Works of Art Collection Support Position - Part-time/Temporary Role

Chicago Public Schools (CPS) is the third-largest school district in the United States, serving over 330,000 students in 600 schools and employing nearly 36,000 people, most of them teachers. CPS has set ambitious goals to ensure that every student, in every school and every neighborhood, has access to a world-class learning experience that prepares each for success in college, career, and civic life. In order to fulfill this mission, we make three commitments to our students, their families, and all Chicagoans: academic progress, financial stability, and integrity. Six core values are embedded within these commitments – student-centered, whole child, equity, academic excellence, community partnership, and continuous learning.

The Chicago Public School’s Department of Arts Education (DAE) works to ensure that every CPS student receives a high-quality arts education by creating conditions at the classroom, school, district, and state level that allow the arts to grow and flourish.

Job Summary:

An extensive collection of artworks considered to be fine art (the “Collection”) can be found distributed throughout CPS elementary schools, high schools, and administrative facilities across the City. The Collection is an integral part of ensuring a holistic and student-centered school environment. This artwork is utilized in classroom curriculum and instruction across content areas to support the goal of providing equitable access to high-quality arts education to every CPS student and furthering the development of their artistic literacy.

The Works of Art Collection Support Position is a Part Time/Seasonal role that will provide support to the Operations Specialist in maintaining the works of art inventory and database. This part-time position will be compensated at a pay rate of $15.40 per hour, and will report to the Operations Specialist.

The part-time/temporary Works of Art Collection Support Position will be held accountable for the following responsibilities:

• Implement, support, and maintain the collection’s database.
• Review data collected by registrars in the field during the collection inventory process; catalog the information into the database
• Maintain and update standards documentations, FAQs, and user manual for long-term database use and maintenance
• Ensure the integrity and accuracy of the collection’s contents
• Provide feedback and input regarding opportunities for improving upon the database for a second phase of updates
• Create reports, artwork review documents, and tools to analyze the collection, as needed
• Support a large-scale data entry and clean-up projects
• Collaborate with the Department of Arts Education, Capital Planning and Construction to keep the database as up to date as possible
• Other duties as assigned

In order to be successful and achieve the above responsibilities, the Works of Art Collection Support Position must possess the following qualifications:

Education Required:

• High school diploma (or GED equivalent) is required
• Must be currently enrolled in an undergraduate or graduate-level art or art history program at an accredited college or university

Experience Required:

• No formal work experience is required
• Experience/familiarity with Chicago’s artistic history and an interest in museum collection management is preferred

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities:

• Capacity to track a high volume of data accurately and efficiently
• Strong organizational and time management skills as required to successfully stay on task and meet deadlines
• Detail-oriented and task-driven with the ability to take ownership of a project
• Ability to communicate and problem solve when issues arise
• Expertise in Google Suite, database management, and Smartsheets preferred

Conditions of Employment

As a condition of employment with the Chicago Public Schools (CPS), employees are required to:

• Establish/Maintain Chicago Residency - Employees are required to live within the geographic boundaries of the City of Chicago within six months of their CPS hire date and maintain residency throughout their employment with the district. The Chicago residency requirement does not apply to temporary/part-time positions, however, all CPS employees must be residents of Illinois.
• Be Fully Vaccinated Against COVID-19 - Unless approved for a medical or religious exemption, all employees are required to be up-to-date on COVID-19 vaccinations, including boosters, and to submit proof of vaccination to the district within 30 days of hire. “Up-to-date” on vaccination is defined as being at least two weeks past all primary vaccine doses and any applicable boosters. Unvaccinated staff with an approved exemption must submit to weekly testing.