Post job

How to hire a gallery assistant

Gallery assistant hiring summary. Here are some key points about hiring gallery assistants in the United States:

  • There are a total of 3,659 gallery assistants in the US, and there are currently 26,034 job openings in this field.
  • The median cost to hire a gallery assistant is $1,633.
  • Small businesses spend $1,105 per gallery assistant on training each year, while large companies spend $658.
  • It takes between 36 and 42 days to fill the average role in the US.
  • It takes approximately 12 weeks for a new employee to reach full productivity levels.
  • HR departments typically allocate 15% of their budget towards recruitment efforts.
  • Saint Paul, MN, has the highest demand for gallery assistants, with 5 job openings.

How to hire a gallery assistant, step by step

To hire a gallery assistant, you need to identify the specific skills and experience you want in a candidate, allocate a budget for the position, and advertise the job opening to attract potential candidates. To hire a gallery assistant, you should follow these steps:

Here's a step-by-step gallery assistant hiring guide:

  • Step 1: Identify your hiring needs
  • Step 2: Create an ideal candidate profile
  • Step 3: Make a budget
  • Step 4: Write a gallery assistant job description
  • Step 5: Post your job
  • Step 6: Interview candidates
  • Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new gallery assistant
  • Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

What does a gallery assistant do?

In an art gallery, a gallery assistant is in charge of providing client assistance and administrative support. They typically greet and converse with visitors, discuss materials, answer inquiries, and assist in other services, all while exhibiting a professional and warm attitude. They may also coordinate programs and events, prepare and process documentation, liaise with external parties such as suppliers and distributors, and work together with designers and artists. Furthermore, a gallery assistant must manage the gallery while implementing its policies and regulations, including its vision and mission.

Learn more about the specifics of what a gallery assistant does
jobs
Post a gallery assistant job for free, promote it for a fee
  1. Identify your hiring needs

    First, determine the employments status of the gallery assistant you need to hire. Certain gallery assistant roles might require a full-time employee, whereas others can be done by part-time workers or contractors.

    Determine employee vs contractor status
    Is the person you're thinking of hiring a US citizen or green card holder?

    Hiring the perfect gallery assistant also involves considering the ideal background you'd like them to have. Depending on what industry or field they have experience in, they'll bring different skills to the job. It's also important to consider what levels of seniority and education the job requires and what kind of salary such a candidate would likely demand.

    Here's a comparison of gallery assistant salaries for various roles:

    Type of Gallery AssistantDescriptionHourly rate
    Gallery AssistantSecretaries and administrative assistants perform clerical and administrative duties. They organize files, prepare documents, schedule appointments, and support other staff.$12-23
  2. Create an ideal candidate profile

    Common skills:
    • Artwork
    • Press Releases
    • Front Desk
    • Photography
    • Adobe Photoshop
    • Gallery Space
    • Art Exhibitions
    • Facebook
    • Gallery Exhibitions
    • Art Shows
    • Biographies
    • Administrative Tasks
    • Event Planning
    • Promotional Materials
    Check all skills
    Responsibilities:
    • Manage reputation for search engine optimization, and reputation of website and business as a whole through SEO.
    • Document gallery exhibitions through photographs and Facebook updates.
    • Create content and layout for: brochures, flyers, signage, Powerpoint presentations.
    • Create and operate gallery Facebook page.
    • Document each exhibition and reception with photography.
    • Facilitate multi-year project digitizing and cataloguing decoration in manuscripts (approx.
    More gallery assistant duties
  3. Make a budget

    Including a salary range in your gallery assistant job description helps attract top candidates to the position. A gallery assistant salary can be affected by several factors, such as geography, experience, seniority, certifications, and the prestige of the hiring company.

    For example, the average salary for a gallery assistant in Georgia may be lower than in Hawaii, and an entry-level gallery assistant usually earns less than a senior-level gallery assistant. Additionally, a gallery assistant with certifications may command a higher salary, and working for a well-known company or start-up may also impact an employee's pay.

    Average gallery assistant salary

    $35,065yearly

    $16.86 hourly rate

    Entry-level gallery assistant salary
    $25,000 yearly salary
    Updated December 17, 2025

    Average gallery assistant salary by state

    RankStateAvg. salaryHourly rate
    1Washington$53,687$26
    2Minnesota$46,644$22
    3California$45,120$22
    4New York$43,975$21
    5New Hampshire$41,548$20
    6Illinois$39,975$19
    7Arizona$38,890$19
    8Colorado$38,233$18
    9Missouri$37,783$18
    10Nevada$37,281$18
    11Texas$36,225$17
    12Pennsylvania$31,788$15

    Average gallery assistant salary by company

    RankCompanyAverage salaryHourly rateJob openings
    1Saint Xavier University$50,848$24.451
    2Saint Anselm College$48,282$23.21
    3Walker Art Center$43,607$20.96
    4Bauman Rare Books$36,859$17.72
    5Univ. Of Texas Cancer Ctr.$36,808$17.7016
    6RH$36,750$17.677
    7PSEA$35,705$17.179
    8Missouri State University$33,368$16.046
    9Metropolitan State University of Denver$27,406$13.182
  4. Writing a gallery assistant job description

    A gallery assistant job description should include a summary of the role, required skills, and a list of responsibilities. It's also good to include a salary range and the first name of the hiring manager. To help get you started, here's an example of a gallery assistant job description:

    Gallery assistant job description example

    We are looking for friendly and outgoing people to join our team for the duration of the exhibition Edward Hopper’s New York . Be a part of our dedicated Visitor and Gallery Assistants (VGAs) team at the premier Museum of 20th and 21st Century American Art. As the customer service representatives of the Visitor and Member Experience team, VGAs engage visitors on their journey throughout the Museum. This is a temporary assignment from September 25, 2022 through March 5, 2023.

