Artistic Director

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The Museum of Contemporary Art Detroit (MOCAD) seeks a visionary Artistic Director (AD) who will support MOCAD’s mission in presenting dynamic contemporary art that connects with the important issues of our time. The AD will be responsible for communicating the organization’s vision and goals effectively to stakeholders; inspiring and igniting staff, Board members, funders, and the community; and leading vibrant and engaging programming. The AD will co-lead the organization in partnership with the Chief Operating Officer (COO), with both reporting directly to the Board Chair.

Position and Responsibilities

The Artistic Director and Chief Operating Officer will be expected to form an equal collaborative partnership in which they serve as co-leaders of MOCAD. Both report to the Board Chair.

In addition, the Artistic Director will be expected:

To articulate the Museum’s artistic vision and to set strategic goals, in collaboration with the Board of Directors;
To work closely with the Board of Directors and COO to ensure alignment of internal and external stakeholders with MOCAD’s vision, values, and goals;
To serve as a visible and engaged ambassador of MOCAD in the local, national, and international communities, representing its values and building relationships;
To be a creative, intuitive, and organized thinker who can inspire and motivate a talented staff;
To build MOCAD’s audience, expanding its reach into the community, and attract patrons and funders;
To provide oversight to the Curatorial, Education, Exhibitions, and Programming departments.

Exhibitions + Curatorial

Oversee the curatorial and exhibitions teams in developing and executing innovative exhibitions and practices that fulfill the organization’s mission.
Facilitate the contribution of new philosophies, ideas, and approaches to exhibitions, educational experiences, and museum events. Champion fresh thinking and approaches to art, seizing opportunities to be creative, experimental, and innovative.
Support the work of curatorial and exhibitions departments by engaging with artists, curators and arts professionals that highlight MOCADs exhibitions on local, national and international levels

Education + Programming

Oversee the education and programming teams in the development and execution of educational and public programs. Provide oversight and support activities for community engagement.
Oversee the planning and implementation of programs and exhibitions in Mike Kelley’s Mobile Homestead.
Seek opportunities to serve additional constituents in the community.

Communications + Development

Act as the primary spokesperson for press and media inquiries, working closely with Communications Specialist and contracted PR firm.
Represent the Museum as a thought leader and advocate for the arts on a local, national and international level.
Establish sound working relationships and cooperative arrangements with community groups and organizations to communicate MOCAD’s vision and enhance the arts in the community.
Serve as an ambassador and advocate by representing the organization and its perspective to agencies, organizations, and the general public.
Collaborate with Development department to articulate the vision of the museum and discuss future programming plans in order to meet fundraising goals.
Along with the Board of Directors and the leadership team cultivate relationships with major stakeholders and strategies for growing the Museum’s audience and patron base.

Administration + Budget

Jointly with the Board of Directors and COO, assure that the organization has a long-range strategy that achieves its mission and vision, and toward which it makes consistent and timely progress.
With the COO, develop financial plans and ensure the organization operates within approved budgetary guidelines.
Communicate strategic expectations to staff members, and empower them to work toward those goals in a collaborative manner.
Maintain a working knowledge of significant developments and trends in the field of not-for-profit leadership, management, and cultural organizations.
Work with Board leadership to develop, maintain, and support a strong Board of Directors, and seek and build Board involvement.

Qualifications

The Search Committee will assess the degree to which each individual comes close to their expectations by evaluating the following factors:

Artistic Experience:

Demonstrated capacity to articulate, both in writing and public forums, a strong aesthetic and overall vision that inspires others.
Proven strategic leadership within an institutional setting, and ability to effectively build and manage a team.
Understanding of how artistic choices and the operational and financial elements of a museum work together.
Demonstrated success in fundraising and building donor relationships.
Experience working closely with a Board of Directors, with involvement in Board recruitment a plus.
Connections to artistic networks – local, national, international – of artists, makers, scholars, and other artistic members.
Demonstrated artistic knowledge of contemporary visual, music, literature, film, and other artforms.
Preference for experience with educational and public programming within a museum setting.

Personal Qualities and Values:

The MOCAD Board and staff believe that the following qualities and values are important to the success of the next Artistic Director:

Ability to establish a meaningful working partnership with the COO
A proven commitment to equity, diversity, inclusion, and accessibility
A mentor and collaborator for staff
An approach to leadership that relies on transparency, openness, optimism, effective communication, and kindness
A communicator and a person who engenders trust and loyalty with Board and staff
Joy and humor

Compensation and Start Date

MOCAD offers a full-time salary and competitive benefits package, including health insurance and personal and vacation time. The salary is expected to be about $100,000 annually. A full list of benefits will be made available to candidates. The Search Committee hopes to make its decision by mid or late fall 2022, with the new Artistic Director beginning as soon as possible thereafter.

How to Apply

MOCAD has engaged Management Consultants for the Arts to facilitate this search; Shruti Adhar is the consultant leading the process. Interested and qualified candidates are encouraged to apply in complete confidence by providing materials requested below with these guidelines:

A cover letter (maximum 1½ pages) describing why this post is attractive to the applicant and what about them and their work makes them a potentially strong artistic leader for MOCAD
Resumé or CV
Three professional references, including email and phone contact information.
Each file should have the applicant’s name included as part of the file name.

Once all materials have been submitted online, the applicant will receive a confirmation of their submission via the email address provided in the application. For clarification on any of this information, please contact Christy Wall at cwall@mcaonline.com.