Andrew W. Mellon Curator of Academic Programs at Frances Lehman Loeb Art Center

Job Title: Andrew W. Mellon Curator of Academic Programs

Job Status: Full-time

Location: Poughkeepsie, NY

Salary: $56,200 – $60,600

Description

Founded in 1861 as one of the earliest women’s colleges (and the first to become co-educational in 1969), Vassar College opened its doors with both an art gallery and an observatory, signaling Vassar’s enduring educational philosophy of sending students “to the source.”
Today’s Frances Lehman Loeb Art Center, designed by César Pelli, is an accredited modern museum whose collections originated with a superb acquisition of Hudson River School paintings at the College’s founding. The collection has since grown to more than 22,000 works, charting the history of art from ancient Egypt to the present, and featuring important examples of modern and contemporary painting, sculpture, and photography, as well as Old Master paintings and works on paper.
The Loeb seeks an experienced individual to foster dynamic academic engagement with our collections, connecting original works of art to a wide variety of disciplines and interests. The ideal candidate is a flexible and responsive educator, experienced with facilitating dialogue around a broad range of topics in art for diverse audiences and skilled at building collaborative, inclusive, and sustainable partnerships with college faculty and students. This position reports to the Assistant Director for Learning and Community Engagement. Weekend and evening hours may occasionally be required to accommodate after-hours programs or events.
We have a strong preference for candidates who add new disciplinary knowledge to the Loeb team, such as expertise in Indigenous, Latin American, African/African diasporic, or pre-modern art history. Candidates from underrepresented groups in higher education and art museums are strongly encouraged to apply. Applications will be reviewed beginning April 24, 2023, and the position will remain open until filled. Please include information in your cover letter on how you work to create inclusive learning spaces.
  • Serve as Loeb’s primary liaison to Vassar faculty, students, and other campus constituents, promoting and facilitating the use of the Loeb’s collections and exhibitions to support teaching, learning, and other forms of engagement with the arts. Activities include identifying and developing curricular connections for the permanent collection and temporary exhibitions; providing orientation to the Loeb for new faculty members; serving as a conduit for broader input regarding collections growth; and contributing to courses across the College. While supporting these activities at Vassar is the priority, this extends to other regional colleges and universities as capacities permit.
  • Oversee organization of interdisciplinary exhibitions/projects with campus collaborators, including object selection, writing and reviewing interpretive materials, developing related programming, collaborating with staff and project partners, and performing additional related duties as needed.
  • Answer inquiries about the collection from faculty, students, and outside scholars, as well as facilitate access to the collection database, retrieval of works, and/or scheduling of class visits as needed.
  • Serve as a member of the Loeb’s Programming team, developing events that utilize faculty knowledge and interests, and advising on outreach to campus audiences for Loeb events.
  • Collaborate with other staff in advancing the Loeb’s Diversity Equity Access Inclusion (DEAI) statement, practices, values, and goals.
  • Participate in the Collections Discovery Initiative (CDI) team to strategize and shape ideas about increased accessibility and discoverability of the collection for campus collaborators.
  • Maintain quantitative and qualitative data about collection usage/visitation related to Academic Programs and use these measures to inform priorities and areas for future growth.
  • Hire, train, supervise, and mentor student curatorial assistants and summer interns.

Requirements

  • M.A. in art history or a related field required.
  • Broad knowledge of the history of art, with a minimum of two years experience teaching in a museum or gallery setting.
  • Demonstrated commitment to DEAI practices.
  • Experienced with multidisciplinary approaches to learning and enthusiastic about engaging with a wide array of topics outside personal areas of expertise.
  • Excellent skills in research, writing, and verbal communication (foreign languages desirable).
  • A high degree of flexibility, organization, self-motivation, ability to take initiative, exercise independent judgment, manage projects with minimal supervision, and adjust as new projects are assigned.
  • Excellent interpersonal skills with the ability to work collegially with a diverse range of constituents including faculty, students, and the public in a knowledgeable, equitable, and professional manner.
  • A strong orientation toward collaborative work in a fast-paced, team-oriented environment and ability to work both autonomously and collectively as needed.
  • Technical proficiency with personal computers and Microsoft Office suite; prior experience with collection management software, The Museum System (TMS), preferred.

To apply

Please visit us at https://employment.vassar.edu/postings/3129. To complete your application, you will be required to attach your cover letter, resume, and contact information for 3 professional references (PDF format required). Please include information in your cover letter on how you work to create inclusive learning spaces.