Curator for Medieval Arts

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About the Metropolitan Museum of Art

The Metropolitan Museum of Art collects, studies, conserves, and presents significant works of art across all times and cultures in order to connect people to creativity, knowledge, and ideas.
The Met presents over 5,000 years of art from around the world for everyone to experience and enjoy. The Museum lives in two iconic sites in New York City—The Met Fifth Avenue and The Met Cloisters. Since it was founded in 1870, The Met has always aspired to be more than a treasury of rare and beautiful objects. Every day, art comes alive in the Museum’s galleries and through its exhibitions and events, revealing both new ideas and unexpected connections across time and across cultures.

GENERAL STATEMENT OF RESPONSIBILITIES & DUTIES:

The medieval collections at The Metropolitan Museum of Art comprise one of the world’s finest, most comprehensive collections of medieval and Byzantine art. Presented in galleries at Met Fifth Avenue and The Met Cloisters, these collections offer unparalleled opportunities to situate the medieval period within a global context and to explore its connection to contemporary concerns and ideas. The Jill and Paul Ruddock Curator will have specialized knowledge of late medieval art and an interest in working broadly across the collection in support of departmental and Museum activities. With an office at The Met Cloisters, the curator will be a senior member of the curatorial team of the Department of Medieval Art and The Cloisters. The Ruddock Curator will be responsible for performing all curatorial duties, including: researching, studying, and publishing works in the collection under his/her curatorial responsibility; recommending acquisitions to complement the existing collection; proposing future exhibitions and publications; and maintaining positive and fruitful relations with colleagues in the Museum and in the academic world, with dealers and auctioneers, and with Museum trustees and other supporters. The ideal candidate will be an experienced, published scholar passionately interested in the arts of the later Middle Ages, its making and its context, and in improving the collection through gift and purchase, and deeply committed to the Museum’s mission of public outreach. The successful candidate will have expertise in late medieval art and will also be open to global and trans historical projects. A commitment to social engagement is essential, as is a willingness to critique and reimagine the traditional museum. Given the renewed commitment to forging strong relationships with the vibrant and vital neighborhoods to which The Met Cloisters belongs, the successful candidate must also be committed to collaborating with and learning from local artists and activists and the surrounding community.

PRIMARY RESPONSIBILITIES & DUTIES:

Leads departmental collection and research strategies with respect to his/her subject area
Initiates and curates special exhibitions including research, catalog entries and other texts for Museum programs, especially as part of the regular schedule of exhibitions at The Met Cloisters;
Identifies priorities for collection installations and rotations at The Met Cloisters; researches and produces interpretive materials, including wall texts as well as printed and online museum publications, in keeping with the Met’s overall research objectives and in concert with collection management and publication staff;
Contributes to the development and ongoing refinement of the collections strategy for medieval art at the Met, working closely with the Curator in Charge and the broader curatorial team to set collection priorities for acquisitions, deaccessions, and overall maintenance of the highest standards of protocol and integrity;
Acts as editor, key author, and essayist as appropriate for specialized publications, including online content;
Contributes to public programs and to building relationships with local communities as well as global audiences;
Contributes to all programmatic aspects of The Met Cloisters, collaborating with colleagues in and outside the department, including other curatorial departments, Education, Digital,
Design, Conservation, Merchandise, and Special Events;
Cultivates new relationships and maintains existing connections with donors, patrons, collectors, academics, dealers, and other individuals involved with the interests of the Museum; maintains strong international profile with peer institutions;
Works closely with Curator in Charge and responsible buildings/conservation staff to develop and guide capital priorities for The Met Cloisters, and helps in securing and allocating resources required for capital projects;
Working with the Curator in Charge and other curators in the department, contributes to the review process for internal and external exhibition proposals for The Met Cloisters; guides ongoing scholarly research and curatorial development of exhibitions;
Collaborates with Met Cloisters and Education staff to develop and implement community engagement strategy for The Met Cloisters.
Other duties as assigned

REQUIREMENTS & QUALIFICATIONS:

Fully vaccinated with an FDA or WHO authorized vaccine (or approved for an exemption as a reasonable accommodation due to a disability, sincerely held religious belief, or pregnancy, or because you are a victim of domestic violence, stalking, or sex offenses).

Experience and Skills:

Minimum of ten (preferably fifteen) years of museum or experience directly related to the duties and responsibilities required, a demonstrated track record of scholarly research and publication; experience with community engagement;
Demonstrated experience working directly with objects with a track-record of accomplishing and leading original research around works of art in area of specialization;
Commitment to exploring diverse approaches to the Middle Ages, and to engaging directly with diversity, equity, access, and inclusion (DEIA) initiatives in museum and professional community;
Proven ability to conceive and develop and execute complex projects, preferably exhibitions or other public-facing initiatives;
Excellent interpersonal and communication skills with colleagues across a complex organization and externally with scholars, donors, dealers and the general public;
Ability to work closely with all staff within the department and with colleagues throughout the Museum;
Strong computer skills and an interest contributing to the Met’s social media platforms;
Ability to maintain precise and careful records.

Knowledge and Education:

Ph.D. in the history of art or equivalent through publications;
Proficiency with languages and international experience desired.

The Metropolitan Museum of Art provides equal opportunity to all employees and applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, creed, sex, sexual orientation, national origin, ancestry, age, mental or physical disability, pregnancy, alienage or citizenship status, marital status or domestic partner status, genetic information, genetic predisposition or carrier status, gender identity, HIV status, military status and any other category protected by law in all employment decisions, including but not limited to recruitment, hiring, compensation, training and apprenticeship, promotion, upgrading, demotion, downgrading, transfer, lay-off and termination, and all other terms and conditions of employment.