Assistant Curator of American Textiles

About the Metropolitan Museum of Art

The Met presents over 5,000 years of art from around the world for everyone to experience and enjoy. The Museum lives in two iconic sites in New York City-The Met Fifth Avenue and The Met Cloisters. Millions of people also take part in The Met experience online.

Since its founding in 1870, The Met has always aspired to be more than a treasury of rare and beautiful objects. We are committed to fostering a collaborative and respectful work environment with a staff as diverse as the audiences we engage. Our staff members are art lovers who are passionate about working toward a common goal: creating the most dynamic and inspiring art museum in the world.

At The Met, every staff member - from security officers to researchers to scientists and beyond - lives by our core values of respect, inclusivity, collaboration, excellence, and integrity.

Respect: Engage one another with collegiality, empathy, and kindness, always.

Inclusivity: Ensure that all are and feel welcome and valued.

Collaboration: Reach across boundaries to exchange ideas and work together toward our shared mission.

Excellence: Lead the cultural world in quality and expertise-and inspire curiosity and creativity.

Integrity: Hold ourselves to the highest moral standards, admit when we fall short, and then evolve.

ABOUT THE AMERICAN WING:

With a collection of roughly 20,000 works of art and design by African American, Asian American, Euro-American, Latin American, and Native American makers-ranging primarily from the mid-17th to early-20th century, with select contemporary expressions-the American Wing, founded in 1924, represents one of the largest and most comprehensive holdings of North American artistic expression in the world. These dynamic collections, housed in some 75 galleries, include paintings, sculpture, drawings, furniture, textiles, regalia, ceramics, basketry, glass, silver, metalwork, and jewelry, as well as historic interiors and architectural fragments-produced by highly trained and self-taught artists, both identified and unrecorded-comprising an expansively defined American art department housed within a global museum. An active department with a curatorial staff of twelve, as well as administration and collection colleagues, the American Wing regularly programs diverse exhibitions and installations that bring fresh approaches to our wide-ranging material.

GENERAL STATEMENT OF RESPONSIBILITIES & DUTIES:

As the Assistant Curator of American Textiles, you will have expertise in 18th- to mid-20th-century art and culture. Working with diverse Museum colleagues, you will contribute to researching, cataloguing, interpreting, and enhancing textiles in the American Wing collection, while also proposing installations and publications. You are committed to telling expansive and inclusive stories with a broadly conceived collection of American art.

Application Deadline: September 11, 2026

PRIMARY RESPONSIBILITIES & DUTIES:

Contribute to ongoing collection research, assessment, and refinement of American textiles

Identify opportunities within the collection to bring fresh ideas and narratives to installations and gallery rotations

Research and write interpretive materials, including gallery texts as well as printed and online Museum publications

Assist with and propose gallery installations, some with accompanying publications

Recommend artwork for acquisition in collaboration with conservators, other curators, collection managers, and collectors

Cultivate and steward donors for acquisition and fundraising support, including membership in departmental support groups

Contribute ideas to and participate in programming for departmental support groups and American Wing Visiting Committee (advisory group)

Lead tours of departmental exhibitions and installations

Develop and lead training sessions for American Wing volunteer guides

Contribute to educational mission of Museum through public lectures, gallery talks, classes, and mentoring of interns and fellows

Contribute to broad range of public and patron programs and to building relationships with local communities as well as global audiences

Foster and maintain positive working relationships with museum colleagues across the U.S. as well as with members of scholarly communities, dealers, collectors, and diverse audiences

Respond to public inquiries

Other duties as assigned

REQUIREMENTS & QUALIFICATIONS:

• Master's degree with specialization in American textiles; PhD or ABD preferred
• Understanding of basic textile structures, materials, and techniques as well as experience with textile handling
• 3-5 years museum experience directly related to required curatorial duties and responsibilities
• Demonstrated track record of scholarly research and publication; participation in symposia, lectures, and other forms of public engagement
• Demonstrated achievement in current curatorial practice
• Passion for object-centered research, presentation, and interpretation
• Ability to create and maintain well-researched and precise collection records
• Demonstrated commitment to exploring wide-ranging approaches to American art and culture, and to engaging directly with diversity, equity, access, and inclusion (DEIA) initiatives in museum and professional communities
• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills (written, oral, visual) and respected engagement with colleagues across a complex organization and externally with scholars, donors, dealers, and broader publics
• Ability to work both independently and collaboratively with all American Wing staff and varied colleagues throughout Museum as proactive, communicative team player with proven follow-through
• Ability to contribute to an inclusive and affirmative work environment
• Excellent computer skills, familiarity with TMS, Adobe Suite, and Microsoft Office Suite.

COMPENSATION RANGE:

• Pay Range: $87,000-92,000 Annually
• The advertised pay scale reflects the good faith minimum and maximum salary range for this role. The advertised pay scale is not a promise of a particular wage for any specific employee. The specific compensation offered to a candidate may be dependent on a variety of factors including, but not limited to, the candidate's experience, education, special licensing or qualifications, and other factors.

Location Requirements

At time of employment, employees are expected to be located within commuting distance of the Museum. "Commuting distance" means that they are located in one of following states: New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, or Pennsylvania (the "Tri-state and PA" areas), and be able to commute to and from the Museum in a single day.

Benefits Offerings

The Museum provides competitive compensation, and generous benefits and perks for all eligible employees. Note: Benefits Offering may differ based on Employee Status.

• Medical, dental, vision and life insurance
• 403(b) basic retirement plan and optional matching retirement plan with an outstanding employer match
• Considerable paid time off, including annual leave, sick leave, and 13 Museum holidays
• Long-term disability coverage
• Flexible Spending Accounts & Health Savings Account (pre-tax income for eligible health care expenses)
• Commuter benefits (pre-tax income for parking or mass transit expenses)
• Free financial-planning services
• Financial assistance for relevant coursework, seminars, and training programs
• 25% discount for staff in Museum shops
• A subsidized staff cafeteria
• Access to the Museums Council pass, which grants free admission to various museums and cultural institutions

We recognize that it is highly unlikely that someone meets 100% of the desired attributes for a role. If much of this job description describes you, then please apply for this role.

The Met is committed to the full inclusion of all qualified individuals. As part of this commitment, The Met will ensure that persons with disabilities are provided reasonable accommodations. If reasonable accommodation is needed in this process, please contact benefits@metmuseum.org.

The Metropolitan Museum of Art provides equal opportunity to all employees and applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, creed, sex, sexual orientation, national origin, ancestry, age, mental or physical disability, pregnancy, alienage or citizenship status, marital status or domestic partner status, genetic information, genetic predisposition or carrier status, gender identity, HIV status, military status and any other category protected by law in all employment decisions, including but not limited to recruitment, hiring, compensation, training and apprenticeship, promotion, upgrading, demotion, downgrading, transfer, lay-off and termination, and all other terms and conditions of employment.

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