Curatorial Fellowships, Pre-20th Century European and American Art

Cantor Arts Center boasts a proud and venerable history, as it was conceived with the founding of Stanford University in 1891. The Stanford family, including Leland Jr., traveled the world collecting objects of art and cultural interest. The museum was originally created to make this collection available to students and the public and opened in 1894 serving the University and the community. In 1945 the Museum was closed because of disuse, but a successful revival began in 1963 and in 1985 the B. Gerald Cantor Rodin Sculpture garden was established. The 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake damaged the museum, and once again it was closed to the public. In 1995 ground breaking for a major new wing and restoration of the historic building began in earnest with the revitalized museum opening in 1999 as the Iris and B. Gerald Canto Center for the Visual Arts. This wonderful new museum offers significantly more exhibition space, a delightful café and study spaces for students and professors.

Collections include art from Europe and America both historical and contemporary; Asia, primarily Japanese and Chinese; Africa; Oceania and the Americas and the Stanford Family Collection.
ORGANIZATIONAL OPPORTUNITY:

The is a two year curatorial position reporting to the Chief Curator and Associate Director for Collections and Exhibitions and works closely with the museum’s curators. The fellowship provides curatorial training and supports scholarly research related to the collections of the Cantor Arts Center. The fellow is fully integrated into the curatorial department with duties, privileges, and status equivalent to those of an assistant curator. Time is divided between specific projects and general curatorial work within the department, which includes research on the collection and new acquisitions, work on the presentation of the collection, participation in aspects of special exhibition projects, and opportunities to give public lectures. The Fellow will be part of a collaborative environment that encourages the development of programs and exhibitions both working together as a curatorial team and with faculty and students across all areas including collections, exhibitions, research, publications, engagement and education.

SCOPE AND MAJOR RESPONSIBILITIES:

Specific Functions:

• Assist with the research, development of changing exhibitions of varying scope.
• Contribute scholarship to and develop exhibitions, projects and engagement programs, as assigned.
• Assist in the development of the collections through researching proposed purchases and gifts.
• Assist in the preparation of reports to the Director’s Advisory Board and other auxiliary committees as appropriate.
• Assist in the development of rotations of the collections for display in permanent collection galleries; consult with others to determine preservation/conservation needs.
• Research, write and oversee production of related publications, brochures, guides, catalogues and books, as assigned.
• Develop and participate in collaborative projects with faculty and staff, work with the exhibitions team to coordinate project budgets.
• Assist in the development, preparation and maintenance of exhibition budgets, serve as a liaison to the University community, other institutions and the public, as assigned.
• Participate in teaching courses at the Museum, training and continuing education of staff, mentor student interns, as assigned.
• Other duties as assigned.

Qualifications

Curatorial Fellowships are available in the areas of European/American Art Pre-1900, The Arts of Africa and the Indigenous Americas, and Asian Art. Completion or near completion of the PHD is strongly preferred. Applicants must have a strong record of scholarship and experience working with art objects in a museum or gallery setting.
Specific qualifications include:

• Excellent interpersonal skills and professionalism to interact with a wide range of people at different levels of an organization.
• Exceptional verbal and written communication, demonstrated presentation skills.
• Demonstrated experience and background in research and published writing that establishes expertise in an area of study.
• Proven ability to effectively and efficiently manage multiple priorities, with competing deadlines.
• Demonstrated proficiency in MS Office Suite and database management applications.
• PhD preferred.
• Ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships with all staff members.

More info: https://stanford.taleo.net/careersection/stanford_ca/jobdetail.ftl?job=72281