Museum Guides

Part-time “on-call” varying scheudle to provide educational programs, tours and gallery talks for

students aged 10 through college level as well as private tours for adults.

Compensation varies depending on assignment.

Hours and workdays will fluctuate depending on program needs.

Interviews to begin in September

Background

Internationally recognized as a premier museum and research center, the Frick is known for its

distinguished Old Master paintings and outstanding examples of European sculpture and

decorative arts.

The collection originated with Henry Clay Frick (1849–1919), who bequeathed his home,

paintings, sculptures, and decorative arts to the public for their enjoyment. The institution’s

holdings—which encompass masterworks from the Renaissance through the nineteenth

century—have grown over the decades, more than doubling in size since the opening of the

museum in 1935. A critical component of the institution is the Frick Art Research Library,

founded in 1920 by Helen Clay Frick, daughter of the museum’s founder. Recognized as one of the

world’s top art history research centers, it has served students, scholars, and members of the

public free of charge for generations.

The Frick has undergone a comprehensive renovation and was open in a temporary home, Frick

Madison, from 2020 through early 2024, while renovations were underway at the mansion on

70th Street. In addition to special exhibition galleries and education spaces, we have added

enhanced visitor amenities and accessible spaces. The Museum and Art Research Library

reopened to the public in April.

Workplace culture

At the Frick Collection, we pride ourselves on promoting an open and welcoming workplace

culture that supports diversity and work-life balance. The Frick strives to provide our employees

with competitive salaries and exceptional benefits in a beautiful and pleasant work setting, while

offering an excellent opportunity to appreciate some of the world’s finest works of art.

Equal Employment Opportunity has been, and will continue to be, a fundamental principle at The

Frick Collection, where employment is based upon personal capabilities and qualifications without

discrimination because of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, marital status, alienage or

citizenship status, sexual orientation, disability, pregnancy, military status, creed, genetic

predisposition or carrier status or any other protected characteristic as established by law. This

policy applies to all terms and conditions of employment, including, but not limited to, hiring,

placement, promotion, termination, layoff, recall, transfer, leaves of absence, compensation, and

training.Position Summary

The Museum Guides are a team of part-time educators at The Frick Collection. Together with full-

time Education Department staff they lead private tours, deliver gallery talks and conversations,

and teach Guided School, College, and University Visits onsite and online. They work primarily

with adult audiences, and also with students ages 10 and above. Museum Guides must be skilled,

experienced educators who excel both in public speaking and in facilitating inclusive

conversations about works of art. They will be expected to develop a working knowledge of the

Frick’s history as well as a deep understanding of works of art across the permanent collection,

including European sculpture, European and Asian decorative arts, and the Old Master paintings

for which the Frick is best known.

Although Museum Guide meetings, communications, and the majority of programs are conducted

in English, the Frick seeks educators with the ability to discuss art historical content and relevant

artistic practices fluently in Spanish and American Sign Language (ASL). Fluency in additional

languages and/or native speakers of languages other than English are also encouraged to apply.

Requirements

The education and/or experience requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge,

skill, and ability required to successfully perform the essential duties of this position.

• Undergraduate and/or graduate coursework in art history. A master’s degree in art

history or a related field, or equivalent work experience teaching similar artworks to

adult audiences, is strongly recommended.

• Cultural competency, listening skills, and a willingness to initiate discussions of complex

topics with a range of audiences—including the contested legacies of the museum’s

founder and the Western art historical canon more broadly—are integral to this position.

• Prior experience in a museum or informal learning environment working with a range of

audiences. Past experience working with English language learners (ELLs) and people

with disabilities is preferred, although additional professional development will also be

provided.

• Fluency in Spanish or American Sign Language (ASL) preferred.

• Museum Guides must have the ability to attend in-person meetings with museum staff

and other Museum Guides. It is required that the Museum Guide be able to teach on Zoom

with a reliable high-speed internet connection, or on other similar online meeting

platforms when specially requested.

Physical Requirements

The candidate must be able to perform the essential functions of the position and, if requested,

reasonable accommodations will be made to enable employees with disabilities to perform the

essential functions of their job, absent undue hardship.

Physical requirements are comparable to most office roles: the ability to interact in-person with

colleagues and museum visitors and use common office tools and machines (computer, phone);

and the ability to traverse throughout the offices and building(s) both inside and outside of the

museum, and visit different levels of the building. Ability to carry/transport materials weighing

up to 20 pounds.

2Employment Status, Work Hours and Compensation

This is a part-time nonexempt “on call” role.

Since all Education staff are relied upon to support a vast array of Museum programs during

open and closed hours, work shifts may be scheduled before/after regular business hours and on

weekends.

Compensation varies depending upon assignments and programming demands:

• Leading Education programs, online and in-person, including Private Tours: $115/hour

• public gallery talks and gallery programs: $125/hour

• Guided School, College, and University Visits: $105/hour

• Training, research, and all administrative and teaching preparation, and supporting the

work of ASL interpreters and live CART captioners: $39.67/hour

Under no circumstances may a Museum Guide work more than 28 hours/week nor on a holiday

when the museum and our offices are closed.

Benefits in Employment with the Frick Collection

Sick time: part-time employees and interns accrue sick leave up to 56 hours/year in accordance

with the New York City Earned Sick Time Act.

Retirement: The Frick supports all employees and interns in planning for retirement by

offering participation in a Tax Deferred Savings Plan – 403(b).

Wellness Programs at the Frick include an Employee Assistance Plan, a discount on Citi Bike

memberships and a discount on bike helmets.

Meal and Museum Shop discount: When employees are working onsite, they may access a

discount on food pickup or delivery through Seamless/Grubhub. All employees are eligible to

receive a discount on Frick Museum Shop purchases.

Application Process

Qualified candidates of diverse backgrounds are encouraged to apply for vacant positions at all

levels.

Interviews to begin in September.

Apply here

Or send cover letter and resume to:

Education Department

The Frick Collection

1 East 70th Street

New York, NY 10021

3For all Inquiries reach out to: academic@frick.org

This description shall not be construed as a contract of any sort for a specific period of employment.