Reports to: Co-Directors (Katie Sonnenborn and Ruth Estévez)
Schedule: Part-time (20–25 hours per week), primarily in-person in New York City
Compensation: $42,000–$50,000 annually, with possibility of full-time expansion

ABOUT THE ROLE

Skowhegan School of Painting & Sculpture seeks a Senior Archivist to lead the development of a vision and strategy for its archive, aligned with the institution’s mission and research initiatives. This role combines conceptual, technical, and leadership responsibilities, with the goal of making Skowhegan’s archives publicly accessible.

The Senior Archivist will oversee the organization, development, and future accessibility of a diverse collection of materials, and will collaborate across teams to activate the archive through research, programming, and public engagement.

ABOUT THE ARCHIVE

Skowhegan’s archive includes lectures, recordings, images, books, artworks, ephemera, and institutional records. The collection is primarily located in New York City, with additional materials in Maine. Early archives are held at the Smithsonian Archives of American Art. Skowhegan is not a collecting institution; its holdings focus on pedagogical materials and institutional history.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

• Prepare an assessment of the state of Skowhegan’s archives. 
• Develop and implement a strategic vision for Skowhegan’s archive in collaboration with the Co-Directors.
• Systematize, categorize, and build archival infrastructure across digital and physical collections.
• Establish and maintain collection management policies and workflows.
• Prioritize organization, preservation, and digitization efforts.
• Contribute to planning storage systems and access frameworks.
• Lead the development of a public-facing archive (phase two).
• Collaborate with program and editorial teams to activate the archive through research, publications, and public programs.
• Support partnerships with artists, researchers, and institutional collaborators.
• Promote the archive as a resource for alumni and the broader arts community.
• Contribute to funding initiatives and related institutional projects as needed.
• Oversee archive storage and inventory, monitor movement and condition of materials, and ensure safe access to collections.
• Manage archive storage, inventory, and material condition.
• Supervise Archive Assistant and interns. 
• Perform related duties as assigned.

Note: Some responsibilities may evolve over time.

QUALIFICATIONS

• Minimum of 7 years of professional experience overseeing and maintaining complex archival collections, preferably within the arts, nonprofit, or cultural sectors.
• Demonstrated familiarity with artists’ archives, museums, galleries, or other cultural institutions.
• Strong knowledge of contemporary art, including its historical, social, and institutional contexts.
• Experience working with archival management systems and collection databases, such as CollectiveAccess.
• Excellent organizational, analytical, research, and written communication skills
• Proven ability to collaborate effectively within research-driven and interdisciplinary team environments over extended periods of time.
• Familiarity with grant development, fundraising initiatives, or application processes is highly desirable.
• Thorough understanding of archival methodologies, preservation standards, cataloguing practices, and current developments in the field.
• Strong interpersonal skills, with the ability to communicate clearly and thoughtfully across a range of professional settings.
• Capacity to manage multiple priorities independently while also contributing meaningfully to collaborative projects.
• Advanced proficiency in Microsoft Office, FileMaker, and other administrative or collections-management tools.
• Advanced degree in archival studies, art history, library science, museum studies, or a related field preferred.
  
  

COMMITMENT TO EQUITY

Skowhegan is committed to fostering a diverse and inclusive workplace. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, gender, sexual orientation, age, disability, or any other protected characteristic.

HOW TO APPLY

Please submit your CV and a letter of interest outlining your experience and motivation for the role. Materials should be combined into a single PDF and sent to jobs@skowheganart.org.

About Skowhegan School of Painting & Sculpture

Skowhegan is a summer art school on a 350-acre campus in Maine. For eight decades, we have offered artists the opportunity to engage within an experimental framework based on the idea of sharing knowledge and skills between and among artists. The School takes the form of a nine-week summer program in which emerging artists working in all forms and from diverse backgrounds live and work together on our campus as a community of peers in dialogue with resident and visiting artists (faculty), as well as staff (primarily practicing artists). The campus is a place where we coexist in generosity, self-discovery, curiosity, and discrepancy in order to create, experience, and understand art. The School has its headquarters in New York City. During the off-session, we continue our mission through a variety of programs for wider audiences that use the School as a source of inspiration and provocation. From our space in New York (Skowhegan NYC) and beyond, we collaborate with artists and other practitioners on programs focusing on alternative ways of critical thinking and education; we foster community and facilitate engagement with alumni, faculty and collaborators; we transform and tend to o...ur archive connecting intergenerational voices; we publish research in various formats; and most importantly, we share stories. We are supported by a robust philanthropic network and committed to ensuring that the School and its various programs remain accessible to all in order to promote education and exchange.

Show more

Show less

Connections working at Skowhegan School of Painting & Sculpture