Museum at Eldridge Street Seeks Freelance Folklore Specialist

The Museum at Eldridge Street, a Museum located in a historic synagogue on the Lower East Side of Manhattan, is looking for a folklore specialist to assist with the planning of their 22nd annual street festival and signature event – Egg Rolls, Egg Creams, and Empanadas. The festival is a celebration of the diverse traditions that give the Lower East Side and Chinatown its identity, and the museum seeks to bring someone with a folklore (or similar) background on board from March 27th until the completion of the festival on Sunday, June 18th, 2023.

The Museum at Eldridge Street, a non-sectarian cultural organization in Lower Manhattan, was founded with a mission to restore and interpret its home, the historic 1887 Eldridge Street Synagogue, and serve people of all backgrounds with educational and cultural programs inspired by the landmark building and its gateway Lower East Side neighborhood.

The Museum seeks a reliable, knowledgeable, detail-oriented, enthusiastic individual to both advise on and create content for the Museum’s annual street festival: Egg Rolls, Egg Creams, and Empanadas. In its 22nd year, the festival is a celebration of the diverse traditions that give the Lower East Side and Chinatown its identity. The festival fills Eldridge Street with a medley of Ashkenazi Jewish, Chinese, and Puerto Rican tastes, sights, sounds, and crafts for folks of all ages to enjoy. 

The candidate will be writing about the folklore traditions of the Chinese American and Puerto Rican populations, especially as they relate to New York’s Lower East Side. Excellent communication, writing, and interpersonal skills are required. They should possess a background in Folklore, Anthropology, History, Social/Cultural Analysis, English with a related concentration, or similar. 

This is a contract role from March 27th until the completion of the festival on Sunday, June 18th, 2023. While this approximately 12 week period of performance will be hybrid, the individual MUST be present to work at the festival on June 18th. 

Essential Duties and Responsibilities 

• Researching and writing content for the festival for both printed and online distribution, including festival signage. 
• Researching potential performers and vendors for the festival organizers. 
• Keeping up with the goings-on of the neighborhood, and keeping festival organizers informed on anything they might wish to incorporate into the festival program. 
• Helping the festival organizers run the festival on June 18th, including providing cultural context for the stage performances. 
• Other related tasks as needed and as assigned by the festival organizers. 

Qualifications 

• Excellent oral & written communication/interpersonal skills, with the ability to effectively impart information 
• Front facing experience, comfort with public speaking 
• Museum at Eldridge Street, 12 Eldridge Street New York, NY 10002 212-219-0888 www.eldridgestreet.org
• Strong project management skills, with a proven ability to work on multiple projects simultaneously, & keen attention to detail & deadlines 
• Excellent organizational & prioritization skills 
• Strong writing, editing, & communications skills 
• Background in Folklore, Anthropology, History, Social/Cultural Analysis, English with a related concentration, or similar 
• Ability to speak/read Chinese or Spanish is a plus but not required 

The individual is expected to work 10 hours per week. This position pays a flat rate of $2,500.

To apply, please email a cover letter and resume and how you learned about the position, with “Folklore Specialist” in the subject line to: [email protected].