Popular Culture Curator

State of South Carolina; Columbia (SC); On-site; USD 55,000 - 90,000; Full time

Job summary

South Carolina State Museum is seeking a Curatorial Affairs professional to lead curatorial management of our 20th-century culture collections and contribute to major gallery renovations.

You will collaborate with museum staff, researchers, and community partners to develop exhibitions and interpretive content that highlights South Carolina’s sports, music, and entertainment history.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in cultural history, anthropology, museum studies or related field.
• At least three years in a museum or cultural organization.
• Knowledge of museum practices including object handling and documentation.

Responsibilities

• Oversees curatorial management of objects, researching, acquisitions, and conservation recommendations.
• Member of Exhibitions Committee; develops exhibition concepts and content with research and labels.
• Acts as curatorial liaison with SC Athletic Hall of Fame and partners on exhibitions and programs.
• Contributes to Reimagine the Experience Team for permanent gallery renovations.
• Develops content for public programs, educational activities, and digital assets.

Skills

Museum experience

Communication skills

Project management

Team collaboration

Travel ability

Education

Bachelor's degree in cultural history/anthropology/museum studies

Master's degree or PhD preferred

Tools

Axiell EMu

Job description

Are you looking to be part of an innovative team of professionals dedicated to telling South Carolina's diverse stories? As the storytellers of South Carolina, the South Carolina State Museum (SCSM) strives to share the rich natural and cultural diversity of the state through its permanent collections, programs, and exhibitions. The SCSM is the largest museum in South Carolina, stewarding over 1.1 million objects and specimens and welcoming 5 million+ visitors over its 37-year history. The museum has embarked on a renovation of 150,000 square feet of its exhibition, programmatic and collection storage spaces occupying four floors of a historic 1890s textile mill on the National Register of Historic Places. Come be a part of our team “reimagining” what the South Carolina State Museum can be for our next generation of visitors, students, and scholars.

The South Carolina State Museum seeks a creative individual with a working knowledge of 20th century popular culture, particularly related to the history and practices connected to South Carolina from the 1950’s to the present. This new position will be working directly with the SCSM’s Curatorial Affairs Department, reflecting the modern history and innovative stories related to the popular culture of our state including sports, music, and other aspects of the entertainment industry as they relate to South Carolina.

This position will look at major cultural contributions including sports, entertainment and music, and will be working directly on new permanent gallery renovations. Through this major renovation project, the first focusing on the permanent galleries since the museum opened in 1988, we are expanding the voices and stories that are told, as well as expanding the timeframe that is represented. The project also will explore sports history in collaboration with the South Carolina Sports Hall of Fame and other partners, while focusing on both past and recent cultural trends that have had impacts in South Carolina. This position will play a major role in these efforts.

South Carolina is home to many cultural innovations, many of which are represented in our permanent collection, which focuses on a wide range of objects and artifacts that were made, used and/or connected to the state throughout history to the present including the 1920’s Anderson Car, James Brown’s red sequined jumpsuit, a civil rights era voting booth, among many other items that tell the story of South Carolina.

South Carolina continues to be a growing and evolving state. The individual in this position will be poised to connect with recent and current cultural trends that have emerged in South Carolina, to tell those relevant stories through exhibitions and programs, reflecting the state’s history as we connect our past to the present.

Responsibilities include:

• Oversees curatorial management of objects within this subject area including researching, future acquisition, and conservation recommendations.
• Serves as a member of the museums’ Exhibitions Committee, proposing changing exhibitions and assisting with the exhibition research and development of changing exhibitions. Develops exhibition and interpretive concepts, researches objects, develops content, writes label copy, and incorporates collections where appropriate.
• Acts as the curatorial liaison with the South Carolina Athletic Hall of Fame and other partners on collaborative projects such as exhibitions, public programs and object acquisitions and consults with cultural organizations around the state and beyond regarding museum planning while strengthening and building relationships with community leaders, scholars, and collectors.
• Serves on the Reimagine the Experience Team as we reevaluate and reimagine the permanent galleries

• Develops content to assist with related public programs, educational activities and digital assets for diverse audiences.
• Responds to and works with the public with requests for information related to objects, research and image use.
• Assists with grant writing and reporting as appropriate.
• Workes directly with the Chief Curator, Curatorial Affairs Department and museum staff in a team atmosphere with department-wide projects.
• All other duties as assigned.

• Minimum of a bachelor's degree from an accredited institution with a focus on cultural history, contemporary anthropology, museum studies or a related field.
• Minimum three years of experience working within a museum or other presenting cultural organization or institution.
• Must possess a clear understanding of proper museum practices including object handling, documentation, and project management.
• Ability to maintain positive working relationships with a diverse group of people.
• Flexibility and adaptability, including a willingness to take positive action in a changing environment and to effectively analyze situations and problem solve.
• Demonstrated ability to work under deadlines and both work with a high degree of autonomy and participate effectively on a team.
• Excellent time management, organizational, and prioritization skills, with strong attention to detail and follow-through.
• Excellent oral and written communication skills, including an ability to develop presentations and interpretive exhibition panels.
• Must be self-motivated, take initiative, and exercise creativity.
• Intermediate to advanced knowledge of MS Word, Excel, Outlook, and PowerPoint.
• Ability to travel statewide and stay overnight.

• Knowledge and experience researching and interpreting South Carolina’s contemporary history and popular culture as it relates to sports, music and entertainment, among other areas.
• Demonstrated experience in creating thought-provoking and inclusive museum experiences.
• Proven experience building and fostering positive relationships within the scholarly community.
• Master’s degree or PhD highly preferred.
• Experience using Axiell's EMu collections management system is a plus.
• Should be able to lift up to 30 pounds and be able to use ladders and work safely and comfortably at elevated heights.