Curator of Art

Kenmore Heritage Association; Goldendale (WA); On-site; USD 70,000 - 90,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Employer-subsidized medical insurance

403(b) retirement plan

Job summary

Maryhill Museum of Art seeks a Curator of Art to shape the vision of the collection, create compelling annual exhibitions, and oversee care of the collection in alignment with the museum’s priorities, vision, and values.

A successful candidate joins a small team, reports to the Executive Director, and works closely with the Curator of Education to develop public programs and staff guidance for visitor spaces and experiences. On-site in Goldendale, WA.

Qualifications

• 5+ years working in cultural or museum settings.
• Familiarity with grant writing & evaluation tools.
• Knowledge of collection management laws/regulations (NAGPRA, CITES, Migratory Bird Treaty Act, etc.).

Responsibilities

• Develop and implement exhibitions that support the museum’s mission and values.
• Oversee exhibition program and collections strategy.
• Coordinate loans and supervise exhibition staff, interns, and contractors.

Skills

Verbal and written communication

Interpersonal skills

Critical thinking

Intercultural competency

Education

Graduate Degree in Art History

Tools

PastPerfect

Job description

POSITION OVERVIEW: CURATOR OF ART

Maryhill Museum of Art seeks a Curator of Art to shape the vision of the collection, create compelling annual exhibitions, and oversee the care of the collection in alignment with the museum’s priorities, vision, and values.

A successful candidate has experience working within a small team to foster trust, promote respect, and facilitate productive communication. Reporting to the Executive Director, the Curator of Art works with them closely to implement the museum’s mission and strategic goals. The Curator of Art supervises the Collections Manager, and they work together to realize successful exhibitions, research acquisitions and deaccession candidates, and facilitate collections use. The Curator of Art works collaboratively with the Curator of Education on educational and public programing pertaining to exhibitions and provides guidance to other staff relating to public spaces and visitor experience. They engage with peers across institutions, donors, lenders, gallerists, artists, scholars, museum trustees, and the public.

Key competencies include expertise pertaining to one or more areas of the collection, administrative and managerial leadership with mentorship aptitude, the ability to research and synthesize information, clear written and verbal communication, and experience with interdepartmental collaboration, guest/advisory curators, and donor relationship development.

Other desired competencies include executive leadership succession potential, experience with grant writing for exhibitions, existing collector or donor relationships the candidate can bring to the museum, and skills in art handling, art transportation, and exhibition installation.

COMPENSATION: $70,000-90,000 annually (depending on experience and qualifications) with benefits package including employer-subsidized medical insurance plan and 403(b) retirement plan.

HOURS & LOCATION: This full-time (40 hours/week) role is on-site in Goldendale, WA and will require travel, evening, and weekend work.

INSTITUTIONAL OVERVIEW

Maryhill Museum of Art’s mission is to ignite a journey of educational enrichment in the Columbia River Gorge by preserving and interpreting art and historic collections. We achieve this by producing high-quality exhibitions and educational programs, sharing our collections with the public, maintaining an engaged member and donor support constituency, and operating our museum in accordance with the standards of the American Alliance of Museums (AAM).

The collection at Maryhill Museum of Art includes a broad range of materials that include paintings, prints, sculpture, Indigenous artwork, fashion, textiles, ecclesiastical art, and chess sets. The collection is comprised of approximately 10,000 objects, including 4,000 Indigenous artworks, 90~ works by Auguste Rodin, and Théâtre de la Mode (1946). Most of the collection dates to the late nineteenth into the mid-twentieth century. In addition, Maryhill Museum of Art houses 5,500+ historical images and an archive related to the museum’s institutional history and founders: Sam Hill, Loïe Fuller, Queen Marie of Romania, and Alma de Bretteville Spreckels.

Maryhill Museum of Art occupies a historic Beaux-Arts mansion that is situated on 5,300 acres with panoramic views of the Columbia River. Within the historic building and 2012 addition, the museum has 35,000 square feet of space with galleries on all four floors. The museum was chartered in 1923, dedicated by Queen Marie of Romania in 1926, and opened to the public in 1940.

