Specialist - Arts of Greece, Rome, and Byzantium & Arts of Africa

Art Institute of Chicago•Chicago, IL

2d•Onsite

About The Position

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. We are a place of gathering and learning, committed to fostering an inclusive understanding of human creativity. The Arts of Greece, Rome, and Byzantium (AGRB) department showcases the early development of Western art from the dawn of the third millennium BCE to the time of the Byzantine Empire. It includes examples of sculpture in stone, clay, and bronze, as well as coins, glass, jewelry, vases, and mosaics of outstanding quality and interest. There are some 2,300 works of ancient Mediterranean art in the department's holdings. The Arts of Africa (AA) department encompasses intricate masks, statuary, jewelry, beadwork, textiles, carved reliefs, and stone and ceramic vessels, reflecting over 5,000 years of the continent's great diversity and complexity. The works in the collection attest to the creativity and aesthetic sensibilities of African artists and their patrons, showcasing the cultural, geographical, and historical expanse of Africa. The Specialist plays a key role in caring for, installing, and moving artworks within two dynamic curatorial departments. This position works closely with curators, the collection manager, installation crews, registrars, conservators, facilities, and security teams to ensure artworks are handled safely and thoughtfully. You’ll support gallery rotations, reinstallations, exhibitions, and storage care—helping maintain the highest standards of art handling, environmental monitoring, and object documentation. This role is hands-on, collaborative, and essential to keeping our galleries and storage spaces running smoothly.

Requirements

High school diploma or GED required.
Minimum 3 years of experience handling works of art or equivalent experience working with objects required.
Knowledge of safe, current art-handling best practices.
Experience with rigging, AV, and/or mount-making fabrication and installation.
Skilled in preparing casework, support structures, and housing for artworks.
Ability to interpret design drawings; familiarity with 3D drawing software is a plus.
Strong communication and interpersonal skills.
Comfort using Google Suite and learning museum-specific database systems.
Ability to lift, carry, and move objects, including art, weighing up to fifty (50) pounds.
Prolonged periods walking and standing, kneeling, bending and lifting, as well as sitting in front of a computer.
Ability and comfort working at elevated heights, such as on ladders, scaffolding, or aerial lifts.
Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision and the ability to adjust focus and sustain prolonged visual concentration.
Exceptional manual dexterity.
Ability to operate heavy equipment safely, including forklift and stacker with training/guidance.
Wear PPE as required.

Nice To Haves

Familiarity with 3D drawing software is a plus.

Responsibilities

Plans and schedules art movement and installations in consultation with curators and the collection manager.
Directs departmental art handling, including moving objects to/from galleries, storage, meetings, imaging studios, and conservation.
Coordinates installation and packing crews; provides functional supervision to art handlers and packers.
Installs, deinstalls, packs, and unpacks artworks; may serve as a courier when needed.
Creates mounts or mannequins for object display when required.
Updates object locations in the museum database within 24 hours of movement.
Conducts regular location checks in storage areas.
Creates handling maps and measurements after each gallery reinstallation.
Organizes and maintains storage areas.
Assists with conservation, installation, and storage of departmental collections.
Performs routine maintenance such as dusting, condition checks, labeling, and measuring objects.
Places mount-making requests and prepares objects for display.
Monitors and reports pest activity.
Supports scholars, students, and visitors during object viewings in storage and study areas.
Dusts platforms and casework; monitors temperature and humidity in galleries and storage.
Submits and schedules facilities work requests (painting, lighting, cleaning, casework, stanchions).
Facilitates contractor work in galleries and storage.
Installs and updates object labels.
May create digital gallery mockups for departmental planning.
Ensures all gallery and storage security procedures are followed.
Confirms objects are properly secured to walls, mounts, and casework.
Responds appropriately to art, gallery, or storage emergencies.
Follows museum art-handling training and participates in ongoing professional development.
Stays current with best practices in art handling, materials, and installation; offers recommendations when appropriate.