Archive Fellow 

(May 28, 2026)

Position Title - Archive Fellow

Supervisor Title (All entry and mid-level position supervisors should be qualified, professional archivists.)- Community Archivist

Position Type - Part-time, term

Benefits - No

Hourly wage range - $20 - $25

In 2024, Visual AIDS received a donation of over 500 audio and video tapes from David Hirsh, an arts writer and one of the founders of the Visual AIDS archive. The collection contains interviews with over 300 gay and lesbian artists, gallerists, and curators in the late 1980s and early 1990s.

With funding support from the Council on Library and Information Resources, we are beginning a three-year project to digitize and describe the tapes, make them available online, and activate the collection with public programming. We are happily seeking applications for a one-year Archive Fellow position to support us with this ongoing work.

The Archive Fellow will support the Community Archivist in publishing a finding aid to the David Hirsh Tapes Collection. The Fellow will be responsible for confirming permissions with all interview subjects, gathering contextual and biographical information for each interview, reviewing and editing transcripts, and writing descriptive notes for the finding aid. This role involves research and writing as well as direct contact with interviewees and estates.

We are now accepting applications for the Archive Fellow position — please see below for more information. Deadline: June 21st.

Duties include:

Liaise with interview subjects

Conduct research to find contact information for interview subjects or estates

Contact artists represented in the collection to determine the level of access and permission they would like to provide to their interview, while upholding our values as a community-based archive

Gather biographical information from interview subjects to better contextualize materials in the collection and use this to write comprehensive biographies for subsequent finding aid

Quality control and edit transcripts and audiovisual access files

Review and correct computer-generated transcripts for accuracy

Draw on knowledge of downtown and queer art history to correct spellings of proper names

Edit audiovisual access files as requested by interview subjects

Assist with the description of the collection and creation of a finding aid

Synthesize biographical information to create notes for finding aid

Write descriptions of tape contents for finding aid

Assist in inputting information into finding aid on ArchivesSpace

The Archive Fellow should:

Be a people person who is comfortable communicating directly and empathetically with our broad and diverse constituency across age, race, sexuality, gender, and ability.

Have 1-2 years of professional experience that demonstrate high attention to detail and ability to self-manage multiple tasks on a timeline

Have a strong interest in learning about the intersections of AIDS activism, related cultural production, and contemporary and historic artistic communities. Previous work in the field of HIV and AIDS is not required. Interest and familiarity with queer art histories of the 1980s and 90s is a plus.

Be able to work in-person at the Visual AIDS office in Chelsea for the majority of their hours.

Hold or be pursuing a degree in Library and Information Science, Art History, or related fields, or the equivalent experience and expertise.

Experience with Adobe Creative Cloud (specifically audio and video editing) is preferred.

Experience with processing archival collections, archival management, and using ArchivesSpace a plus, but not required

Commitment and Compensation: This is a part-time (3 days a week, 24 hours per week) temporary position, primarily working in-person at the Visual AIDS office in Chelsea, New York. Compensation is $25/hr.

To apply: Send a cover letter, résumé, writing sample (1 page maximum), and references as a single PDF file to jobs@visualaids.org by June 21st, 2026.

About the Visual AIDS Archive

The Visual AIDS Archive collects artwork documentation, personal papers, and records pertaining to the lives and work of artists living with HIV and AIDS, as well as those who have passed. The Archive was started in 1994 by Frank Moore and David Hirsh as a response to the loss of both life and artwork in the wake of the AIDS crisis.

Visual AIDS is proud to be an Equal Opportunity Employer. We are committed to providing equal employment opportunities to you without regard to race, creed, color, religion, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, pregnancy, marital status, age, veteran status, disability, HIV status, or genetic information.

https://visualaids.org/blog/hiring-clir-archive-fellow