Wells College Hiring for Art Archivist Fellow at Aurora, New York Full Time

2024-2026 Wells College Art Archivist Fellow

 

Book Arts Center and Louis Jefferson Long Library

Wells College, Aurora NY

Fixed Duration Position: 24 months from date of hire

Expected Start Date: July 2024

Fellowship Award: 50-58k annually plus benefits

Application Deadline: March 31, 2024

 

POSITION DESCRIPTION

The Book Art Center and Louis Jefferson Long Library Wells College welcome applications for the 2024 – 26 Fellowship in Art Archiving. The Art Archivist Fellowship is intended for a recent

graduate from a library, museum, or related program who wishes to pursue collections-based

work, and is made possible through the Windgate Foundation.

 

RESPONSIBILITIES

The Art Archivist Fellowship is a 24-month appointment. The Fellow’s primary projects and

activities will center on the creation of new digital catalogs for the College’s physical art

collection, including approximately 1100 prints, paintings, and sculptures; the Wells College

Book Art Center’s Research Library, which includes over 2000 volumes specializing in printing,

book binding and typography; and the Victor Hammer collection, containing bibliographic

information on the founder of Wells College Press. These catalogs will foster greater access and

use of our craft and art archives within and beyond the Wells community, supporting teaching,

lending, and research projects. The ‘24-’26 Fellowship is also intended to produce preservation

recommendations for the above collections, and to culminate in a public exhibition with a

catalog to highlight some of the gems in our collections.

 

Engaging in a broad spectrum of professional activities, the Fellow will assist with collection

management, archival processing, housing, and preservation. They will be supervised by the

Book Arts Director and receive additional mentoring from the Library Director and String Room

Gallery Director. The Fellow will in turn supervise a student intern assistant interested in craft,

visual arts and/or museum studies.

 

The Art Archivist Fellow will be expected to pursue mutually agreed-upon projects resulting in

tangible deliverables. The Fellow will have the opportunity to delve into a unique set of

collections crossing craft and fine art, with a heavy focus on print, and will gain experience that

crosses library, archive, and museum contexts. Other activities will vary based on current

campus needs, and the Fellow’s interest and experience. The Art Archivist Fellow may

participate in library committees and working groups at the Library; contribute to social media

feeds in collaboration with Library staff; and will be encouraged to be professionally active and

involved in the academic, scholarly, and professional community at Wells College.

 

QUALIFICATIONS

Excellent analytical, organizational, management, customer service, and interpersonal skills.

Strong hand skills and the ability to handle fragile materials with care is a must. Ability to

effectively build partnerships and promote the benefits of change in an academic culture that

often values ambiguity, diversity of opinion, and historic precedent. Ability to communicate

effectively through both oral and written expression. Ability to work both independently and

collegially in a demanding and rapidly changing environment.

 

Preferred: Master’s degree or above from an ALA-accredited program for library and

information science, archives, museum studies, or related field. Experience working with rare

materials, cataloging, archival processing and/or developing digital information resources.

 

FELLOWSHIP AWARD AND BENEFITS

The Art Archivist Fellow will be employed at Wells College (Wells Book Arts Center & Long

Library) for 24 months and will receive an award of $50,000 – $58,000 per annum, prorated over the fellowship term.

Full-time employees are eligible for a wide range of benefits, including:

● Health, dental, and vision coverage

● Health Savings Account and Flexible Spending Account options

● Employee Assistance Program (EAP), which provides counseling for employees in need

● Basic and supplemental life insurance plans

● 403(b) retirement plan w/ 4% contribution

● Long-term disability insurance

● Paid time away, including sick, personal and vacation days upon hire, increasing at 1 year of service

● Dependent tuition benefits, including tuition remission at Wells and tuition exchange

with other member institutions

 

MATERIALS REQUIRED – please submit the following two documents formatted as PDFs:

● CV, with names & contact information for three professional references

● Statement of interest that includes experience with catalogs, special collection

material, and preservation and addresses how this position will help you meet your

goals

● Optional samples of professional work and/or letters of recommendation

Please contact Mary Tasillo, Book Arts Center Director, at [email protected] with any

questions.

 

The Louis Jefferson Long Library can accommodate more than 300 students for research and

study, including an expanding Learning Commons with student support services. It includes the

Rare Book Collection and the Wells College Archives, containing materials related to the history

of Wells College and the surrounding communities. Scrapbooks compiled by alumnae from

roughly 1890-1950 are contained in the Archives. Campus life is represented by clippings,

programs, correspondence, and other ephemera. The Victor Hammer Collection contains

bibliographic information on Victor Hammer, who fled Europe during the Second World War,

coming to the United States with his first wife, Rosl. They moved to Aurora, NY where Victor

Hammer taught art at Wells College and set up the Wells College Press and his personal

Hammer Press.

 

The Wells College Art Collection dates back to the College’s founding in 1868. The art collection

holdings are strong in printmaking, and include prints by Albrecht Durer and Mary Cassatt, a

fine binding edition of etchings by Jacques Callot, collection of wood engravings and printing

blocks by J.J. Lankes, and engravings by Thomas Bewick. The collection also includes Indigenous

American and Greco-Roman pottery, textiles, paintings, ironwork, stained glass, and plaster.

 

The Book Arts Center, established in 1993, is the oldest of three Centers for Excellence at Wells

College. Rooted in the work of internationally renowned artist Victor Hammer, who founded the Wells College Press in 1941, the BAC continues his tradition of excellent craftsmanship and a focus on student engagement. The iron hand press he used is still in use today, complemented by nine Vandercook proofing presses and three platen presses that students and BAC staff use to create printed materials. The Center also boasts over 400 cases of metal type and ornaments and 70 cases of wood type; the Jane Webster Pearce Class of 1932 Bindery, with professional-grade equipment and finishing tools for the study and practice of hand

bookbinding; a scriptorium for calligraphy instruction; a papermill for hand-papermaking with a

Hollander beater; and other unique resources. The Book Arts Center is home to a special

collection library and archival materials and publications related to the study of Book Arts and

book history. The Book Arts major/minor at Wells is housed within the Visual Arts program.

More information can be found at https://www.wells.edu/academics/book-arts-center.

 

Wells College is a nationally recognized, private four-year Liberal Arts college located in the

Finger Lakes region of New York on the unceded lands of the Cayuga Nation. The mission of

Wells College is to educate students to think critically, reason wisely, and act humanely as they

cultivate meaningful lives. Wells College is the leader in providing immersive academic

experiences tailored by each student. Our historic campus in a lakeside setting that is ideally

conducive to deep learning is home to over 150 years of evolving, inclusive traditions that bind

Wellsians across generations. Recognizing the role of higher education in supporting students

from all backgrounds to lead in the future, Wells College actively seeks to diversify its faculty

and staff. We strive to embody a culture of belonging that empowers all of our students — 35%

of whom identify as students of color and 32% who are first-generation — to thrive.

 

In this search, Wells College wishes to reinforce its commitment to increase faculty and staff

diversity to best serve our extraordinary students. We strongly encourage applicants with a

record of embracing equity, accessibility, anti-racist pedagogies, and inclusion. Candidates from

groups that are currently underrepresented at Wells, including those from indigenous, black,

TLGBQIA+, and disabled communities, are especially encouraged to apply.