    Edward Hopper’s New York will take a comprehensive look at Hopper’s life and work through his city pictures, from his early impressions of New York in sketches, prints, and illustrations, to his late paintings, in which the city served as a backdrop for his evocative distillations of urban experience. This exhibition will be the first of its kind to focus on Hopper’s rich and sustained relationship with New York: how the city served as the subject, setting, and inspiration for so many of the artist’s most celebrated and persistently vexing pictures. Art lovers are encouraged to apply.

    VGAs promote the Whitney’s broad program and ensure that visitors understand and abide by the Museum’s visitor policies in a warm, welcoming, and professional manner. You will play an integral role in keeping our Museum community safe by ensuring visitors understand visitor policies, and follow current health and safety protocols. VGAs partner with Membership to increase museum revenue by implementing onsite fundraising strategies. Team members are expected to provide excellent customer service and deliver a memorable experience for our visitors and members

    Your Safety:

    At the Whitney, the safety and security of our staff and visitors are our top priority. Our operational plans are in line with CDC and often exceed public health guidance for reducing the transmission of COVID-19 and are reviewed on an ongoing basis with an outside medical expert. Public-facing staff are issued PPE daily.

    General Responsibilities:

    • Provide excellent customer service to members and visitors by adhering to the guidelines provided in the Visitor Experience Principles
    • Act as an Ambassador for the Museum. Promote offerings like the Shop, membership program, and the overall exhibition program.
    • Maintain the health and safety of the entire Museum community by ensuring visitors understand and abide by current health and safety protocols.
    • Execute daily logistical operations
    • Support in the protection of the art by engaging with visitors about prohibited items
    • Provide support during after–hours events and programs

    SUPPORTING DAILY OPERATIONS:

    • Entry validation (ticket scanning) and line management (indoor and outdoor)
    • Staff coat check as a part of daily operations
    • Perform daily duties such as stanchion setup, stocking, tour signs, and other duties as required
    • Facilitate and process admissions and membership transactions for all visitors
    • Observe all cash management policies and procedures
    • Utilize onsite software systems including accesso–Siriusware (Point-of-Sales ticketing system), Outlook (email), Slack (internal communication platform), and Zendesk (cloud-based customer support software)

    IN THE GALLERIES:

    • Initiate conversations with visitors, anticipate visitor needs and respond to visitor questions
    • Maintain the integrity of the Whitney’s galleries by ensuring that visitors understand appropriate onsite conduct and the Museum’s visitor policies. Deliver that message in a way that ensures visitors feel welcome
    • Keep an open line of communication with colleagues in Security, Facilities, Engineers, AV, and Retail
    • Uphold high standards of customer service and professionalism at all times. Go the extra mile to ensure visitors have an exemplary experience

    Requirements:

    • Open and friendly attitude
    • A minimum of 1-2 years of customer service experience in a public-facing environment
    • Must be able to work weekend, holidays, early and evening hours
    • Previous POS and cash handling experience preferred
    • Working knowledge of a Microsoft Office Suite or comparable software
    • Excellent communication and empathetic listening skills
    • Works well under pressure in fast-paced environment
    • Bi-lingual a plus
    • Ability to stand or be in a stationary position at several posts for long periods of time, including outdoors in all weather conditions
    • Ability to move objects of up to 25 pounds

    Compensation

    This temporary, part-time position (up to 27 paid hours per week) starts at $17 per hour. The Whitney offers free admission to most museums nationally and discounts at local restaurants and shops.

    Not sure you meet 100% of our qualifications? Research shows that men apply for jobs when they meet an average of 60% of the criteria. Yet, women and other people who are systematically marginalized tend only to apply if they meet every requirement. If you believe that you could excel in this role, we encourage you to apply. We are dedicated to considering a broad array of candidates, including those with diverse work experiences and backgrounds. Whether you’re new to arts and culture administration, returning to work after a gap in employment, simply looking to transition, or taking the next step in your career path, we will be glad to have you on our radar. Please use your cover letter to tell us about your interest in the arts and culture space and what you hope to bring to this role.

