Opportunities

Getty Marrow Curatorial Internship - Summer 2024

The Wende Museum has been awarded a grant from the Getty Foundation to hire a full-time paid Curatorial Intern for Summer 2024. The Intern will work for a consecutive ten-week work period between June 3 to August 23, 2024, with a stipend of $7,550. This summer internship is a full-time and on-site position. 

Working closely with the Wende Museum’s Chief Curator and Director of Programming and Associate Curator, the Curatorial Intern will be trained in the various steps involved in exhibition development from initial exhibition concept to implementation. The Curatorial Intern will perform exhibition research, draft exhibition texts, format object labels, prepare education guides, participate in conversation in weekly Curatorial meetings, learn and utilize Collection databases Mimsy and Piction, log object information into excel sheets, format Loan Agreements, and upload exhibition images and text to the Museum’s Bloomberg app. This year, the Intern will support the Chief Curator and Associate Curator with Fall 2024 exhibitions Counter/Surveillance: Control, Privacy, Agency and Undercurrents II and Spring 2025 exhibitions Enrique Martínez Celaya: The Sextant and Mobile Churches. Candidates with an interest in experimental curatorial practices, cultural and political history, and art historical research are encouraged to apply.

Characteristics we look for:

• Idea-generative, creative, focused, and detailed-oriented individuals 
• Enthusiasm in performing tasks well
• Exceptional writing and research abilities
• Professional communication 
• Experience in Adobe Creative Suites is a plus (not required)

Getty Marrow Eligibility Criteria:

• Be a member of groups underrepresented in professions related to museums and the visual arts, including, but not limited to, individuals of African American, Asian, Latino/Hispanic, Native American, and Pacific Islander descent. 
• Be a currently enrolled undergraduate and have completed at least one semester of college by June 2024
• Be a resident of or attend college in Los Angeles County.

Applications will be accepted until 5pm on Friday, April 19, 2024. To apply, please send a cover letter outlining your interest and a current resume to jsegal@wendemuseum.org and ediffley@wendemuseum.org with Getty Marrow Curatorial Internship in the email subject line.

Maintenance and Logistics Coordinator (Part Time)

About the Wende

The Wende is an art museum, cultural center, and archive of the Cold War that preserves history and brings it to life through exhibitions, scholarship, education, and community engagement. The museum prides itself on being a beautiful, welcoming, and well functioning facility. The Wende is expanding, and we are currently engaged in two capital projects that will vastly expand our community and educational impact: the Glorya Kaufman Cultural Center on the main Wende campus and the Institute for Archival Research in Hawthorne.

We seek a motivated and organized Maintenance and Logistics Coordinator to join our team. This position entails various duties, such as managing our online stores, aiding the Head of Facilities with administrative duties, and assisting all museum departments with events or administrative maintenance tasks as necessary.

Job Description

In your role as Maintenance Logistics Coordinator at The Wende Museum, your contributions will be vital to maintaining the seamless functionality of our facilities.  You will support the Head of Facilities through various administrative tasks. This position includes a significant role in effectively managing our online eBay store, a key component in our success. Your involvement will also extend to supporting the diverse array of events the museum hosts, further underlining the importance of your position in our team.

Key Responsibilities

1. Facilities Maintenance and logistics:

– Coordinate and schedule routine maintenance tasks for our facilities.

– Ensure that all maintenance requests are promptly addressed and resolved.

– Collaborate with maintenance teams and contractors to ensure efficient service delivery.

– Maintain accurate records of maintenance activities, budgets, and expenses.

– Conduct regular inspections to identify and address maintenance needs.

-In charge of shipping and receiving artifact loans from other institutions, ensuring they are received and shipped once the exhibition starts and when it ends.

 

2. Online eBay Selling Store:

– Manage our online eBay selling store, including listing, pricing, and inventory management.

– Monitor and update product listings to ensure accurate and up-to-date information.

– Respond to customer inquiries and provide exceptional customer service.

– Process orders, package items, and arrange for timely shipping.

– Track and report on sales and inventory performance.

 

3. Administrative Support:

– Assist the Head of Facilities with administrative tasks, including document preparation, data entry, and report generation.

– Coordinate meetings and appointments with vendors as needed.

– Maintain organized filing systems for facility-related documents.

– Handle correspondence and communication on behalf of the facilities department.

– Help maintain office supplies and equipment inventory.

 

4. Event Support:

– Support events the organization hosts, including setup, breakdown, and logistical coordination.

– Assist in coordinating event schedules, vendors, and logistics.

– Be available to assist with event-related tasks as needed, ensuring a seamless experience for attendees.

– Collaborate with event planners and teams to ensure successful event execution.

– Some weekends are required.

 

Qualifications

– High school diploma or equivalent; additional education or certifications in facilities management or a related field is a plus.

– Proven experience in facilities maintenance and coordination.

– Strong organizational and time management skills.

– Excellent communication and customer service skills.