RESPONSIBILITIES

Exhibitions

• Develop and implement temporary and permanent exhibitions that support the museum’s mission and values.
• Oversee short and long-term strategy for the museum’s exhibition program and collections.
• Write and prepare exhibition labels and didactic panels.
• Work with the Curator of Education to develop programming around exhibitions and collections.
• Serve as institutional curator for exhibitions organized by/with external sources, administering all aspects of exhibition oversight to ensure alignment with the museum’s collections and values.
• Develop and manage the curatorial department’s annual budget.
• Serve as a positive museum representative through participation in public programs, development, and networking activities.
• Develop and nurture relationships with members of the broader arts community including artists, curators, educators, collectors, and cultural institutions.
• Work with Collections Manager to coordinate incoming and outgoing loans.
• Supervise exhibition-related staff, interns, and volunteers, including hiring and supervising contract curators or other allied professionals (photographers, designers, etc.)
• Work with staff/contracted marketing & PR professionals to provide content for promotional materials.
• Work cooperatively with staff and committees to evaluate the effectiveness of exhibitions and programs.
• Organize and implement the annual Pacific Northwest Plein Air in the Columbia River Gorge paint-out and exhibition, working closely with the local artists' steering committee to represent the museum.

Collections

• Primary and secondary research of artworks to maintain and enrich collections records, including provenance research.
• Management oversight of the Collections Manager.
• Develop and refine the collecting plan with input from the museum’s leadership and Board of Trustees
• Collaborate with the Executive Director to identify and steward potential donors, collectors, and sponsors for the collection and exhibitions.
• Read and research to remain aware and active in the scholarly fields related to the museum’s collection.
• Research and write for publications on the museum’s collection.
• Respond to inquiries regarding works of art in the museum’s collection.Monitor access to all art and historical objects including archives.
• Collaborate with the Collections Manager for safe display, handling, and transport of objects.
• Staff liaison to Collections and Exhibition Committee: organize Collections Committee meetings, communicate exhibitions and loans, research and develop acquisitions and deaccessions for formal approval.

Other duties as assigned

• Counsel, guide, and act as a mentor for staff and volunteers in museum best practices.
• Represent the museum at various public programs or onsite/offsite networking events as requested by or with approval from the Executive Director.
• Attend board meetings as requested by the Executive Director.
• Research, write, and speak about collections and exhibitions to internal and external audiences, including working with the Executive Director and grant writer on grants and other philanthropic opportunities.

Relevant QUALIFICATIONS

• Graduate Degree in Art History, or related field.
• Adherence to industry standards and best practices pertaining to exhibitions, collections care, and conservation.
• Significant experience conceptualizing and realizing exhibitions that are simultaneously scholarly and accessible.
• 5+ years working in cultural or museum settings.
• Knowledge of laws and regulations as it pertains to materials in the collections such as NAGPRA, CITES, Migratory Bird Treaty Act, etc.
• Familiarity with safety protocols, procedures, and regulations, including knowledge of proper lifting techniques, how to use personal protective equipment (PPE), handling hazardous materials, and emergency response protocols.
• Exceptional organizational and project management skills.
• Strong verbal and written communication skills, interpersonal skills, critical thinking, and intercultural competency.
• Ability to inform and inspire museum colleagues, peers across institutions, donors, lenders, gallerists, artists, scholars, Trustees, and the public.
• Effective comprehension and application of confidentiality and diplomacy.
• Ability to work independently and collaboratively.
• Familiarity with grant writing & evaluation tools.
• Knowledge of collection management software, particularly PastPerfect.

Maryhill Museum of Art provides equal employment opportunities without regard to race, color, religion, national origin, sexual orientation, pregnancy, medical condition, marital status, veteran status, citizenship, sex, age, or other classifications identified and protected by applicable federal, state, and local law.