American Museum of Asmat Art, Elevating the Arts Graduate Assistant

OVERVIEW

JOB TITLE: American Museum of Asmat Art, Elevating the Arts Graduate Assistant - 2 positions 

LOCATION: St. Paul and Minneapolis Campuses 

PAY RATE: $20.00 per hour 

HOURS: 100 hours for each position (September 2026 – May 2027) 

APPLY: Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis until September 14, 2026

GENERAL INFORMATION

• The American Museum of Asmat Art is on the second floor of the Anderson Student Center and showcases art from southwestern New Guinea (West Papua)
• All positions are for degree-seeking graduate students in the College of Arts and Sciences
• Hired assistants must check their email daily and promptly respond to messages from the directors
• Positions are somewhat flexible, but require daytime availability Monday-Friday. Assistants may also be expected to attend a few evening events. Remote and in-person meetings are required. 

JOB SUMMARY

Assistants will: 

• Work with project directors and the visual resources coordinator to digitize Asmat documents and other materials
• Supervise and manage undergraduate assistants working on the project
• Research Asmat shields in terms of regional style and iconography
• Learn about Dublin Core and best practices for creating metadata to describe and organize digital content
• Use Omeka (web-publishing platform) to create a database for digital collections and other Asmat resources
• Work with an international network of Asmat stakeholders that includes museum and private collections

Contact Information

Hiring Official: Amy Nygaard

Email: nyga0002@stthomas.edu

QUALIFICATIONS

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS: 

• Strong research, writing, and communication skills
• Creativity and ability to problem-solve 
• Self-motivation, positive attitude, and interest in other cultures
• Ability to share art objects in an informative manner
• Ability to multitask and work on a range of projects
• Exceptional attention to detail and organizational skills
• Ability to collaborate with others and complete independent remote work
• Familiarity with Mac computers, Excel spreadsheets, Microsoft Word, PowerPoint, and OneDrive

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS:   

• Familiarity with Asmat culture and/or the American Museum of Asmat Art
• Experience researching and writing about visual art
• Familiarity with collection management databases
• Proficiency in social media platforms such as Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok

TO APPLY

Applicants should provide their availability. (e.g. "I can work between 10-4pm on T/Th” -or- "I'm available between 10-12:30pm on W/F") as well as the following: 

• CV/Resume 

• Cover Letter 

ELIGIBILITY

To be eligible for student employment, St. Thomas students must be degree seeking at the undergraduate, graduate and doctoral levels. Students must be actively enrolled at least part-time in courses for credit. For further information on eligibility please see the Student Employee Toolkit on One StThomas. 

The University of St. Thomas is an Equal Opportunity Employer, including disability and protected veteran status.