Curator and Head of Collections Management

Cahoon Museum of American Art; Cotuit (MA); On-site; USD 75,000 - 110,000; Full time

Job summary

The Cahoon Museum of American Art in Cotuit, MA seeks an imaginative, knowledgeable, and highly organized Curator and Head of Collections Management to shape the museum's exhibition program and lead the care, interpretation, documentation, and accessibility of its permanent collection.

Reporting to the Executive Director, the Curator develops a multiyear program of original, traveling, guest-curated, and collection-based exhibitions exploring American art from the 18th century to the present.

Qualifications

• Master's degree in art history or equivalent with curatorial experience.
• At least four years museum experience with exhibition development and collections care.
• Knowledge of American art and ability to develop compelling exhibitions across historical periods.
• Experience managing exhibitions from concept through loans, budgeting, installation, interpretation.
• Working knowledge of museum registration, collections documentation, art handling, preventive conservation, and professional standards.
• Excellent research, writing, editing, public speaking, project management, and organizational skills.
• Ability to translate scholarly information into accessible interpretation.
• Ability to work collaboratively with colleagues, artists, lenders, vendors, volunteers, donors, and community partners.
• Commitment to welcoming museum experiences for varied audiences.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office and related workplace technology.

Responsibilities

• Develop multiyear schedule of original, traveling, guest-curated, and collection-based exhibitions.
• Research artists, objects, exhibitions, and develop concepts, checklists, interpretive plans, schedules, and installation plans.
• Identify and secure loans and manage relationships with lenders and organizers.
• Develop engaging interpretive materials, including labels, gallery texts, publications, digital content, and related communications.
• Collaborate with museum colleagues on exhibition-related programs, audience engagement, education, communications, and marketing.
• Build productive relationships with artists, scholars, collectors, lenders, museums, galleries, and other partners.
• Oversee care, documentation, storage, movement, and accessibility of the permanent collection.
• Maintain accurate collection and exhibition records, including object files, provenance, loan agreements, and digital images.
• Coordinate exhibition preparation, installation, deinstallation, packing, transportation, fabrication, and specialized vendors.
• Oversee collection storage and gallery environments and establish priorities for conservation, framing, digitization, and related projects.
• Support evaluation and documentation of proposed acquisitions and deaccessions in accordance with museum policies and professional standards.
• Present talks, tours, lectures, gallery conversations, and other programs for visitors, members, donors, volunteers, students, educators, and community groups.
• Serve as a knowledgeable and engaging spokesperson for the museum's exhibitions and collection.
• Develop interpretive approaches that make art accessible and meaningful to audiences with varied backgrounds.
• Contribute curatorial expertise to publications, grants, donor communications, press materials, newsletters, social media, and the museum's website.
• Support the training of staff, interns, volunteers, and guides on exhibition content and interpretation.
• Develop and manage budgets for exhibitions, collections, conservation, installation, shipping, and projects.
• Work with leaders to align exhibitions and collections initiatives with institutional priorities and resources.
• Contribute to grant applications, sponsorship proposals, donor reports, and fundraising initiatives.
• Participate in cultivation and stewardship of sponsors, donors, lenders, collectors, and other supporters.
• Represent Cahoon at professional gatherings, community events, and meetings with partner organizations.

Skills

Research

Writing

Editing

Public speaking

Project management

Organizational skills

Collaboration

Interpretation

Education

Master's degree in art history

Tools

Microsoft Office

PastPerfect

Job description

The Cahoon Museum of American Art in Cotuit, MA on Cape Cod seeks an imaginative, knowledgeable, and highly organized Curator and Head of Collections Management to shape the museum's exhibition program and lead the care, interpretation, documentation, and accessibility of its permanent collection.

Reporting to the Executive Director, the Curator develops a multiyear program of original, traveling, guest-curated, and collection-based exhibitions exploring American art from the 18th century to the present. Working closely with artists, lenders, scholars, donors, community partners, and museum colleagues, the Curator creates exhibitions that are visually compelling, intellectually engaging, and relevant to local and regional audiences.

This is a hands-on position combining curatorial leadership with collections management, registration, exhibition production, research, interpretation, and public engagement. The successful candidate will be equally comfortable developing an exhibition concept, researching an object, coordinating a loan or installation, writing accessible interpretation, and engaging visitors and supporters.

