Associate Curator

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Job Title: Associate Curator – Mildred Lane Kemper Art Museum – 49706
Job ID: 49706
Location: Danforth – Main Campus
Full/Part Time: Full-Time

The Mildred Lane Kemper Art Museum in the Sam Fox School of Design & Visual Arts at Washington University in St. Louis seeks an Associate Curator to help shape the Museum’s exhibition and collection program with a focus on pre-1950s art in areas of African-American, African-diasporic, and African art history or (post)colonialism in the Americas. Primary responsibilities of the position include research, exhibition, interpretation, publication, and development of the Museum’s permanent collection and temporary exhibitions with an emphasis pre-1950s modern art. The successful candidate will be an intellectual authority on modern art with proven ability to conceive and develop ambitious exhibitions and internationally distributed scholarly publications. This candidate will also possess the ability to and interest in collaborating on interdisciplinary exhibitions and related projects with the faculty across campus, especially in the Sam Fox School and the University’s Department of Art History & Archaeology in Arts & Sciences. The Associate Curator recommends acquisitions; plays an active role in fundraising; and develops relations with collectors, donors, and the public. This position represents the Museum, the School, and the University locally, nationally, and internationally.

The Associate Curator will also have the opportunity to contribute significantly to Washington University’s and the region’s growing national and global distinction for critical engagement with issues of racial and social justice. The person in this position will be invited to affiliate with the Center for the Study of Race, Ethnicity and Equity as Curator-in-Residence, working with faculty, researchers, students, and other stakeholders in the Center’s arts and culture initiatives. The Associate Curator will collaborate closely with the University’s vital and growing research force in developing the future of race studies, including critical race scholarship and its engagement with art, culture, and design.

The Associate Curator is a senior staff position reporting to the Director and Chief Curator.

PRIMARY DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:

Research, develop, coordinate, and execute special exhibitions based on the permanent collection and loans with an emphasis on pre-1950s modern art; lead initiatives to support the expansion of the Museum’s collection in the areas of African American and African diasporic art, as well as more broadly underrepresented modern art.
Develop relations and programming with academic units across the University, such as the Department of African and African American Studies, the Center for the Humanities, the Center for the Study of Race, Ethnicity, and Equity, and the Kathryn M. Buder Center for American Indian Studies.
Disseminate research through teaching, public lectures, and internal and external publications.
Assist the Director and Chief Curator with the development of broad Museum support, including fundraising, donor relations, and public relations.
Participate in interdisciplinary initiatives of the Sam Fox School; develop relations and programming with academic units across the University, including serving as curatorial liaison with faculty, curators, and outside contributors.
Oversee exhibition and related project budgets, as well as the development and negotiation of outside loans and exhibition contracts.

Required Qualifications

Master’s degree in art history or a related field.
Three years of museum experience with progressively responsible curatorial experience.
Demonstrated excellence in acquisitions, exhibitions, and scholarly museum publications.

Preferred Qualifications

Ph.D. degree in art history or a related field with expertise in pre-1950s African American and African-diasporic art history or (post)colonialism in the Americas.
Proficiency in one or more foreign languages appropriate to the field of scholarship with fluency.
Familiarity with international contemporary art.
Knowledge of critical histories and theories of race, class, and gender in relation to the production, reception, and interpretation of art.
Commitment to work within a university setting and with diverse audiences and communities.
Ability to collaborate with university faculty, museum staff, professional colleagues, and museum supporters to achieve institutional goals.
Excellent written and oral communication skills.
Proven success in advancing art historical scholarship through original and creative research and writing.