Under the supervision of the Senior Curator, the Curatorial Assistant provides research and administrative support to the Senior Curator, and other curators, as needed. Major curatorial duties include checklist research and development; compilation of publication materials in conjunction with exhibitions; and preparing, coordinating, and monitoring loan forms and contracts in accordance with Museum procedures. Major administrative duties include responding to artist submissions and exhibition proposals; corresponding with guest curators and colleagues in the field; organizing and maintaining collections/exhibition files and various departmental filing systems; schedule and travel planning for curators, artists, and museum consultants; preparing drafts and final correspondence, memoranda, reports, tables, and other documents; and assisting the Senior Curator with administrative duties related to Hammer Contemporary Collection management, and day-to-day museum operations.

In 2005 the Hammer launched an initiative to build a collection of contemporary art. This growing collection is led by works on paper–particularly drawings and photographs–but also includes painting, sculpture, and media arts. Particular attention is paid to works by artists from Southern California, but the collection represents artists working throughout the United States and internationally. When possible, artists are represented in depth, and works are often acquired in tandem with exhibitions at the Hammer, particularly from the Hammer Projects series.