Postdoctoral Curatorial Fellowship

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Apply for Job: Job ID11524
Location: 111 S Michigan – Museum

Introduction
The Art Institute of Chicago shares its singular collections with our city and the world. We collect, care for, and interpret works of art across time, cultures, geographies, and identities, centering the vision of artists and makers. We recognize that all art is made in a particular context, demanding continual, dynamic reconsideration in the present. We are a place of gathering; we foster the exchange of ideas and inspire an expansive, inclusive understanding of human creativity.

Position Summary
The Department of Architecture and Design holds one of the largest museum collections of architectural drawings in the United States. This collection encompasses sizable bodies of work by modern architects, as well as other significant historical collections dating from the mid 19th century to the 1980s. As the department continues to grow its holdings of contemporary architecture and design, we seek to find new ways to align our historical collections with the department’s commitment to produce new and more inclusive narratives that resonate with current issues and curatorial practices.

The Department of Architecture and Design seeks a 2022-25 Daniel F. and Ada L. Rice Foundation Postdoctoral Fellow to advance new directions of inquiry for its expansive and singular collection of architectural drawings. The fellow’s contributions would build upon and continue the department’s recent drawings-focused initiatives, which have included collection research, cataloging, imaging and exhibition planning. This role will encompass a number of drawing collections-based projects, including the aforementioned activities, as well as conservation assessment and strategizing innovative display techniques for the department’s permanent collection gallery. Additionally, the fellow will have the opportunity to co-curate a drawings-focused rotation or special project.

Some of the collections targeted by this work may include drawings by architect Daniel Burnham, including his landmark 1909 Plan of Chicago, emigre architect Ludwig Hilberseimer, mid-century progressives Harry and Ben Weese, as well as visionary architect Ron Dirsmith, best known for his work with the Chicago-based Playboy company. The fellow would be invited to propose and implement ways to transform our understanding and framing of historical collections to support the department’s evolving goals towards more diverse and inclusive curatorial practices. Such strategies might entail the development of counternarratives through gestures that are curatorial (proposing new acquisitions or collaborating on permanent collection gallery rotations), pedagogical (collections-based learning sessions with local schools), or scholarly (essays, blog posts, public presentations). The fellow would be a thought partner to the department, offering fresh, critical interpretations of an architectural medium that emerging scholarship is recasting through new lenses and that continues to fuel experimentation and theoretical inquiry amongst contemporary architects.

PRIMARY DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:

Collaborate with curators to set a research and cataloguing agenda for targeted collections of architectural drawings
Conduct primary and secondary research to propose new narratives and curatorial directions for these collections
Work with the A&D collection manager and Imaging department to catalogue and photograph under-documented works in the collection and create high quality images and information for research and publication
Work with curators to develop new proposals for rotations in the permanent collection galleries, including research on methods and approaches to display and gallery information (including wall texts, labels, multimedia displays)
Develop a proposal for publications, presentations, or other public projects to document fellowship research and develop relationships as needed with relevant scholars and practitioners in the field
While the fellowship’s home base will be the curatorial department of Architecture and Design, duties will be performed in collaboration with many other departments at the museum, including Exhibition Design, Conservation, Imaging, Publishing,
Digital Experience, Learning and Public Engagement, and the Research Center.

Qualifications
A Ph.D. degree in architectural or art history or a closely related field of visual culture studies, with a research focus on the history of architecture, design, and/or the built environment. The ideal candidate will bring knowledge of the history of modern architecture and architectural theory to advance the department’s scholarship on these important collections.

Candidates should submit a CV, a cover letter detailing the candidate’s interest in applying for the fellowship and the skill set(s) the candidate would bring to the position, and a document listing the names of at least three references. Upon invitation to interview, further supporting materials (such as writing samples) may be requested. Attachments should be collated into a single PDF document and uploaded as one file.

The fellowship will begin in September 2022. This is a three-year appointment. The fellowship includes benefits, a modest relocation allowance, a stipend for research/professional development, and funds for project support.

Special Project Position
This is a three year fellowship starting September 2022

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Closing Statement
Vaccination Expectation

Becoming vaccinated and boosted against COVID-19 is the most important contribution we as individuals can make to ensure our own safety and the safety of our museum and school community. All employees must complete an attestation and provide proof of their vaccination and booster status, or request a medical or religious exemption within the first week of employment.

The Art Institute of Chicago is an equal opportunity, equal access employer fully committed to achieving a diverse and inclusive workplace. We believe in a staff culture that benefits from a wide range of experience, backgrounds, and career paths, and we encourage nontraditional candidates to apply.