Resident Curatorial Fellowship

Resident Curatorial Fellowship
The Jeanne and Ralph Graham Collections Fellow
Cranbrook Art Museum

Cranbrook Art Museum is accepting applications for a full-time (40 hours per week) curatorial assistant in residence as its 2018–2019 Jeanne and Ralph Graham Collections Fellow. This is a unique opportunity for an emerging museum curator with a passion for art, craft, and design history to play an important role in the presentation and interpretation of Cranbrook’s diverse collections and exhibitions programs.

The Fellow is a key member of the curatorial team and is actively involved in both research as well as the development and execution of temporary exhibitions. The intimate scale of the institution insures that Fellows are exposed to all aspects of museum operations. Since its inception in 1998, the Jeanne and Ralph Graham Collections Fellowship at Cranbrook Art Museum has attracted talented new curators who have gone on to lead curatorial programs in major museums across the country.

Reporting directly to the Art Museum Director and Curator of Contemporary Art and Design, and working collaboratively with the staff of the Art Museum as well as the Academy of Art, and other Cranbrook units, the Fellow will assist in the research and development of exhibitions; conduct research on the holdings of the Art Museum; and help with the display and interpretation of art. The fellowship is a full-time curatorial position that:

• conducts research and helps develop exhibitions;
• conducts research on the museum’s holdings and potential acquisitions and prepares related texts and presentations for Cranbrook’s governance bodies;
• conducts object research and assists with display and interpretation within the museum’s open storage Collections Wing;
• writes interpretive texts for exhibitions, programs, acquisitions, and projects;
• conducts private tours of temporary exhibitions and the Collections Wing for special guests of Cranbrook.
• works with the Art Museum Director, Curator of Contemporary Art and Design, and other museum staff to present the exhibition program;
• assists in collections-based education programs for students and adults;
• attends and participates in Art Museum staff meetings;
• facilitates research requests and inquiries about the collections;
• assists with cataloging records and representing the collections on the Art Museum’s website;

About Cranbrook

Cranbrook Art Museum is a leading venue for the presentation of twentieth- and twenty-first-century art, craft, architecture, and design. The Art Museum is located in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan, a suburb of metropolitan Detroit, on a beautiful 319-acre historic landmark campus of the Cranbrook Educational Community. The Art Museum is affiliated with Cranbrook Academy of Art, a top-ranked residential graduate school of art, architecture, craft, and design. In 2011, the Art Museum completed a complete renovation of its original 1942 Art Museum and Art Library building by Eliel Saarinen and created a new Collections Wing, a purpose-built, state-of-the-art handling and storage facility for its collections, which allows for a curated and publicly accessible viewing of selections from nearly 7,000 works of art.

Requirements

The ideal candidate should have an M.A. in art history, architectural history, decorative arts, design history, material culture, or a related field (completion of M.A. coursework required), with an emphasis on 20th-century art and architecture and a specialty/interest in the decorative arts, craft, and/or design; demonstrated object-based research and interpretation skills; outstanding speaking, writing, and editing skills; attention to detail; strong computer skills (Microsoft Office and PowerPoint); and collections database experience (TMS strongly preferred). Previous curatorial experience or internships preferred but not required. Knowledge of aspects of the Adobe Creative Suite (InDesign, Illustrator, Photoshop) are helpful, but not required.

Compensation

The 12-month fellowship begins in July 2018 and continues through June 30, 2019. The fellowship is subject to renewal for a second year, based on performance, allowing for the continued development and realization of larger projects. This is a full-time (40 hour per week), paid hourly position, with an annualized compensation of up to $30,120, which also comes with a free apartment on the Cranbrook campus (no pets or smoking permitted).  The position is also eligible for the Blue Cross Blue Shield Simply Blue medical plan.

Applications

Applications reviewed until position filled with priority given to applications received by March 1. Please send letter (including Fellowship and career goals), résumé, writing sample, list of three references, and completed Cranbrook Employee Application (which can be downloaded from the Employment page of our website at www.cranbrook.edu) to:

Cranbrook, Human Resources, P. O. Box 801, Bloomfield Hills, Michigan 48303-0801, or email humanresources@cranbrook.edu.

Cranbrook is an equal opportunity employer and strives to provide a work environment that welcomes diversity.