Curator, American Art

Deadline: May 15, 2013

The Amon Carter Museum of American Art seeks a curator who, under the direction of the Deputy Director of Art and Research, will be an important and creative member of the team that establishes and manages the curatorial program and shares responsibility for the paintings, sculpture, and works on paper collections. The responsibilities include: setting strategies for collection development, display, interpretation, research, and publications; performing key functions of exhibition generation and organization; collaborating with the education team for diverse programs; assisting with donor development and stewardship; and representing the museum, its mission, exhibitions, collections, and programs to its members, the field of American art, and the public at large.

The Collection
The Amon Carter Museum of American Art was founded in 1961, fulfilling Amon G. Carter’s (1879–1955) desire to establish a museum, free and open to the public, to display his collection of some 400 paintings and sculptures by Frederic Remington and Charles M. Russell. The museum’s collecting activity expanded to encompass a much broader range of American art during the ensuing decades. Today, the Amon Carter houses more than 200,000 objects, including paintings by the earliest artist-explorers of the American West through the Hudson River School era and twentieth-century modernism up to the last oil on canvas Stuart Davis created in 1964. The museum also houses about 6,000 works on paper—which together span a wide range of subjects and artists from the nineteenth through the twentieth centuries—and its photography holdings include daguerreotypes from the earliest years of the medium to inkjet prints of the present day, making it one of the nation’s most important repositories of American photography.

The Building
Situated on a high point in the city’s Cultural District, the Amon Carter Museum of American Art was designed by American architect Philip Johnson (1906–2005). In 2001 Johnson designed a major expansion of his original building, increasing the overall size by nearly 50,000 square feet. Calling the structure “the building of my career,” Johnson created a simple, elegant design that combined the warmth and richness of bronze with the creamy, intricately patterned surface of native Texas shellstone. Today, the museum is joined in Fort Worth’s Cultural District by museum buildings designed by Tadao Ando, Louis Kahn, and Renzo Piano, making the area a destination for American architecture.

The successful candidate will possess the following qualifications:
• Advanced degree in American art history. M.A. in Art History or American Studies required; Ph.D. preferred.
• Demonstrated scholarship in the history of American art, with a proven record of exhibitions, publications, and lectures. An interest in art of the American West helpful.
• Minimum of five years curatorial experience.
• Critical and creative thinking skills that embrace innovative approaches to advance the reputation of the ACMAA as a leading museum regionally, nationally, and globally.
• Experience developing and/or implementing collaborative projects with cross- institutional teams and through community outreach.
• Experience working closely with donors, collectors, and Trustees; experience supervising assistants and interns.
• Mission-driven with a belief in and commitment to the mission of the ACMAA; a strong interest in and passion for the visual arts.
• Knowledge of standard museum and preservation practices; familiarity with conservation practices.
• Experience with budget planning and funding proposals.
• Ability to thrive in a collaborative environment for creation and implementation of projects; equally comfortable in a leadership role or as a team member.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills; charismatic communicator, able to build enthusiasm for the museum, its exhibitions, and programs.
• Excellent listening skills, comfortable receiving input from many sources; able to strategize by analyzing and formulating disparate information into a sound, well-organized plan.
• Strong work ethic and highly developed organizational skills; ability to manage multiple projects, and meet deadlines.
• Emotionally mature with a sense of humor and the flexibility and sensitivity to work with diverse personalities and situations; tactful and respectful of other’s concerns; able to reach objectives when barriers arise using flexible and creative alternatives and solutions.

Under the direction of the Deputy Director of Art and Research, incumbent will be an important and creative member of the team that establishes and manages the curatorial program and shares responsibility for the paintings, sculpture, and works on paper collections. The responsibilities include: setting strategies for collection development, display, interpretation, research, and publications; performing key functions of exhibition generation and organization; collaborating with the education team and programs; assisting with donor development and stewardship; and representing the museum, its mission, exhibitions, collections, and programs to its members, the field of American art, and the public at large.