– Proficiency in using online selling platforms, such as eBay.

– Competency in administrative tasks, including proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite.

– Ability to work independently and collaboratively in a fast-paced environment.

– Flexibility to assist with events outside regular working hours, as needed.

– Bilingual Spanish is a big plus.

 

Benefits

– Competitive salary

– Health, dental, and vision insurance

– Retirement savings plan

– Professional development opportunities

– Friendly and collaborative work environment

 

Physical Demands

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform essential functions.

While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to use hands to finger, handle, feel, and talk or hear.  The employee is regularly required to stand, walk, sit, climb or balance, and stoop, kneel, or crouch.  The employee is regularly required to climb stairs and/or ladders. Work requires frequent visits to project sites, walking, standing, bending, carrying items 25-50 pounds, and climbing to lift up to 60 pounds and carry a distance of 10-20 feet and to push and/or pull up to 60 pounds a distance of 10-20 feet.

If you are a detail-oriented individual passionate about maintaining facilities, managing online selling platforms, and providing administrative support, we encourage you to apply for this exciting opportunity. Join our team at Wende Museum and help us maintain excellence in facilities management while contributing to the success of our online store and events. Apply today by emailing opportunities@wendemuseum.org to become a part of our dedicated and dynamic team!

Collections Internship

About the Wende

“Wende” is a German word that means “transformation.” It is commonly used to describe the era of uncertainty and possibility leading up to and following the fall of the Berlin Wall. Headquartered in a renovated National Guard Armory in Culver City, the Wende Museum is a cultural laboratory that pairs unparalleled collections from the Cold War era with contemporary artists, filmmakers, musicians, scholars, and others. The Wende’s collection encompasses more than 100,000 holdings, ranging from consumer products to fine art, political symbols, audiovisual materials, spy equipment, posters, ephemera, commemoratives, books, archives, and personal histories.

The Wende Museum offers Collections Internships for currently enrolled undergraduate or graduate students, as well as recent graduates who are interested in gaining experience in collection management, collection development, and artifact research. Positions are part-time, paid at $17/hour for 120 hours, and available for course credit. Internships are offered year-round, typically beginning in January, June, and September.

The Collections Internship will focus on cataloging the Museum’s incoming acquisitions and existing backlog. Interns will gain experience in key areas of object handling, processing objects, and using a museum database (Mimsy XG). Interns will have the opportunity to directly work with artifacts from the Cold War and be exposed to a variety of museum activities. Potential interns must meet the following criteria for consideration:

• Be available to work part-time between Monday and Friday. Internships are primarily done on-site, although hybrid arrangements are also possible;
• Have completed at least one semester of college by the time of application;
• Possess an interest in museum studies, collections management, history, and/or material and visual culture of the Cold War;
• Be comfortable working with databases and computers;
• Be detail-oriented, self-motivated, and independent, with excellent communication skills;
• A reading knowledge of German, Russian, or an Eastern European Language is helpful but not required.

We are currently accepting applications for our Summer internship through Friday, May 10. To apply, please send a cover letter outlining your interest and a current resume to internships@wendemuseum.org.

Please indicate that you are applying for the Collections Internship, both in the email subject and cover letter.

Call for Applications: FRAMEWORKS Music Series

The Wende Museum is seeking applications from performing artists and groups for a new interdisciplinary music series, FRAMEWORKS, designed to take audiences on an adventurous cultural and artistic journey. FRAMEWORKS will merge creative disciplines, past and present, and take inspiration from the collection and exhibitions of the Museum. Aimed at connecting a diverse audience of all ages across disparate local and global communities, the six-performance series will take place between November 2024 and June 2025, with each event featuring a different artist or group.

Performing artists will take their cues from a tour of the Wende, followed by conversations (in person or virtual) with the Museum’s Chief Curator and Special Projects Assistant, as well with as a Production Team including musicians Ashla Chavez-Razzano, Max Gordy, and Nina Tartibi. This collaboration between artist and Museum will begin to shape each concert three months in advance, and will culminate in a performance, as well as a brief written reflection by the performing artist, which can be shared both on the occasion of the performance and on the Museum’s website.

While music will be at the center of each performance, combinations with poetry, film, video, visual art, dance, fashion, stand-up comedy, magic, and other art forms are encouraged for an enriched experience. Performances will take place in the A-Frame Theater of the Glorya Kaufman Cultural Center (GKCC), on the campus of the Wende Museum in Culver City, California. The Theater is a flexible space that can support a wide range of experiences. Use of the beautifully landscaped Wende garden is an option as well.

The Museum offers a performers’ fee of $2,000 per concert.

To apply, please submit a brief concept proposal (no more than two pages) and CV to Chief Curator and Director of Programming Joes Segal at jsegal@wendemuseum.org and Special Projects Assistant Gina Segall at gsegall@wendemuseum.org. Questions are also welcome– please direct any inquiries to the same contacts.

Applications are due June 30, 2024.