    About the Whitney

    The Whitney Museum of American Art, founded in 1930 by the artist and philanthropist Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney, houses the foremost collection of American art from the twentieth and twenty-first centuries. From her vision arose the Whitney Museum of American Art, which has been championing the most innovative art of the United States for 86 years. The core of the Whitney’s mission is to collect, preserve, interpret, and exhibit American art of our time and serve a wide variety of audiences in celebration of the complexity and diversity of art and culture in the United States. Through this mission and a steadfast commitment to artists themselves, the Whitney has long been a powerful force in support of modern and contemporary art and continues to help define what is innovative and influential in American art today.

    EEO Statement

    The Whitney Museum of American Art is an Equal Opportunity Employer. The Museum does not discriminate because of age, sex, religion, race, color, creed, national origin, alienage or citizenship, disability, marital status, partnership status, veteran status, gender (including gender identity), sexual orientation, or any other factor prohibited by law. The Museum hires and promotes individuals solely on the basis of their qualifications for the job to be filled. The Museum encourages all qualified candidates to apply for vacant positions at all levels. This description shall not be construed as a contract of any sort for a specific period of employment.

    COVID guidelines

    The health and safety of our Museum community is the highest priority. As such, the Whitney Museum requires all newly hired staff members to be fully vaccinated and boosted with an FDA authorized and/or approved COVID-19 vaccine as a condition of employment. Requests for reasonable accommodations for medical, religious, or other reasons will be considered in accordance with applicable law.

    Powered by JazzHR

    fq BVI3nZRc

  5. Post your job

    To find the right gallery assistant for your business, consider trying out a few different recruiting strategies:

    • Consider internal talent. One of the most important sources of talent for any company is its existing workforce.
    • Ask for referrals. Reach out to friends, family members, and current employees and ask if they know or have worked with gallery assistants they would recommend.
    • Recruit at local colleges. Attend job fairs at local colleges to recruit gallery assistants who meet your education requirements.
    • Social media platforms. LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter now have more than 3.5 billion users, and you can use social media to reach potential job candidates.
    Post your job online:
    • Post your gallery assistant job on Zippia to find and recruit gallery assistant candidates who meet your exact specifications.
    • Use field-specific websites.
    • Post a job on free websites.
  6. Interview candidates

    To successfully recruit gallery assistants, your first interview needs to engage with candidates to learn about their interest in the role and experience in the field. You can go into more detail about the company, the role, and the responsibilities during follow-up interviews.

    It's also good to ask about candidates' unique skills and talents to see if they match your ideal candidate profile. If you think a candidate is good enough for the next step, you can move on to the technical interview.

    The right interview questions can help you assess a candidate's hard skills, behavioral intelligence, and soft skills.

  7. Send a job offer and onboard your new gallery assistant

    Once you've decided on a perfect gallery assistant candidate, it's time to write an offer letter. In addition to salary, it should include benefits and perks available to the employee. Qualified candidates may be considered for other positions, so make sure your offer is competitive. Candidates may wish to negotiate. Once you've settled on the details, formalize your agreement with a contract.

    It's equally important to follow up with applicants who don't get the job with an email letting them know that the position has been filled.

    Once that's done, you can draft an onboarding schedule for the new gallery assistant. Human Resources should complete Employee Action Forms and ensure that onboarding paperwork is completed, including I-9s, benefits enrollment, federal and state tax forms, etc. They should also ensure that new employee files are created for internal recordkeeping.

  8. Go through the hiring process checklist

    • Determine employee type (full-time, part-time, contractor, etc.)
    • Submit a job requisition form to the HR department
    • Define job responsibilities and requirements
    • Establish budget and timeline
    • Determine hiring decision makers for the role
    • Write job description
    • Post job on job boards, company website, etc.
    • Promote the job internally
    • Process applications through applicant tracking system
    • Review resumes and cover letters
    • Shortlist candidates for screening
    • Hold phone/virtual interview screening with first round of candidates
    • Conduct in-person interviews with top candidates from first round
    • Score candidates based on weighted criteria (e.g., experience, education, background, cultural fit, skill set, etc.)
    • Conduct background checks on top candidates
    • Check references of top candidates
    • Consult with HR and hiring decision makers on job offer specifics
    • Extend offer to top candidate(s)
    • Receive formal job offer acceptance and signed employment contract
    • Inform other candidates that the position has been filled
    • Set and communicate onboarding schedule to new hire(s)
    • Complete new hire paperwork (i9, benefits enrollment, tax forms, etc.)
    Sign up to download full list

How much does it cost to hire a gallery assistant?

Recruiting gallery assistants involves both the one-time costs of hiring and the ongoing costs of adding a new employee to your team. Your spending during the hiring process will mostly be on things like promoting the job on job boards, reviewing and interviewing candidates, and onboarding the new hire. Ongoing costs will obviously involve the employee's salary, but also may include things like benefits.

The median annual salary for gallery assistants is $35,065 in the US. However, the cost of gallery assistant hiring can vary a lot depending on location. Additionally, hiring a gallery assistant for contract work or on a per-project basis typically costs between $12 and $23 an hour.

Find better gallery assistants in less time
Post a job on Zippia and hire the best from over 7 million monthly job seekers.

Hiring gallery assistants FAQs

Search for gallery assistant jobs

Ready to start hiring?

Browse office and administrative jobs