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Hiring Unit:
Visual Arts Collection (McGill Library)

Hourly rate and duration:

$16.70 per hour, 10 hours/week

Number of position: 2

Position Summary:

The Museum Database Assistant’s primary role will be to help document our procedures in a museum grade Collection Management System, Collection Space. They will assist by cataloguing the University’s growing art collection of nearly 3500 artworks. And, the intern will conduct art surveys in McGill buildings and gain valuable first-hand experience working directly with fine art, as well as giving tours. This position provides a terrific opportunity for undergraduate students hoping to work in museums to learn best practices in museum cataloguing and collection management.

In addition, the AUS Intern will have an opportunity to participate in other on-going activities of the McGill Visual Arts Collection (VAC). This includes curatorial projects, art installation planning, research, writing, and outreach - all under the guidance and supervision of museum professionals. Regular VAC team meetings to review on-going projects, workshop ideas, and discuss issues related to the artworld help facilitate a collaborative work environment.

Working at the VAC provides great insight and practice for any student hoping to pursue a career in museums, collections, or art galleries. Many McGill Arts students have applied to work at the VAC – often, many more than we could accommodate. Since it began to employ students in 2013, the VAC has received nearly 400 applications to its student job postings from qualified candidates. Thanks in part to previous funding secured through the AUS Student Employment Fund and others, the VAC has been able to train nearly 50 students through internships, practicums, and/or part-time work.

In the past, graduating students have been grateful that ASEF funds can be used to support a student intern in the summer after graduation. These have been among our most successful interns as the opportunity offered an entry point directly into a network of museum and art professionals and a job.Our own network now includes VAC intern alums who have found employment in the field (at the Canadian Centre for Architecture, the Museum of Modern Art, New York, and for private art collections, for example) who are ready to pay it forward. Other alums have also entered graduate programs, with funding, at institutions such as the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, UCLA, UBC, Queen’s University, the University of Toronto, and Stanford University.

For more information about the McGill Visual Arts Collection: www.mcgill.ca/vacollection.

Other Qualifying Skills and/or Abilities

A basic background in Art History; good organizational skills; excellent attention to detail; ability to work well in a team; superior communications skills in English (reading, writing, speaking) and a basic knowledge of French (speaking knowledge is especially important).  McGill University is an English-language university where day-to-day duties may require English communication both verbally and in writing. The level of English required for this position has been assessed at a level # (3) on a scale of 0-4 Other languages an asset.

This position is covered by the AMUSE collective agreement.