The North Carolina Museum of Art Is Seeking a Chief of Collections and Curatorial Affairs
Description
The Chief of Collections and Curatorial Affairs provides visionary, strategic, and administrative leadership to the curatorial, conservation, collections, and exhibitions departments. With scholarship, creativity, an enterprising spirit, and collaboration in mind, the role galvanizes internal and external stakeholders by creating an engaging and forward-minded vision for the Museum’s collections and exhibition program in alignment with its strategic plan. This role has experience that reveals deep knowledge and commitment to the latest developments in critical curatorial and conservation practice and theory as well as engagement in key social issues facing art museums today. The role exhibits a curiosity and drive to stay ahead of trends in the museum world, including identifying new and unique opportunities that serve the Museum’s mission; additionally, the role delivers positive and proactive leadership; diplomatic communication and management skills; a solutions-focused attitude; the ability to understand and deal with complex human, collection, community, and donor challenges as well as skill in overcoming them; and fundraising acumen.
Description of Work:
Leadership, Planning, and Strategy (50%)
- Serve as a creative, visionary, and accountable force on the Museum’s leadership team, advocating for and supporting the Museum’s mission, vision, and values and aligning department priorities and goals with Museum goals
- Lead curatorial, conservation, collections, and exhibitions departments, setting and progress-monitoring clear priorities and achieving established desired outcomes
- Provide clear, effective communication between the Museum’s leadership team and the curatorial, conservation, collections, and exhibitions departments
- Strategize with the curatorial, development, outreach and audience engagement, and marketing teams to energize community engagement, increase attendance, and identify funding opportunities, especially as they relate to exhibitions and collections
- Be a reliable, valued, and trusted senior leader who provides thoughtful analysis, thinks strategically, and fosters collaborative working relationships with staff at all levels of the organization
- Represent the Museum in the community and beyond, striving to increase the level of awareness, interest, and appreciation for the arts, the Museum, and its leadership role in North Carolina’s cultural ecosystem
- Collaborate with the Director and CEO and the Chief Advancement Officer on fundraising initiatives and grant writing for acquisition, collection care, and exhibition support, maintaining an active portfolio of donors and contributing to stewardship initiatives
- Initiate, cultivate, and support team members’ efforts to maintain contacts with collectors, donors, local constituents, national and international museum and artworld contacts
- Exercise clear leadership and accountability in curatorial and conservation decision-making by embedding equity and inclusion considerations alongside provenance ethics, restitution frameworks, and community-informed perspectives, ensuring collection and care priorities expand representation and deepen contextual integrity
- Navigate reputational, ethical, and financial risk associated with collections, conservation, exhibitions, and donor relationships by partnering closely with the leadership team to ensure informed decision-making, institutional integrity, and responsible stewardship
Conservation, Collections, and Exhibitions (30%)
- Collaborate with the leadership team and the conservation, collections, and exhibition departments to develop a balanced artistic vision for a cohesive and compelling collection rotation and exhibition program in Raleigh and Winston-Salem, including long-term planning that sets the Museum apart and optimizes its unique strengths, sites, and opportunities
- Work with Director & CEO and the curatorial and conservation departments to update Collection Plan, making recommendations for purchases and gifts and developing collection priorities and funds as well as collection care priorities and funds
- Assume responsibility for the care, preservation, and restoration of the People’s Collection and its multiple mediums, ensuring best practices in all aspects of collections care in collaboration with the Director of Collections Management
- Actively stimulate accessions, exhibitions, and loans and thoughtfully identify candidates for deaccession that could refine and advance the People’s Collection and institutional vision
- Oversee the balance of rotations of the collection galleries and evaluate their effectiveness for relevance and the visitor experience
- Guide exhibition recommendations and work to define excellence in artistic programs, ensuring vibrant and compelling exhibitions at both sites that aim to achieve Museum revenue and attendance goals
- Lead efforts for the creation of annual department operating, exhibition, and capital budgets in collaboration with Director of Collections, Director of Exhibitions, etc; monitor and track performance towards these targets; and adjust when necessary
- Review curatorial and marketing materials concerning exhibitions and collections
- Collaborate with education and outreach, marketing, visitor experience, and membership to create connections and entry points to the People’s Collection and exhibitions
Art and Relationship Stewardship (20%)
- Lead and cultivate the Board of Trustees Collections Committee
- Serve on Museum committees as assigned
- Maintain strong ties with artists, dealers, collectors, colleagues, and museums
- Stay abreast of research and improved methods, materials, and procedures for conservation, storage, and exhibition of objects
- Keep current on the entire art world ecosystem, locally and globally
- Participate in regional and global professional activities and convenings as appropriate
- Train and maintain relationships with Museum docents
- Publish as relevant and necessary
Requirements
Education and Experience Required:
Master Degree in Art History, Conservation, Curatorial Practice, or Arts Administration required…; PhD preferred
Minimum of 8 to 10 years of progressively responsible experience in a curatorial, conservation, or collections role at an art museum or equivalent, including significant administrative and leadership experience
Experience advancing strategic and donor partnerships, including proof of fundraising capacity for six-figure gifts
Competencies, Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities Required:
- Experience overseeing curatorial, conservation, collection, registration, research, and exhibition projects and/or teams
- A track record of directing dynamic, exciting, and community-relevant exhibition projects that have advanced the financial solvency of other art museums
- Expansive national and international network
- A proven track record of engaging local communities and collectors
- Experience building, tracking, and adhering to budgets
- Proven ability and record of mentoring and leading teams in a collaborative and inclusive environment
- Excellent written and verbal communication skills
How to Apply:
Applicants should send their cover letter and resume to Jennifer Crow, Business and Personnel Officer, at Jennifer.crow@dncr.nc.gov no later than 5:00 PM EST on June 18, 2026. Please note that due to the high volume of applicants, we are only able to contact those candidates whose skills and background best fit our needs.
Image credit: Via North Carolina Museum of Art website