Characteristic Duties and Responsibilities

1. The Curator, American Art will serve as an important member of the team that develops and implements long and short-range plans encompassing acquisition, collection maintenance, research, exhibition, interpretation, outreach, and funding in coordination with institutional goals.
2. As a member of the curatorial team, acquires art for the collection including identifying, assessing, and presenting works, as well as funding. Identifies and cultivates with private collectors for possible loans and gifts to the museum and interacts with prospective donors of art.
3. Works with the Deputy Director of Art and Research and other curators with development of the exhibition program; evaluates proposals for the exhibition schedule. Designs and collaborates on programs and organizes and/or supervises permanent collection and temporary loan exhibitions from inception to installation; develops budgets and conceptual outlines, selects objects, conducts research, writes, oversees coordinates of loans, and assists with interpretation. Duties include object documentation and label writing.
4. Develops and implements program budgets and assists with pursuit of program funding in coordination with the Deputy Director of Art and Research and the Director of Development. Assists with the preparation of funding proposals and grants. Secures additional venues and special funding as needed.
5. Works with education staff to develop interpretive programming for collections and exhibitions.
6. Conducts research and publishes on American art and the ACMAA collections for the museum and its varied audiences in all formats. Participates in Outreach activities, public programming, gallery tours, docent training, and special events.
7. In consultation with the other curators, oversees the care and maintenance of the collection in collaboration with the Registrar. Periodically reviews the conservation needs of the collection and makes sound recommendations for proper treatment (consults with conservators regularly). Evaluates loan requests and makes recommendations based on condition, importance of project, museum’s needs, etc.
8. Participates in curatorial staff meetings and serves on museum committees as assigned.
9. Participates in professional organizations on the international, national, and local level presenting papers, serving on committees, or advising as time permits.
10. Fields inquiries and assists outside researchers; conducts tours for special groups and individuals; assists visiting scholars and other guests.
11. Supervises assistants, interns, volunteers, and contract writers working on collection projects; provides training as appropriate.
12. Maintains confidentiality regarding all sensitive museum information.
13. Performs other duties as assigned.

Qualifications

• Advanced degree in American art history. M.A. in Art History or American Studies required; Ph.D. preferred.
• Demonstrated scholarship in the history of American art, with a proven record of exhibitions, publications, and lectures. An interest in art of the American West helpful.
• Minimum of five years curatorial experience.
• Critical and creative thinking skills that embrace innovative approaches to advance the reputation of the ACMAA as a leading museum regionally, nationally, and globally.
• Experience developing and/or implementing collaborative projects with cross- institutional teams and through community outreach.
• Experience working closely with donors, collectors, and Trustees; experience supervising assistants and interns.
• Mission-driven with a belief in and commitment to the mission of the ACMAA; a strong interest in and passion for the visual arts.
• Knowledge of standard museum and preservation practices; familiarity with conservation practices.
• Experience with budget planning and funding proposals.
• Ability to thrive in a collaborative environment for creation and implementation of projects; equally comfortable in a leadership role or as a team member.
• Excellent verbal communication skills; charismatic communicator, able to build enthusiasm for the museum, its exhibitions, and programs.
• Excellent listening skills, comfortable receiving input from many sources; able to strategize by analyzing and formulating disparate information into a sound, well-organized plan.
• Strong work ethic and highly developed organizational skills; ability to manage multiple projects, and meet deadlines.
• Emotionally mature with a sense of humor and the flexibility and sensitivity to work with diverse personalities and situations; tactful and respectful of other’s concerns; able to reach objectives when barriers arise using flexible and creative alternatives and solutions.
• Computer proficiency with MS Office Suite and Windows 7; familiarity with collection management software.
• Editing and proofreading skills.

Salary and benefits competitive. Application deadline is May 15, 2013. Please submit letter of interest, curriculum vitae, references and a list of publications to HR Manager, Amon Carter Museum of American Art, 3501 Camp Bowie Blvd., Fort Worth, TX 76107. Fax (817) 665-4315 or Email human.resources@cartermuseum.org . EEOC.

Amon Carter Museum of American Art
3501 Camp Bowie Blvd
Fort Worth, TX 76107
www.cartermuseum.org