Chief Curator- Huntsville Museum of Art

Description:

The Huntsville Museum of Art is an AAM Accredited, 75,034 square foot institution located in downtown Huntsville, Alabama, and includes fourteen galleries covering 20,000 square feet. The original building opened in 1998 and housed seven galleries. In 2010, the Museum expanded with the Davidson Center for the Arts, adding seven additional exhibition spaces. The permanent collection of the Museum is comprised of over 3,000 objects, primarily focused on 19th, 20th , and 21th  century American art with an emphasis on art from the Southeast. A regionally significant collection of American artists with ties to Alabama include works by William Christenberry, David Parrish and Stephen Rolfe Powell, to name a few. In addition, the collection holds some 400 works on paper by 19th, 20th, 21st century artists such as James
McNeil Whistler, Robert Rauschenberg, John James Audubon and Andy Warhol. Since 1998 nearly 70 contemporary works in wood, glass, metal, clay and fiber have been added to the collection including works by Dale Chihuly, William Morris and Philip Moulthrop. In 2008 the Museum acquired the prestigious Sellars Collection of Art by American Women, a landmark gathering of over 400 paintings, drawings, and sculptures that heralds achievements of more than 250 American women artists
active between 1850 and 1940. In 2014, it was the recipient of a collection of works by John James Audubon: The Viviparous Quadrupeds of North America, thirty-six original large-format Audubon prints from the collection of Mr. and Mrs. William H. Told, Jr. Over the years, it has acquired through purchases and donations, a variety of works by contemporary Southern artists.

Qualifications:

Candidate must have at least eight years of senior level experience in a chief curatorial position in exhibitions in American art. The Museum is seeking an individual with expertise to expand the collection to include works by emerging and established artists on a national level.

Candidate must have at least a master’s degree (PhD preferred) in American Art. Demonstrated record of scholarship, publications, and collaborative programming. Must be comfortable and effective in a fast- paced environment and a close, collaborative working environment. The Chief Curator will manage a department that comprises of a Curator of Exhibitions and Collections, a Registrar, and several part-time employees and volunteers.

The Chief Curator aligns the activities of the registration, conservation, and exhibitions of the Museum with respect to collection care and preservation, loan activity, procurement, set up and maintenance of temporary exhibitions, community engagement and interaction with the permanent collection. Working with the Curator of Exhibitions and Collections the Chief Curator guides, supervises, and mentors staff and manages the budgets of the department. The individual assumes responsibility for all areas of collections and exhibitions stewardship, including the documentation, storage, handling, packing/unpacking, transportation, and insurance of all works entering and leaving the Museum, and for ensuring proper care of items within the Museum.

The Chief Curator has primary responsibility for overseeing the research, content development, and interpretation of the permanent collection, changing exhibits, projects related to exhibitions, printed exhibition materials, signage, and special projects.

Requirements
Primary Responsibilities:

  1. Conceive and organize with the Executive Director, on average 15 exhibitions per year: three large exhibitions (40-60 works), 11 small exhibitions ( 20-30 works).
  2. Work closely with the marketing and communications, education and development departments supplying them information as needed for publicity, public programming, and grant writing.
  3. Oversee and conduct research on the permanent collection.
  4. Work with the Curator of Exhibitions and Collections and the Registrar to advance a full conservation study of the collection.
  5. Present gallery talks and public lectures in conjunction with the Education Department and Docent Committee
  6. Help develop and execute an acquisitions plan.
  7. Work closely with the Executive Director and the Board’s Collections Committee in enhancing a focused collection.
  8. Must be physically able to handle, install, de-install artwork, capable of creating and installing vinyl signage and label exhibition text panels.
  9. Demonstrate expertise related to the Museum’s mission and content areas through all activities
  10. Excellent research and writing skills, successfully exploring new topics and ideas to further the Museum’s scholarship and cultivation of new and diverse audiences
  11. Supervisory experience, with the ability to bring out the best in staff through effective leadership and mentorship; a strong desire to build a cooperative and enthusiastic team
  12. Knowledge of trends in the field, while also striving to always be a leader in the field
  13. Demonstrate high ethical standards in all activities
  14. Seek new ideas from new resources, being a networker and a convener
  15. Budget management expertise and comfort with service and cost negotiations
  16. Ability to handle critical issues on short notice; effective problem solving and ability to make timely decisions; extremely well-organized and able to create and follow timelines
  17. Genuine interest in the Museum’s full operation and priorities, combined with a desire to be helpful to staff on a wide range of issues and work across departments
  18. Effective interpersonal and communication skills; ability to create a calm and efficient work environment
  19. Other duties as assigned

Compensation:

Compensation is commensurate with experience and abilities. The Huntsville Museum offers a full range of benefits, including health care, vacation and sick leave, 403-B, dental and vision insurance. Moving expenses are negotiable.

To Apply:

Please submit a cover letter (providing your salary requirements and how you learned about the position) and your resume via email to: cmadkour@hsvmuseum.org Applications will be accepted until November 1 or until the position is filled.  HMA is an Equal Opportunity Employer and values diversity.