The Virginia Museum of Fine Arts Is Seeking an Assistant Curator of Photography
Application deadline: May 31, 2026 at 11:55 PM EST
Hiring Range: $60,000
About Virginia Museum of Fine Arts:
The Virginia Museum of Fine Arts in Richmond is one of the largest comprehensive art museums in the United States. VMFA’s growing encyclopedic collection houses more than 50,000 works of art spanning 6,000 years of world history.
Our holdings include the largest public collection of Fabergé outside of Russia, the finest collection of Art Nouveau outside of Paris and one of the nation’s finest collections of American art. VMFA is also home to important collections of Chinese art, English silver, French Impressionism, Postimpressionism, British sporting art, and modern and contemporary art, as well as renowned South Asian, Himalayan, and African art.
Recently named the 11th-best art museum in the United States by The Washington Post, VMFA is the only US art museum open 365 days a year with free general admission.
VMFA is a state-supported, privately endowed educational institution created for the benefit of the citizens of the Commonwealth of Virginia. Its purpose is to collect, preserve, exhibit, and interpret art, to encourage the study of the arts, and thus to enrich the lives of all.
About the Photography Collection
The VMFA’s Photography Collection encompasses 10,000 works and spans the history of the medium. It is especially strong in 20th-century and contemporary American photography and holds rich collections of documentary and civil rights photographs. In recent years, the museum has built strong holdings of work by artists working in Virginia and the American South, including Emmet Gowin, Sally Mann, Mark Steinmetz, and others. In 2019, the museum acquired the holdings of the Aaron Siskind Foundation and additionally works closely with VMFA’s Margaret R. and Robert M. Freeman Library to maintain the artist archives of Louis Draper and Willie Anne Wright.
Recent and upcoming exhibition projects have helped build the museum’s holdings of work by Hungarian-born artists, including André Kertész, as well as strong collections of work by Ansel Adams, Dawoud Bey, and May Ray, among others. The collection continues to grow at a rapid pace, thanks to generous donors, a substantial acquisitions budget, and a strategic plan that includes targeted acquisitions of artist archives. A new suite of dedicated galleries slated to open in late 2027 will further expand the exhibition and acquisition program.
Position Overview:
Reporting to the Aaron Siskind Curator of Photography and Director of the Raysor Center, this position serves as Assistant Curator of Photography. This role entails developing, researching, exhibiting, teaching about and cultivating community interest in VMFA’s photography collection and programs. This position supports the Aaron Siskind Curator on all activities related to the Photography Department, including acquisition administration, donor and artist correspondence, updating cataloguing records, researching, proposing, and organizing exhibitions of photography, and developing and expanding the collection through proposed acquisitions.
This is a dynamic opportunity for an innovative, detail-oriented, and collaborative professional interested in advancing their curatorial career in photography. This new position comes at an exciting time for the Photography Department, which was established in 2021. VMFA is currently preparing for a major expansion project that includes a 5,500-square-foot suite of photography galleries, slated to open in late 2027, and the 12,500-square-foot Raysor Center for Works on Paper, a state-of-the-art facility for conservation, research, public accessibility, and storage of photographs and works on paper.
This position requires national and international travel in order to represent VMFA’s Photography Department across a variety of national and international settings.
This position may be eligible for occasional telework; availability, hours, and duration will be in accordance with the Commonwealth’s Teleworking policy and the needs of the department on a case-by-case basis.
Key Responsibilities:
- Successfully develop and implement curatorial responsibilities for photography exhibition projects, including collection-based exhibitions and large-scale, scholarly, loan-based exhibitions. Serve as needed as in-house curator for traveling exhibitions. Contribute to major traveling loan exhibitions of international significance.
- Conduct research on and review collection objects to update catalogue information; research, prepare, and present possible acquisitions; catalogue new acquisitions as needed and assist Collection Manager for Works on Paper with collection-related inquiries and study room visits as needed.
- Produce and contribute to publications, including exhibition catalogues, articles, reviews, and website texts.
- Assist the Aaron Siskind Curator of Photography with a range of departmental duties and activities, including acquisition administration, correspondence with artists, donors, collectors and gallerists, preparing presentation materials, assisting with research and organization for major exhibitions and managing interns as needed.
- Represent VMFA at national and international conferences, symposia and other events, including art fairs, gallery openings, and other professional gatherings. Sustain and develop relationships with artists, gallerists, collectors and donors to the collection. Promote engagement with VMFA and the Photography Department through tours, talks, and visits to artist, donors, and collectors; participate in national and international trips designed to cultivate and educate VMFA donors.
Minimum Qualifications:
- Knowledge, skills, abilities and competencies typically obtained through the completion of a Master’s Level academic curriculum in Art History with a concentration in the History of Photography or equivalent level of practical experience and/or training.
- Thorough knowledge of photographic history, technologies and processes acquired through a combination of education and/or work experience
- Curatorial experience, preferably in an art museum setting, with a focus on photography.
- A demonstrated track record of supporting or organizing photography exhibitions and producing research and scholarship on the history of photography as evidenced by publications and presentations.
- Fluency with a collection management system (preferably The Museum System).
- Experience handling and cataloguing photographs in a curatorial or collections-based role.
- Excellent organizational skills, self-starter with a positive, collaborative approach.
- Ability to work independently, multitask, and manage time efficiently.
Additional Considerations:
None
Benefits:
The Commonwealth of Virginia offers a comprehensive total compensation package that includes health benefits, paid leave, and flexible work schedules. The following benefits are available to classified employees:
- Vacation and Other Leave
- 12 Paid Holidays
- Health Benefits
- Sickness and Disability Program
- Deferred Compensation with Cash Match
- Group, Optional Life, and Long-term Care Insurance
- Employee Assistance Program
- Wellness Program
- Retirement Plans
- State Employee Resources
- Agency-specific benefits such as complementary exhibition tickets and discounts on VMFA memberships, dining, shopping, classes & programs, and more.
Additional information relating to the benefits available to eligible Commonwealth of Virginia employees can be found online at: https://www.dhrm.virginia.gov/employeebenefits
Additional Information
This role is a faculty appointment exempt from the Virginia Personnel Act.
Special Instructions:
Please provide three professional references, including their full name, phone number, and email address. References should be able to speak to your qualifications for the position and may be included in your resume or cover letter or attached separately in the portal’s “other” field.
You will be provided with confirmation of receipt when your application and/or résumé is submitted successfully. Please refer to “Your Application” in your account to check the status of your application for this position.
VMFA is a Virginia Values Veterans (V3) Certified Employer. Diverse and inclusive hiring practices are at the heart of what we do at the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts.
Contact Information
For the most up-to-date status of your application, please refer to your Jobs.Virginia.Gov account.
Name: VMFA Human Resources Department
Email: recruitment@vmfa.museum for recruitment-related questions.
Phone: We do not provide application status updates via phone.
All applicants must submit an online application. This position will close at 11:55 pm EST on the designated closing date listed at the top of this posting on Jobs.Virginia.gov. Emailed applications, resumes, or cover letters will not be accepted.
Conditions of Employment:
Employment is contingent upon the successful completion of a criminal background check.
E-Verify Notice: After accepting employment, new hires are required to complete an I-9 form and present documentation of their identity and eligibility to work in the United States. Virginia Museum of Fine Arts uses the E-Verify system to confirm identity and work authorization.
Each agency within the Commonwealth of Virginia is dedicated to recruiting, supporting, and maintaining a competent and diverse work force. Equal Opportunity Employer.
Image credits: Via Virginia Museum of Fine Arts website
