VLC Event Support Student Assistant

The New School•New York, NY

10d•Onsite

About The Position

The Vera List Center for Art and Politics seeks a student to support our work by helping us at events and exhibitions, in particular during the VLC Forum 2026 from October 5–10th and the related exhibition, presented at Parsons from October 6th through November 1st. This position offers great flexibility: it will not have a fixed schedule or set hours each week, but rather hours will be coordinated and scheduled in advance of events, exhibitions, and book fairs with some office hours in addition. All of the work will be in person and mostly during evenings or weekends, with the student being the public face of the VLC. The number of hours will vary greatly depending on the student’s availability and the events, running anywhere from 3–40 hours per month, but amounting to at least 48 hours in the fall semester with the possibility more(this guarantee is subject to the student’s availability). The position begins in September and will run through June 2027 with the possibility of being continued in future academic years. The student worker will report directly to Adrienne Umeh, the Director of Finance and Operations at the Vera List Center, although they will gain experience working with various staff members at different times. The student assistant will gain insight into the Vera List Center’s organization, including its public events, exhibitions, fellowships, and prize cycles. The student assistant will learn about the interdisciplinary contributions of the VLC to New York City’s cultural communities and will be engaged with the Center’s efforts to diversify its programs and make them broadly accessible. The position is open to students in any program at The New School and seeks candidates who are passionate about the arts, how the arts can be brought to the public, and how they intersect with current political issues as they enhance social justice work and strategies. The Vera List Center for Art and Politics is an artist-centered organization at The New School that imagines and supports politically-engaged art, public scholarship, research, and community around the world. Founded in 1992, we are guided by the unwavering belief that artists play an essential role addressing issues that are urgent to communities around the world. We are: a vibrant locally, nationally, and internationally connected hub for art that advances equity, inclusion, and social justice; a forum for rigorous study, research, and teaching on the significance of art as a force for political empowerment; and a venue to support, present, and commission visionary projects. Across all our work, we galvanize resources to support artists and nurture public recognition of the extraordinary role they play in society. We contribute to a thriving arts ecosystem through: direct support of artists (prizes, fellowships, exhibitions, and other meaningful public presentations of artists’ work); educational and public programs that are free and open to the public; and publications intended for a wide audience.

Requirements

Passion for engaging with diverse communities of different backgrounds and an interest in contemporary art and social justice work.
Punctuality and reliability.
Exemplary attitude and comfort greeting strangers and answering questions.
Independent worker with great self motivation and initiative, who thrives working simultaneously across different tasks and platforms and is able to work without close supervision or alone.
Commitment for two semesters and availability in the evening and weekends to help with events.
Specific availability during the day, evening, and weekends from October 5–November 1 to work the VLC Forum 2026 and staff the Prize exhibition.
Availability for other events such as the VLC public programs that are in person, NY Art Book Fair, Other Islands book fair, etc.
Strong office, administrative, and organizational skills.

Nice To Haves

Event planning, staffing and coordination experience.

Responsibilities

Set up, check in and break down during events.
Staffing the gallery during exhibitions and engaging with the public.
Support of program evaluations, attendance, and statistics, and gathering other data relevant for outreach, PR, and development.
General administrative support such as help with preparing mailings, filing and organization, putting together itineraries, etc.
Website updates, filing and organization, and other administrative and programmatic tasks as assigned during gallery sitting.
Supporting communication efforts in accordance with the VLC outreach calendar and social media, to include taking or organizing pictures and drafting posts.
In-person event support, especially from October 5–November 1 to support the VLC Forum and Prize exhibition.
The VLC Event Support Student Assistant will staff events such as the VLC Forum, Seminars, book fairs, and sit in galleries during exhibitions.
The work will include set up/breakdown, check in, ushering, and other event related tasks in addition to administrative support.
While mostly event based, there will be some in office shifts scheduled with administrative work such as filing, mailing, etc.