About Dia Art Foundation  

Dia Art Foundation was established in 1974 for the purpose of collecting, commissioning, and presenting major works of art made in the 1960s onward. Today it consists of nine permanent sites across the United States and Germany, as well as three changing exhibition spaces in New York State: Dia Chelsea in the city, Dia Beacon in the Hudson Valley, and Dia Bridgehampton on Long Island. Dia is taken from the Greek word for “through” and conveys the foundation’s role as a facilitator of meaningful artistic experiences that can be encountered in single and repeated visits.  

About Dia Chelsea  

Dia Chelsea is an art museum in the Chelsea neighborhood of New York. Opened in 1987 at 548 West 22nd Street as Dia Center for the Arts, Dia Chelsea has since moved across the street to a series of connected buildings now consolidated at 537 West 22nd Street. It is one of the locations and sites Dia Art Foundation manages. The museum hosts long-term, temporary exhibitions dedicated to one or two artists at a time as well as associated artistic and educational programing. 

Position summary 

Part-time Gallery Attendants staff the welcome desk, bookshop, and galleries at West 22nd Street in New York, and are responsible for providing a positive, professional, and safe environment for visitors. These positions require teamwork and familiarity with Dia’s history, mission, and sites.  

Part-time Gallery Attendants are expected to work two to four shifts per week (including Saturdays) for a total of 13 to 24 hours. Dia Chelsea is open from 12 to 6 pm, Wednesday through Saturday. Attendants are asked to work outside of the normal schedule for training sessions, public programs, and special events, when permissible.  

Essential duties and responsibilities 

• Provide superior customer service including welcoming visitors, responding to inquiries, and promoting memberships and public programs
• Cultivate a welcoming environment in the bookshop; assist with daily operations, including providing customer service, performing opening and closing procedures, and operating point-of-sale system
• Communicate effectively about the works on view and Dia’s history, mission, and sites
• Monitor visitor interactions and enforce rules and regulations as necessary to assist visitors and protect the artwork; help visitors with disabilities and/or special needs and with crowd management, when necessary
• Maintain appearance of lobby, bookshop, and reading area; check inventory of informational materials throughout the shift
• Assist the Bookshop Manager with merchandising, organization, inventory control, and external bookshop events
• Monitor the condition of the art and the building, informing Senior Gallery Attendants of possible problems, damages, and changes
• Monitor safety regulations and demonstrate ability to assist in case of an emergency
• Attend all mandatory trainings for health and safety procedures and exhibition information 
• Assist with special events and programming as well as cross-site support, as needed 

Education, certifications, and experience  

• College-level credits or degree in an arts field or equivalent experience preferred
• Certify as a New York City Fire Guard upon hire

Knowledge, skills, and abilities

• Superb customer-service skills and experience working with the public required
• Knowledge of Dia’s history, mission, and sites preferred
• Knowledge of modern and contemporary art required
• Must be able to work independently and collaboratively

Working conditions and physical demands 

• Will be required to stand and/or walk in the gallery space for long periods of time
• May have lengthy periods of solitude in the gallery spaces if there are no visitors in the space
• Must be able to lift/carry or move up to 30 lbs
• Must be able to have a physical presence in the galleries, which may consist of, but are not limited to, bright, neon, fluorescent, and flashing lights, dim spaces, varying levels of noise, scents, and cold or warm temperature fluctuations

Part-time employees are eligible for paid sick days, holiday pay, and participation in the 401(k) savings program with employer match. Employees have the opportunity to learn about the Dia’s collection through presentations by curators, artists, writers, and historians. Staff ID badges gain reduced or free admission to most American museums and arts organizations.  

This position is represented by the Technical, Office & Professional Union, Local 2110, UAW, AFL-CIO. 

Qualified candidates are invited to apply by completing the online Job Application, linked here, and attaching a resume and letter of interest. No phone calls or emails to addresses other than the one specified. Previous applicants need not apply as we keep resumes on file. 

Dia Art Foundation is an Equal Opportunity Employer and does not discriminate on the basis of age, color, national origin, ethnic origin, citizenship status, disability, race, religion, creed, gender, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity and/or expression, marital status, veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state, or local law in its employment policies. In addition, Dia will provide reasonable accommodations for qualified individuals with disabilities.