Position Title – Project Archivist
Supervisor Title (All entry and mid-level position supervisors should be qualified, professional archivists.)- Artist Engagement & Archive Associate
Position Type – Part-time, term
Benefits – No
Hourly wage range – $25 – $30
Compensation: $20 per hour. The Project Archivist position funding is provided by The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation’s Community-based Archives Grant.
Summary: The Artist+ Registry and Archive Project is the largest online database and physical registry of artworks by multidisciplinary artists with HIV and AIDS. The Archive Project was founded in 1994 as a slide and research library to preserve the work of artists with HIV and AIDS. The online Artist+ Registry features new work added both by our Artist Engagement and Archive Associate and directly by living Artist Members and artist estates. The registry offers a greater forum for artists living with HIV to expose their work to a worldwide online audience, while preserving a legacy for artists lost to AIDS. The physical Archive Project houses over 560 artist member folders including un-cataloged physical ephemera representative of over 30 linear feet.
Duties: The Archive Project includes over 30 linear feet of source material represented in the physical Archive Project located at the Visual AIDS office in Chelsea, NYC. The Project Archivist would
Project management support with digitizing unprocessed collections of physical archival documents
Preparing cataloging inventories, and research and direct-support assistance with upgrading collection care, preservation, and archival storage systems
Assisting the Artist Engagement and Archive Associate with compiling information on Visual AIDS Artist Members, as well as assisting with the overall day-to-day activities of artist member profiles represented on the Visual AIDS Artist+ Registry
Reports to the Artist Engagement and Archive Associate.
The successful candidate will have the following qualifications:
Applicants should live in the greater New York City area.
Master in Information Sciences, Master in Library Sciences degree or Master in Arts degree
Familiarity with archival collection management systems including ArchivesSpace
2+ years experience of cataloging and digitizing physical ephemera of artist-related archival materials
2+ years experience working with BIPOC and/or QTPOC intersectional artist communities
Strong interest in learning about HIV and AIDS artistic communities in archives and activist contemporary cultures but previous HIV and AIDS work experience is not required.
Related skills: Emotional intelligence, transparency, good communication, self-accountability, inquisitive and responsive feedback, and decent self-reflection skills.
Dates of Term: Tentatively April- December 2021
Application Deadline: Thursday, February 25, 2021 at midnight.
Interviews will take place the first two weeks of March on ZOOM.
Required Commitment: Part-time; 15-20 hours per week for a total of 600 hours of time until 2022. The ongoing work schedule is flexible and dependent on the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic with safety precaution considerations. Applicants will be expected to live in the NYC area and work directly at the Visual AIDS office once the position starts. The Visual AIDS office is a small 900 sq footage space. Staff members frequent the office about 1-2 times a week; schedules will be coordinated so that no more than 1-2 people are in the office at the same time. A HEPA air ventilation system filters the room daily.
***Black, Indigenous, POC, Queer, Trans/ Gender noncomforming, and HIV positive applicants are strongly encouraged to apply.
To apply:
In a single PDF, please send a cover letter, résumé, and a list of three references with contact information. Send digital materials addressed to Tracy Fenix, Artist Engagement & Archive Associate at [email protected]
Compensation: $20 per hour. The Project Archivist position funding is provided by The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation’s Community-based Archives Grant.