Design Curator

Project officer position available
Design Task Officer (Chargé(e) de mission design)

Curator / Task Officer (Conservateur du patrimoine/Attaché de conservation)
Three-year contract

The Musée d’art moderne et contemporain de Saint-Etienne Métropole (MAMC+) was established in 1987 in the heart of the Saint-Etienne metropolitan area. Saint-Etienne and its environs are a centre of creation, innovation and culture, and the city was the first in France to be designated as a Cité du design in the UNESCO creative cities network. The museum’s exceptional collection ranks among the richest in France, with holdings of nearly 20,000 works of art, including a design collection that is a reference in the field.

As part of the Cité du design 2025 project a permanent exhibition space of 850 square metres will be created for the display of publicly owned design collections. This site, the only one of its kind in France, will be dedicated to carrying out the missions of the Cité du design, for the benefit of the national design community. The design gallery will also support research and publications, participate in the Biennale Internationale de Design, and provide resources for designers and training to businesses and local government authorities. MAMC+ has been chosen to carry out the project to create this Galerie nationale du design and establish its scientific charter and exhibition policy, in close collaboration with the Centre national des arts plastiques (CNAP) and the French Cultural Affairs Ministry.

The mission of the Galerie nationale du design is to showcase design collections owned by public entities in France. Large-scale exhibitions curated by historians and specialists of design will be organized annually to highlight the evolution of design from the late 19th century to the present. These shows will be conceived for a broad audience, and present accomplishments in the field of design in their historical, social and artistic contexts.

The design task officer will work under the director of MAMC+ and contribute to the conception and implementation of the museum’s projects and activities in the field of design. S/he will be responsible for setting and maintaining the pace of work with the Cité du design, in all relevant areas.

The task officer will pursue the following missions:

– Project officer for the Galerie nationale du design

In this capacity, and under the authority of the MAMC+ director, the missions will be carried out in project mode, guided by the general oversight of the Cité du design 2025 task force, and in close collaboration with the Cité du design.

• Organize scientific and cultural research work, contribute content to the project, encourage and coordinate group activity, work closely with exhibition curators, the museum administration, the Cité du design, and scientific and cultural partners in liaison with the scientific and cultural committee.
• Assist and work with curators of shows created for the Galerie du design, to establish, implement and develop their exhibition projects, via displays, publications, teaching materials and cultural events.
• Coordinate and facilitate communication among working groups and scientific and technical steering entities.
• Draft, write and issue the working materials required by the project, including preliminary studies, preparatory materials for meetings, exchanges with partners, minutes, follow-up reports and documentation.
• Provide support to the museum administration to carry out the preparatory stages and decision-making processes of the project.
• Collaborate with the various museum departments, partners and other parties involved in the project.

– Curator in charge of design exhibitions and publications at MAMC+

• Bring dynamic input and proposals to the MAMC+ design exhibition policy
• Take part in work to highlight MAMC+ design collections in exhibitions and publications
• Assist and work with exhibition curators to establish, implement and develop their project, via displays, publications, teaching materials and cultural events
• Pursue editorial policy on design issues.

– Curator for MAMC+ design collections

Following through on the work conducted with the Galerie nationale du design and the MAMC+ exhibition policy, the museum’s design collection curator is tasked with:

• Maintaining an inventory of the museum’s design collections
• Conceiving and developing an acquisitions policy in contemporary design, working closely with the museum administration.

Suitable candidates for this position should have the following qualifications:

• Specialist knowledge in the history of design in France and around the world
• Work experience in France and internationally, and familiarity with the principal actors, networks, institutions and partners
• Scientific expertise. Competence in museology and conservation of museum collections, in particular in the field of design.
• Higher education qualifications in scientific and cultural fields
• Comparable experience in project implementation, exhibitions, museum programming, work with museums and institutional collections, and with professional design networks
• Mastery of project management methodology
• Excellent interpersonal relationships, ability to work in teams and with partners, ability to work with different types of interlocutors, and a sense of dialogue and diplomacy
• Confirmed writing skills
• Rigorous methodological organization, critical analysis and accurate summary of issues, efficient management of priorities and schedules
• Autonomy and self-discipline in work, dynamic input and proposals. Flexible and quick to react
• Mastery of spoken and written French and English as working languages; other foreign language skills would be an asset
• Knowledge of legislation, regulatory requirements and procedures that are relevant to execution of the museum’s missions and activity
• Mastery of the principles and standards of preventive conservation of museum collections
• Mastery of information and communication technology and tools.

Interested candidates are invited to send their resumé and letter of motivation addressed to the Président de Saint-Etienne Métropole, clearly specifying the references of the position being applied for, at the following address:

Email: recrutement@saint-etienne-metropole.fr
Postal mail: 2 Avenue Grüner
CS 80257
Saint Etienne cedex 1
France

APPLICATIONS MUST BE RECEIVED BY 15 FEBRUARY 2022