Working with the Director of Content Development, and in close partnership with the Senior Curator of Art and Curator of Photography, the Mellon Curatorial Fellow will research and develop gallery installations, and assist in the development of major temporary exhibition projects in keeping with OMCA’s community-engaged and collaborative frameworks and methods. Additionally, the Fellow will assist with major exhibition projects, work on collection research and cataloguing, and participate in program evaluation and professional training and networking.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

The following reflects OMCA’s definition of essential functions for this position, but does not restrict the tasks that may be assigned. OMCA may assign or reassign duties and responsibilities to this position at any time due to reasonable accommodation or other reasons.

INSTITUTIONAL RESPONSIBILITIES

• Support the Museum’s mission, values, vision, and core commitment to the visitor experience, community engagement, and institutional relevancy for the future;
• Contribute to and support the OMCA strategic plan, annual priorities, and institutional initiatives such as diversity advancement;
• Contribute to a positive organizational culture based on mutual respect, a spirit of collegiality, cooperation, and openness to many perspectives;
• Participate in a culture of ongoing learning, collaboration, innovation, creativity, and community engagement.

DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

• Participate in the research, development and execution of permanent collection gallery upkeep, object rotations and new installations guided by OMCA’s exhibition development and community engagement frameworks, including preparing and pitching 1-2 proposals for new installations
• Assist with the development and evaluation of major temporary exhibitions including participating in prototyping and front end evaluation, researching and writing texts, conducting artifact and object research, and participating in case layouts
• Participate in collection work including conducting collection surveys, cataloguing, researching and preparing justifications for new acquisitions and deaccessions; participating in the evaluation of loan requests
• Research and develop presentations and talks for donor groups, staff, professional conferences and symposia, the public and docents as needed
• Research and write material for museum publications, digital and social media platforms as needed

EXPERIENCE

• Ability to display and encourage visitor and internal customer service, take and share responsibility and treat others with respect
• PhD in the history of art, photography or design, or adjacent disciplines such as American studies with background and demonstrable interest in art-related topics. Candidates with Masters degrees who have completed their doctorate academic course work and are working on their dissertations will be considered in rare circumstances and with provisions to the fellowship timeline that enable completion of dissertations.
• English language proficiency in both spoken and written form
• Superior research and writing skills
• Excellent presentation and public speaking skills
• Ability to work collaboratively with colleagues, stakeholders and community members
• Ability to juggle multiple priorities in a fast-paced work environment

WORK ENVIRONMENT 

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of the job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions. The environment may include:

• Museum environment involves both indoor and outdoor working conditions
• Ability to travel between OMCA locations, and other travel as required by position responsibilities
• Ability to work a flexible schedule, including evenings and weekends