Key Responsibilities

Curatorial and Exhibition Development

• Develop and implement a multiyear schedule of original, traveling, guest-curated, and collection-based exhibitions, permanent collection rotations, commissions, and site-specific installations.
• Research artists, objects, exhibitions, and areas of the museum's collection and develop exhibition concepts, checklists, interpretive plans, schedules, and installation plans.
• Identify and secure loans from museums, galleries, artists, collectors, and other lenders and manage relationships with guest curators and organizing institutions.
• Develop engaging and accessible interpretive materials, including labels, gallery texts, publications, digital content, and related communications.
• Collaborate with museum colleagues on exhibition-related programs, audience engagement, education, communications, and marketing.
• Build productive relationships with artists, scholars, collectors, lenders, museums, galleries, and other partners.

Collections, Registration, and Exhibition Management

• Oversee the care, documentation, storage, movement, and accessibility of the permanent collection according to accepted professional standards.
• Maintain accurate collection and exhibition records, including object files, provenance, loan agreements, condition reports, insurance documentation, rights and reproduction information, and digital images.
• Manage the collections management database and support online access to collection information.
• Coordinate exhibition preparation, installation, deinstallation, packing, transportation, fabrication, and specialized vendors.
• Oversee collection storage and gallery environments and establish priorities for conservation, framing, preventive care, digitization, and related projects.
• Support the evaluation and documentation of proposed acquisitions and deaccessions in accordance with museum policies and professional standards.

Interpretation and Public Engagement

• Present talks, tours, lectures, gallery conversations, and other programs for visitors, members, donors, volunteers, students, educators, and community groups.
• Serve as a knowledgeable and engaging spokesperson for the museum's exhibitions and collection.
• Develop interpretive approaches that make art accessible and meaningful to audiences with varied backgrounds, experiences, and levels of familiarity with art.
• Contribute curatorial expertise to publications, grants, donor communications, press materials, newsletters, social media, and the museum's website.
• Support the training of staff, interns, volunteers, and guides on exhibition content and interpretation.

Planning and Institutional Advancement

• Develop and manage exhibition, collections, conservation, installation, shipping, and project budgets.
• Work with the Executive Director and museum colleagues to align exhibitions and collections initiatives with institutional priorities, audience goals, and available resources.
• Contribute curatorial and collections expertise to grant applications, sponsorship proposals, donor reports, and fundraising initiatives.
• Participate in the cultivation and stewardship of exhibition sponsors, art donors, lenders, collectors, and other museum supporters.
• Represent the Cahoon at professional gatherings, community events, and meetings with partner organizations and remain current with scholarship, ethical standards, and emerging museum practices.

Required Qualifications

• Master's degree in art history or a closely related field, or an equivalent combination of advanced study and relevant curatorial experience.
• At least four years of progressively responsible museum experience involving exhibition development and collections care.
• Demonstrated knowledge of American art and the ability to develop compelling exhibitions across historical periods, media, or areas of specialization.
• Experience managing exhibitions from concept and research through budgeting, loans, installation, interpretation, and completion.
• Working knowledge of museum registration, collections documentation, art handling, preventive conservation, and professional standards for collections care.
• Excellent research, writing, editing, public speaking, project management, and organizational skills.
• Ability to translate scholarly or specialized information into interpretation that is clear, accurate, engaging, and accessible.
• Demonstrated ability to work collaboratively with colleagues, artists, lenders, vendors, volunteers, donors, and community partners.
• Commitment to creating welcoming museum experiences for audiences with varied backgrounds and relationships to art.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office and related workplace technology.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience with PastPerfect or another collections management system.
• Experience with paintings, works on paper, decorative arts, folk art, sculpture, contemporary art, or other areas represented in the Cahoon's collection.
• Knowledge of American art associated with Cape Cod, New England, or regional art communities.
• Experience with traveling exhibitions, major loans, commissions, rights and reproductions, digitization, or online collections access.
• Experience supporting grant writing, fundraising, or donor engagement.
• Experience working in a small or mid-sized museum where staff collaborate across functional areas.