Jacquie Dorrance Curator of Fashion at Phoenix Art Museum

Organisation: Phoenix Art Museum
Location: Phoenix, Arizona, USA
Salary: $90,000–$100,000 per year
Contract: Full-time, exempt, on-site
Application deadline: Open until filled

Phoenix Art Museum seeks a Jacquie Dorrance Curator of Fashion to provide curatorial vision, artistic leadership and scholarly direction for its fashion programme.

The Curator will steward a collection of nearly 9,000 objects of couture, accessories and ephemera spanning five centuries, while developing original exhibitions, research, publications, acquisitions and public programmes. The role connects historical scholarship with contemporary conversations in fashion and offers an opportunity to shape an established programme with a national and international profile.

Responsibilities

Working closely with the Director for Curatorial Affairs and Selig Family Chief Curator, the postholder will develop a multi-year exhibition programme, including annual rotations in the Ellman Fashion Galleries, major special exhibitions and original projects with the potential to travel nationally and internationally.

They will conduct collection research and produce scholarly writing for exhibitions, catalogues, interpretation and lectures. In collaboration with the Fashion Collection Manager, they will oversee collections care, conservation, loans, acquisitions and gifts, providing specialist expertise in fashion installation and mannequin dressing.

The Curator will cultivate relationships with designers, collectors, donors, scholars and other members of the international fashion community. They will work with the Arizona Costume Institute on programming and signature events, collaborate across museum departments, and develop accessible public programmes with Education and Engagement colleagues.

The role also includes supervising Fashion department staff, contributing to institutional planning and representing the museum through talks, tours, media engagements and professional activities.

Candidate profile

Applicants should have an advanced degree in fashion studies, fashion history, art history, design, material culture or a related field, with a demonstrated record of scholarship and publication. The museum will also consider an equivalent combination of education and relevant curatorial experience.

Candidates need at least five years of experience organising fashion-design exhibitions, writing scholarly essays, producing catalogues and interpretive materials, and presenting public lectures or gallery talks.

The museum seeks deep knowledge of twentieth- and twenty-first-century fashion, alongside familiarity with earlier periods, specialist collections-care practices, and strong leadership, communication and project management skills.

The position involves physical work associated with caring for and installing fashion objects, including lifting up to 50 pounds. Benefits include health coverage, paid leave, a retirement plan with employer contributions and museum admission privileges.