetings; and coordinating with other PAFA departments. John Rhoden Collection work supports distribution of sculptures to other museums, including preparing and mailing informational materials, maintaining inventory and distribution information in PAFA's database, coordinating distribution timelines and travel, organizing correspondence, and assisting with visitor travel arrangements and expense reports.

Requirements

Bachelor's degree required.
Basic computer skills, including use of Microsoft Office Suite.
Excellent interpersonal, written communication, and research skills.
Excellent organizational skills, including ability to multitask and meet deadlines.
Excellent attention to detail.
Ability to work collaboratively as well as independently.

Nice To Haves

Master's degree in art history or a related field preferred.
Museum, gallery, or other related experience preferred.
Skills with scholarly research databases, collection management databases, and photo editing software preferred.

Responsibilities

Provide research and administrative support for ongoing assessment, care, and refinement of the PAFA Permanent Collection.
Prepare condition reports and review catalogued works of art.
Research and verify provenance information, exhibition histories, and bibliographic references, and document critical opinions found in literature.
Prepare and edit reports, presentations, correspondence, and other supporting materials.
Schedule collections meetings with the PAFA project team and act as a liaison with other PAFA departments.
Provide research and administrative support for distribution of sculpture from the John Rhoden Collection.
Assist in preparing and mailing collection information packets, checklists, and other materials.
Maintain sculpture inventory and distribution information in PAFA's collection management database.
Coordinate sculpture distribution timelines, checklists, travel, and correspondence with curators and registrars at other museums.
Assist with travel arrangements for visiting museum colleagues and prepare and submit expense reports.
Perform other duties pertaining to PAFA collections as assigned.