Assistant Curator of Photography and Media Arts at Milwaukee Art Museum

Organisation: Milwaukee Art Museum
Location: Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA
Salary: Union minimum of $55,764 per year from 6 September 2026
Contract: Full-time, salaried, union position
Application deadline: Not specified

Milwaukee Art Museum is seeking an Assistant Curator to work across exhibitions, acquisitions, research and collection care in its Photography and Media Arts department. Reporting to the Herzfeld Curator of Photography and Media Arts, the postholder will help develop the programme while expanding access to the museum’s collections.

The museum holds more than 5,000 photographs dating from the nineteenth century to the present, with strengths in documentary photography, photojournalism, postwar American landscape and contemporary practice. Its media arts holdings include kinetic and light works, video and new media installations. Both collections are brought together in the Herzfeld Center for Photography and Media Arts.

Responsibilities

The Assistant Curator will research and catalogue works, contribute to collection care and conservation discussions, support study room visits and help develop the collection website. They will conceive and deliver collection displays and exhibitions, assist with loan exhibitions and, where needed, serve as site curator for touring exhibitions.

The role also involves researching and recommending acquisitions, preparing proposals and presentations, and helping document new works. Through writing, teaching, lectures, public programmes and gallery talks, the Assistant Curator will share knowledge of the collection with different audiences.

Working with the Curator, they will support the Photography Council, build relationships with artists, collectors, donors and peers, and represent the programme within and beyond the museum. The position requires some travel.

Candidate profile

Applicants must have a master’s degree or PhD in art history and two to three years of curatorial or collections experience. A specialism in photography is preferred. Milwaukee Art Museum also seeks strong research, writing, communication, planning and project management skills, and the ability to work both independently and collaboratively.