Curator of Modern & Contemporary Art

National Museum of Wildlife Art; Tulsa (OK); On-site; USD 55,000 - 85,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health insurance

PTO & holidays

Dental & Vision insurance

403(b) retirement plan

Long-term disability

Job summary

Philbrook Museum of Art in Tulsa seeks a full-time Curator of Modern & Contemporary Art to lead acquisition, interpretation, and exhibitions for the growing collection.

The role requires a Master’s in art history (PhD preferred), at least two years of curatorial experience, and strong writing, collaboration, and project management skills. You will oversee original exhibitions and supervise interns, collaborating with multiple departments to engage diverse audiences.

Qualifications

• Master’s degree in art history or related field; PhD preferred.
• Minimum of two years of curatorial experience for assistant-level position.
• Experience with modern/contemporary art and exhibitions is essential.
• Strong communication skills for academic and public audiences; exhibition interpretation expertise.
• Knowledge of museum practices, collections documentation, and interpretation.

Responsibilities

• Develop ambitious special exhibitions and traveling shows within budget and audience expectations.
• Collaborate on gallery presentations and create related interpretive materials.
• Evaluate acquisitions and deaccessions of modern/contemporary art.
• Contribute to the comprehensive catalogue of the collection and related scholarship.
• Advise on care of collections, conservation programs, and in-house maintenance.
• Create programs for focused and broad audiences; engage across the institution for fundraising and outreach.
• Develop and administer operating and project budgets; supervise interns and volunteers.

Skills

Expertise in modern / contemporary art

Exhibition interpretation, development

Excellent oral and written comunicação

Museum practices knowledge

Software: MS Office & Adobe

Education

Master’s degree in art history

PhD preferred

Tools

TMS

Microsoft Office

Adobe Creative Suite

Project management tools

Job description

About Philbrook Museum of Art:

Philbrook Museum of Art’s mission is to make a more creative and connected community

through art and gardens. Comprised of a world-class art museum, a stunning historic home, and 25 breathtaking acres of gardens, Philbrook is a place for people from across Tulsa and beyond to be together. Here visitors can see art spanning 5,000 years and five continents— from around the world and from our own backyard. They can join in on tours, hands-on artmaking and nature play, artist talks, special exhibitions, celebrations and social gatherings, films, musical performances, and more. Through this wide range of programs and interpretative activities, Philbrook strives to be welcoming, dynamic, and relevant for visitors every day. The Philbrook Collection features more than 16,000 objects with a focus on modern & contemporary American, Native American, and European art. Serving over 160,000 visitors annually, Philbrook shines a light on Tulsa’s storied and complex past while building a diverse and creative vision of the city’s future.

Position Overview:

Philbrook Museum of Art seeks applicants for a full-time (Open-Rank) Curator of Modern & Contemporary Art. This is a key position supporting the mission of Philbrook: to build a more creative and connected community through art and gardens. This individual will be responsible for the acquisition, preservation, interpretation and exhibition of Philbrook’s growing modern and contemporary art collections, including research and project development. They will organize original exhibitions and oversee traveling exhibitions, as well as spearhead related programming and supervise curatorial interns and volunteers.

Responsibilities & Essential Functions:

• Develop ambitious special exhibitions as well as seek traveling exhibitions appropriate to the institution’s budget, audience, and expectations of quality.
• Collaboratively plan presentations in collection galleries, including the creation of related interpretive materials.
• Evaluate and recommend acquisitions and deaccessions of modern and contemporary art.
• Contribute to the ongoing creation of the comprehensive catalogue of Philbrook’s collections, including verifying, correcting, and augmenting existing collection records and database, as well as researching and contributing to scholarship related to the collection.
• Advise on the long-term care of the modern/contemporary art collections, including major conservation programs as well as in-house care and maintenance.
• Create innovative programs geared toward both focused and broad general audiences.
• Collaborate across the institution to support efforts in fundraising, learning & audience engagement, collections care, programming, public relations, and communications.
• Develop and administer operating budget and project-specific budgets, as assigned.
• Recruit, select, train, schedule work activities, and supervise interns, volunteers, or fellows working with modern/contemporary art collection.

Qualifications:

The ideal candidate is action-oriented, attentive to detail, resourceful, communicative, and brings a focused skill set and professional demeanor to their work each day. Philbrook is a highly creative and collaborative workplace very much driven by our local and regional audience.

• Master’s degree in art history or related field (a bachelor’s degree and equivalent training may be substituted); PhD preferred.
• Minimum of two years of curatorial experience for assistant-level position.

Knowledge/Skill/Ability:

• Expertise in modern / contemporary art; experience working with gardens, outdoor / public art, or performance-based practices an advantage.
• Demonstrated skill in exhibition interpretation, development, and design.
• Excellent oral and written communication skills, with the ability to communicate with both academic and public audiences, art collectors, dealers & potential donors, visitors and professional organizations.
• Thorough knowledge of museum practices, including collections documentation, preservation, and interpretation.
• Highly proficient in basic software applications such as Microsoft Office suite, Adobe suite, project management tools, and collection databases such as
• TMS (The Museum System).
• Excellent project management, collaboration, organizational skills.
• Critical thinker who is comfortable with giving and receiving feedback, and who proactively works to identify problems and enact solutions.
• Ability to meet and manage deadlines.

Salary & Benefits:

Salary range is $55,000 - $85,000 depending on level of experience
35-hour work week
Health insurance
Maternity and Paternity Leave
Paid time off (PTO), Sick Leave, Paid Holidays
Dental insurance
Vision insurance
Long Term Disability and other supplemental insurances
Flexible spending accounts
Employee Assistance Program (EAP)
403(b) retirement plan and matching

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Philbrook provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local laws.