Junior Production Artist
About the Metropolitan Museum of Art
The Metropolitan Museum of Art collects, studies, conserves, and presents significant works of art across all times and cultures in order to connect people to creativity, knowledge, and ideas.
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. Since it was founded in 1870, The Met has always aspired to be more than a treasury of rare and beautiful objects. Every day, art comes alive in the Museum's galleries and through its exhibitions and events, revealing both new ideas and unexpected connections across time and across cultures.
GENERAL STATEMENT OF RESPONSIBILITIES & DUTIES:
The Design department designs and installs approximately 50+ exhibitions and rotations per year, alongside capital construction and buildings projects at various stages of design, gallery reinstallation projects, and special projects for the Director’s office. The studio provides design services for a building that is over 2 million square feet and contains objects from 17 curatorial departments, collaborating with over 50 departments to serve an average of over 7 million visitors annually.
The Design Department includes Exhibition Design, Graphic Design, Lighting Design, and Production teams. As part of a four-person team, the Junior Production Artist brings organizational skills, a collaborative spirit, and adaptability to production for exhibitions and other projects. This position responds to production needs with pragmatism, responsiveness, and flexibility in close consultation with the other Production team members.
The Junior Production Artist is responsible for extensive hands-on production (printing, trimming, lamination, mounting) and installation of various graphic materials for a wide array of exhibitions and other projects at the museum. They will assist Production Artists on production for large and medium projects, and be individually responsible for small projects as assigned. Duties also include production and installation of selected interior and exterior signage, as well as requesting and reviewing prepress proofs from external vendors as needed. Critical to this position is close collaboration and support for team members as well as effective communication with Design department colleagues, multiple museum constituents, and outside vendors.
PRIMARY RESPONSIBILITIES & DUTIES:
- Hands-on fabrication of graphics (labels, didactic texts, and other graphics) including printing, trimming, lamination, mounting for gallery installations, exhibitions, and other museum signage
- Installation of object labels, didactic texts, cut vinyl, wallpaper graphics; mock up of various graphic and exhibition elements as need
- Colormatching to various in-gallery materials as required
- Assist with quality control of materials, production, and installation
- Assist with new production processes and support refinement of current techniques
- Assist with maintaining department reprographic technology and digital equipment (printers, laminator, vinyl cutter)
- Maintaining material inventory and supplies in coordination with other team members
- Communicate effectively and efficiently with museum constituents and external vendors and contractors
- Timely production, delivery, and installation of exhibition graphics in adherence to overall exhibition schedule
- Attend meetings to review exhibition design, schedule, and installation as needed
- Other related duties including weekly installation/rotation of exhibition banners, interior and exterior signage
REQUIREMENTS & QUALIFICATIONS:
Fully vaccinated with an FDA or WHO authorized vaccine (or approved for an exemption as a reasonable accommodation due to a disability, sincerely held religious belief, or pregnancy, or because you are a victim of domestic violence, stalking, or sex offenses).
Experience and Skills:
- Strong attention to detail and high level of craft
- Strong communication skills and ability to work as a collaborative colleague
- Ability to multi-task and handle multiple projects simultaneously
- Familiarity with Adobe Creative Suite software (InDesign, Illustrator, Photoshop) and Microsoft Office products
- Familiarity of design fundamentals and color theory
- Ability to lift approx. 25-30 lbs.
- Comfortable with heights up to 20 feet
- Ability to operate a scissor lift during installation; training is mandatory and will be provided
Knowledge and Education:
- BA in Art or related field a plus
- 1-2 years experience in a graphic fabrication field preferred
- Art handling/installation experience a plus
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.