Curator & Director of Collections at the Museum Of The City Of New York – Museum Studies

Job Title: Curator & Director of Collections

Job Status: Full-time

Location: New York, NY

Salary: $115,000

Description

The Museum of the City of New York fosters understanding of the distinctive nature of urban life in the world’s most influential metropolis. It engages visitors by celebrating, documenting, and interpreting the city’s past, present, and future.

The Curator & Director of Collections is an essential member of the Collections and Curatorial team that will be responsible for overseeing collections management and care, while also identifying strategies to fill gaps in the collection to ensure that it reflects, represents, and responds to our city. This position will also assess and oversee accessioning and deaccessioning practices; digitization; exhibitions installation; rights and reproductions; incoming and outgoing loans; management of the Museum’s satellite collections storage facility; and oversight of institutional archives and records retention. As a key member of the Museum’s curatorial team, this position will collaborate with the Chief Curator and a team of four other curators to conceptualize, curate, and implement exhibitions that specifically leverage the Museum’s diverse collection, speak to a broad audience, and illuminate the history and character of New York City. This position is a member of the MCNY senior leadership team, and plays a key role in setting institutional priorities, budgets, and annual goals. This role oversees a department of 10 people, including registrars, art handlers, collections care managers, and digitization professionals. This is a full-time, regular position that reports directly to the Chief Curator. This position requires the ability to travel as needed.

Roles and Responsibilities:

Direct the intellectual and physical oversight of an approximately 750,000 object collection stored in two separate locations according to best practices; plan for the future of the Museum’s storage facilities for a collection that includes furniture, decorative arts, paintings and sculpture, costumes and textiles, manuscripts and ephemera, theatrical designs and ephemera, vehicles, archaeological materials, prints and photographs, and more.
Champion the use of Museum collections in exhibitions programming; collaborate with the larger curatorial team to conceptualize, curate, and implement new exhibitions that highlight the collection.
In collaboration with the Head Registrar and other collections stewards, identify and plan collection projects consistent with institutional priorities; seek out appropriate funding opportunities for said projects; and author grant applications
Working under the direction of the Museum’s President and Director and the Chief Curator, serve as staff liaison to the Collections and Storage Committees of the Board of Trustees; represent the Collections Department at selected Executive Committee and Board of Trustee meetings.
Support and direct the team dedicated to collections digitization and Rights and Reproductions, including interdepartmental requests for digitization services, such as photography.
Provide oversight and leadership for ongoing collections assessments, development, and refinement, following and updating Board-approved collecting plans in each collecting area.
Oversee the Institutional Archives Program.
Oversee, in cooperation with the Head Registrar, the President and Director, Chief Curator, CFO, and COO in planning, organizing and controlling collections budgets, including a number of restricted short-term projects.
In collaboration with the Head Registrar, oversee and train couriers for collections loans; on occasion serve as courier.
In collaboration with the Head Registrar, document and refine workflows and processes for acquisitions, loans, inventory etc.
Support the Head Registrar and Collections Database Administrator in overseeing the collections management system and online Collections Portal software, and manage vendor relationships.
Hire, train, and onboard new staff.
Perform other duties as needed

Requirements

A successful candidate will have:

Advanced degree or equivalent in American History, Art History, American Studies, Material Culture, Museum Studies, or comparable field. Candidates with particular expertise in the areas of American decorative and/or fine arts, theater history, or architecture and urban design will be given special attention. Expertise in pre-20th century history preferred. Particular weight will be given to candidates whose research and scholarship illuminates the experiences of Black, Latinx, Asian American and Pacific Islander, and/or Indigenous New Yorkers.
At least seven years of experience working in a museum, special collections, gallery, or auction house in roles of increasing responsibility.

At least four years of administrative experience including budgeting, financial oversight, and project planning.
Significant experience in a role of leadership, with responsibilities for managing, recruiting, and developing and managing a team through periods of change and restructure.

Experience handling a variety of materials with understanding of current best practices in Collections Care.
Experience couriering artwork internationally
Understanding of NAGPRA, CITES and other laws directly relevant to collections care.
Experience writing and managing grants, with a record of fundraising success.
Thorough knowledge of best practices, including but not limited to conservation and preservation, IPM, governance and documentation, and rights and reproductions.
Comprehension of digital asset management practices and object cataloging and metadata standards. Experience with TMS preferred.
A commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion and a passion for advancing equity and addressing structural racism within nonprofit organizations
The desire to work in a collaborative, supportive environment
The adaptability to work flexibly, including taking the lead on certain projects, working independently on others, and asking for guidance and assistance
Excellent written and verbal communication skills
Experience with Microsoft Office preferred

Physical Requirements & Work Environment

Must be able to remain in a stationary position 50% of the time and able to traverse through office, museum galleries, loading docks and storage facilities. Requires the ability to operate standard office equipment including computers and keyboards for extended periods of time. Exerting up to 40 pounds of force occasionally and/or negligible amount of force frequently or constantly to lift, carry, push, pull or otherwise move objects unassisted. Exerting up to 75lbs with the assistance of others; using tools such as a pallet jack; and working in varying light conditions. Repetitive motion. Substantial movements (motions) of the wrists, hands, and/or fingers. The worker is required to have close visual acuity to perform an activity such as: preparing and analyzing data and figures; transcribing; viewing a computer terminal; extensive reading. Specific vision abilities required by the job include close vision, distance vision, color and peripheral vision, depth perception, and the ability to adjust focus. On occasion, the employee may be required to work outside events with weather conditions including heat and cold. Requires travel to offsite locations and storage facilities.

Candidates must be available to work a Monday to Friday schedule during normal business hours including on call for emergency conditions, with occasional weekend or evening work required. Portions of the workday may be spent in non-traditional workplaces, including but not limited to loading docks and collections storage facilities.

Apply via AAM