1708 Gallery, an independent art space located in Richmond, Virginia, seeks an engaging and visionary individual as the next Royall Family Curator. This position is a three-year, full-time appointment and is named in honor of 1708 Gallery friends and champions Pam and Bill Royall.
1708’s mission is to promote artists’ visions and ideas, prioritize artists’ voices and interactions, and propel and amplify artists’ careers. 1708’s exhibitions, projects, and programs challenge, question, and confront contemporary issues and expand the way diverse audiences experience and view contemporary art and artists.
The Curator supports this mission by working closely with artists, especially early career artists, to develop and produce new artworks for exhibitions and projects for 1708’s gallery space and public art initiatives that expand and grow an artist’s practice. The Curator is a long-term partner to artists from conception to installation, fostering their process from exploration and experimentation to final installation. In addition, they facilitate ways to expand artists’ exhibitions and projects, connecting artists to writers and curators, other opportunities, and more.
The Curator collaborates with staff to produce an exhibition program that is relevant and accessible to and inclusive of our audiences: identifying partners for community engagement and developing programming that connects with community dialogues. They work with gallery staff and leadership to contribute to the cultural vibrancy of our varied communities: neighborhood and city-wide, regional, and national.
In addition to supporting the gallery’s exhibitions and programs, this position provides an important opportunity and resources for the Curator to develop their specific interests and curatorial vision across the three-year term.
QUALIFICATIONS
The ideal candidate will have a graduate degree in Art History, Curatorial Studies, or Studio Art, or equivalent work experience. They will exhibit a diverse knowledge of contemporary art and artists, and artistic and curatorial practices. They will have experience organizing exhibitions, producing art projects and programs, and working directly with artists. They will have experience engaging diverse audiences.
Additionally, they will have excellent communication skills, including interpretive, written, and public speaking skills. They will be able to organize workflows and manage a project from conception to presentation and will also be comfortable managing several projects simultaneously. They will be able to work collaboratively with a small team.
ESSENTIAL DUTIES
The Curator reports to the Executive Director and their core responsibilities include:
- Working closely with artists to develop and produce new works and projects for 1708’s gallery space, public art initiatives, and annual two-night art exhibition.
- Investing in exhibiting artists’ professional development.
- Planning programming that contextualizes and expands exhibitions.
- Engaging gallery visitors from art classes to casual viewers.
- Working with the Director to develop the Exhibitions budget and identify resources.
- Working with the Operations Manager to implement project timelines and budgets.
- Preparing didactic materials for exhibitions and projects.
- Providing language for development and communications purposes.
- Collaborating with staff to identify artists for fundraising events.
- Serving as staff liaison to the Exhibitions / Programming / Community Engagement committee, which includes Board and non-Board representatives.
- Developing and maintaining relationships with local, regional, and national arts communities.
Specific skills include:
- Experience curating and implementing exhibitions.
- Experience working with diverse artists.
- Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
- Excellent project management and organizational skills.
- Experience developing relationships with artists, curators, collectors and others in thearts community.
- Ability to work flexible hours including mornings, evenings, and weekends.
- Ability to travel.
Additional skills might include:
- Experience producing public art projects.
- Experience with audience development.
- Fundraising and development experience.
SALARY RANGE
$55,000-60,000. Additionally, full time employees are eligible for health and dental insurance and participation in the gallery’s retirement plan.
CURATOR SEARCH TIMELINE
September – Deadline to submit applications is Friday September 30.
October + November – Review period including ZOOM and in-person interviews
Early 2023 – Start date
ABOUT 1708 GALLERY
One of the longest running arts nonprofits in the US, 1708 empowers artists’ ideas and voices so they can create works that matter to our communities. 1708 believes that artists are catalysts for new ways of thinking, connectors of different perspectives, and conveners of the curious. 1708 facilitates opportunities with Richmond-based, national, and international artists to offer our communities diverse ideas and visions from across the field of contemporary art.
Each year, 1708 produces six to eight gallery exhibitions and public art projects, including InLight, the annual exhibition of light-based contemporary art. Gallery talks, panels, and more are organized in conjunction with exhibitions and projects. Additionally, 1708 produces ext.1708, an online discursive platform that is a companion to 1708’s exhibitions and programs. Other programs and events include Monster Drawing Rally, a live art-making event, and Cabin Fever, an annual art auction and fundraiser.
In December 2021, 1708 purchased its building located in Richmond’s downtown Arts District. This is a significant milestone in the gallery’s strategic vision to establish an artists-in-residence program on the 2nd and 3rd floors of the building. The next Curator will play a role in this initiative, working with 1708 staff, Board of Directors, and community leaders to shape this vision.
The Royall Family Curator position was established in 2018 and the three-year cycle was designed to support an individual curator with time and resources to develop a body of exhibitions, projects and programs, and establish an ongoing process for presenting diverse curatorial visions and perspectives. The inaugural Curator produced gallery exhibitions with an international roster of artists including Alan Ruiz, Liliana Farber, and Haseeb Ahmed. They produced large-scale public art projects, including billboards with Sable Elyse Smith and Wilmer Wilson IV, and a skywriting performance with Sandy Williams IV, and they launched ext.1708, a discursive online platform.
In addition to the Curator, 1708’s staff includes the Executive Director and Operations Manager, both full time positions, a part-time Communications Coordinator, and part-time Project Coordinators for InLight, 1708’s annual two-night exhibition of light-based contemporary art. Several contracted roles include a bookkeeper, installers, and fabricators. 1708 is governed by a 24-person Board of Directors that includes artists, curators, community leaders, collectors, and more.
1708 is a core member of Richmond’s visual arts community, which includes Virginia Commonwealth University’s School of the Arts, the Institute of Contemporary Art, the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, nonprofit organizations like Studio Two Three, Afrikana Film Festival, and the Visual Arts Center, and commercial spaces and independent projects like Eden Airlines, All City Arts Club, ADA Gallery, Candela Books + Gallery, Mending Walls, and Reynolds Gallery.
To apply, please send one PDF with a cover letter, CV/resume, 3 references, and a single writing sample to Emily Smith, Executive Director at esmith@1708gallery.org by Friday, September 30.
