Director of Curatorial Affairs

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The Director of Curatorial Affairs (DCA) leads the curatorial team, as well as the Conservation and Libraries and Archives departments. In close collaboration with the Deputy Director for Art (DDA), the DCA strengthens and builds upon our world-renowned collections—with over 150,000 objects as well as nearly 300,000 volumes in our Libraries and Archives—and our trailblazing, critically acclaimed exhibition program, which draws and inspires local, national, and international visitors. The DCA helps to establish and manage the institution’s curatorial program, both intellectually and procedurally, and manages curatorial administration, including personnel and hiring searches, schedules, budgets, and contractual matters. They also play a major leadership role in promoting the program to a wide variety of stakeholders.

As a member of the senior leadership team, the DCA is vital in supporting key acquisitions that strengthen the Museum’s collections. This involves key leadership discussions with the Board of Trustees and its various committees, most notably the Collections Committee, on issues of collections management; best practices and policies for institutional collecting; industry standards relevant to museums; issues of scholarship across collections; strategies for digital engagement; and acquisitions, deaccessions, and loan recommendations. In addition, the DCA has their own area of curatorial expertise and has the opportunity to originate special exhibitions as well as work with the other curators in their respective areas of focus on the building, refinement, display, and interpretation of the corresponding collections.

Qualifications:

At least ten years of relevant work experience as a curator within established arts organizations, including a robust record of important exhibitions and publications as well as demonstrable success conceptualizing, designing, and implementing curatorial strategies
Three or more years of significant supervisory experience, including extensive collaborative work with HR, Finance, and Legal departments on hiring and personnel matters
High-level donor cultivation and grant development experience at arts organizations, including demonstrable success generating support for major exhibition and collection projects
Strong leadership skills and the ability to engage with a wide range of stakeholders, including staff, donors, Trustees, and other partners
Recognized history of championing the principals of DEIA (diversity, equity, inclusion, and access) in curatorial practice
Strategic, entrepreneurial thinking, with the capacity to balance creative and intellectual processes with administrative and financial responsibilities
Management skills that foster high-functioning, self-sufficient teams which regularly meet or exceed expectations
Ability to build effective and collaborative cross-departmental relationships
Understanding of, and sensitivity to, the diverse communities that the Museum serves—locally, nationally, and internationally
Strong verbal and written communication skills
High level of integrity as well as institutionally-aligned ethics and values

Responsibilities:

Serve as leader for our Curatorial, Conservation, and Libraries and Archives departments
Directly lead the curatorial team in a variety of ways, including:
Conducting searches for new curatorial hires, and evaluating existing curators on a regular basis
Setting curator expectations and providing programmatic direction on specific deliverables related to exhibitions, collection donations, digital engagement, and special projects
Educating the team on best practices in fundraising and donor cultivation, and working with Development to monitor the team’s progress
Overseeing the generation of interpretive materials, including in-gallery interpretation, digital content, and public programs
Develop a three-year exhibition calendar with approximately eleven exhibitions per year—in partnership with the Museum Director, DDA,
Director of Exhibition Planning, and curators—and help to shape related content and messaging
Collaborate with departments throughout the Museum to generate the highest-quality content for exhibitions and related activities
Work with the Visitor Experience and Engagement team to ensure that our galleries, signage, and engagement materials align with our mission and vision as well as exhibition-specific goals
Partner with outside scholars and thought leaders to generate relevant topics for exhibitions and incorporate cutting-edge, interdisciplinary research into new projects
Work with the Museum Director, DDA, curatorial team, and Board of
Trustees to assess, refine, and build upon our collection through strategic acquisitions, thoughtfully executed provenance research, and careful, systematic deaccessioning
Set agendas for quarterly Collections Committee meetings, direct collection reviews and acquisition priorities, and enlist support for the collection plan with the Collection Committee co-chairs as well as the Museum Director and DDA
Work with Conservation and registrars to create ideal storage conditions that proactively care for our collections
Establish conservation priorities for an active program of exhibitions (on-site and touring), collection activations, and outgoing loans, in collaboration with the Chief Conservator
Oversee our outgoing loan program, maintain relationships, and forge new partnerships with major national and international institutions for future projects
Continually assess and improve upon policies and procedures to create a supportive, productive, inclusive, and energetic work culture
Engage regularly with a variety of stakeholders, including the Board of Trustees, Collections Committee, Museum colleagues, press, donors, external partners, and community organizations, as well as the Museum’s diverse audiences, in alignment with our social action strategy
Cultivate donors, Board members, and potential supporters to generate financial support for curatorial affairs (which include acquisitions, exhibitions, and special collection projects)
Attend major conferences and symposia and represent the Museum as an intellectual and professional leader in the field by speaking about our strategies, initiatives, history, and collections
Represent the Museum to press

Start date: Immediately

Department: Art Division

Reports to: Deputy Director for Art

Position Type: Full-time

Union Status: Non-union

FLSA Status: Exempt

Schedule: 35 hours per week; Monday through Friday, 9 am to 5 pm

Apply online

If you have questions about our online application system, please get in touch with us at job.application.questions@brooklynmuseum.org.