Assistant Curator

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The Museum seeks an organized, diligent, and engaged professional who can prioritize long and short-term projects efficiently. The ideal candidate will have excellent research and writing skills as well as experience working on catalogs. The position provides a rare insider perspective on the world of contemporary art, and the successful candidate will have a professional, discreet, and mature demeanor. Candidates must have a deep knowledge of 20th /21st century art, an M.A. in art history or museum studies, and/or substantial professional experience in the field. A minimum of three years’ experience working in an arts-related capacity required.

Requirements
Essential Functions
The Curatorial Assistant will report to the Chief Curator and will work closely with the Museum’s curatorial team.

Responsibilities include:

Assist the curatorial team with research and content development for the ongoing curatorial and exhibitions program, including large temporary exhibitions and focus shows, publications, writing object labels and texts, and all related content and activities and art market research;
Conduct and compile object and image research as directed, fact checking, writing art-object related copy and preparing presentations
Corresponding with artists and galleries about upcoming exhibitions and available works;
Attend exhibition project meetings and provide exhibition-related information and material to Development, Marketing and Communications, Education and Public Programs, Museum Store, and other departments, as directed
Under the direction of the Curators, conduct research on new accessions and works in the permanent collection; assist with questions about the permanent collection, both from outside and within the museum, including inspection of artwork, consulting object files, library resources, correspondence with artists and galleries, etc.
updating gallery guides with current exhibition information
Contribute to collaborations across museum departments and fostering and facilitating internal and external communications and partnerships
Perform general administrative tasks including composing correspondence, maintaining departmental files, patron, and gallery contacts, responding to telephone, email, or in-person inquiries and other duties as required. Manage the curators’ schedules, make travel arrangements, and act as communication bridge when curators are unavailable. Provide organization for the department and track projects and organization
Work with development staff to organize members events
Conduct tours of exhibitions or collection galleries as needed
Assist the Museum with administrative support for our artists-in-residence
Assist curators and relevant staff with development and coordination of special curatorial programs and initiatives
Prepare agenda, PowerPoint presentations, and other materials for both internal and external meetings
Update collection and exhibition database records using The Museum System

Competency

A master’s degree in Art History or a related field, or equivalent experience
Background 20th and 21st Century American Art preferred
At least three years of museum experience with progressively responsible curatorial experience and demonstrated experience in acquisitions, exhibitions, installation, and scholarly publications
Experience in Contemporary art, and prior experience with ambitious exhibition and publication programs in a museum

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

Ability to write for a public and scholarly audience, and the ability to work on teams with fellow curators, educators and a range of museum staff, professional colleagues, and museum supporters
Strong public speaking and communication skills
Experience with deaccessioning procedures and protocols
Efficient at multitasking, with a strong ability to manage multiple, concurrent projects and assignments
Facility with collections database management

About the Mississippi Museum of Art

The Museum is an Equal Opportunity Employer and is committed to creating a diverse environment. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment. The Museum is a private not-for-profit and is not a department or agency of the state or federal government.
The Mississippi Museum of Art is more than an art museum in Jackson, Mississippi. It is a museum of Mississippi – a museum that connects Mississippians to our culture, our history, our communities, and to each other. It is a museum informed by the legacy of our past and emboldened by a vision of a future without division.
We believe it our responsibility to the community to explore and examine every facet of the Mississippi story. The Mississippi Museum of Art is committed to curating a shared space for every Mississippian – a brave space where we can all find wonder, peace and a voice.
We pride ourselves in being a visitor and community-focused art museum and garden in downtown Jackson, Mississippi. The Museum employs a collaborative staff that works to ensure the exhibitions, programs, operations, and community outreach fulfill the mission, vision, and core values of the institution. We are committed to building a culture of inclusivity that includes continued professional development opportunities at all levels of the Museum.

Mission
The Mississippi Museum of Art connects Mississippi to the world, and the power of art to the power of community.

Vision
Committed to honesty, equity, and inclusion, the Mississippi Museum of Art is a leader in engaging art, artists, and participants in the critical work of reckoning with the past, connecting with each other in the present, and envisioning a future without division.