Salary: Competitive Compensation Package—Commensurate with Experience

Location: Denver, Colorado, USA

Employer: Denver Art Museum

Type: Full-time—Experienced

Required Education: MA or MFA, PhD preferred

Description:
The Denver Art Museum offers an outstanding opportunity to a dynamic, creative, and experienced individual who is passionate about Asian art and who will lead the museum’s distinguished Asian art department into a higher level of regional, national, and international prominence.

The Denver Art Museum’s Asian art collection originated in 1915 with a donation of Chinese and Japanese art objects and has broadened to include works from the entire Asian continent. Spanning a period from the fourth millennium BC to the present, these artworks illustrate the wide-ranging achievements of Asian artists and artisans. The Asian art collection has grown principally through the generosity of donors whose gifts range from single objects to large collections.

The Denver Art Museum is committed to implementing ambitious, large-scale exhibitions of Asian art and exploring new and dynamic ways of engaging audiences. In 2011‒12, it organized Xu Beihong: Pioneer of Modern Chinese Painting, an exhibition of works selected from the Xu Beihong Memorial Museum in Beijing.

As a premier cultural institution in the Rocky Mountain region, the Denver Art Museum holds encyclopedic art collections with numerous strengths. The city of Denver hosts a vital Asian American community enlivened by a rich variety of cultural organizations and events.

Essential Duties/Responsibilities:
• Take responsibility for the Asian art collections, including study, care, display, record keeping, publication, and provenance research
• Build and refine the collections and collaborate with collectors, patrons, curatorial colleagues, and cultural organizations to generate important exhibitions, publications, and public programs
• Actively cultivate funding for acquisitions, exhibitions, research grants, and fellowships through association with professional organizations, foundations, and patrons on regional, national, and international levels
• Prepare and give lectures, tours, and workshops to the public, professional colleagues, and other groups
• Maintain professional affiliations in scholarly organizations, professional societies, and relevant committees
• Participate in institutional planning and budgeting process
• Supervise other department support staff, volunteers, and contract workers as necessary
• Work collaboratively with educators and designers in the development, creation, interpretation, and installation of permanent galleries and special exhibitions organized or booked by the museum
• Work actively with the department’s support group, the Asian Art Association
• As an institutional member of the American Alliance of Museums (AAM), the Association of Art Museum Directors (AAMD), and International Council of Museums (ICOM), the Denver Art Museum is committed to following the AAMD Report on the Acquisition of Archaeological Materials and Ancient Art and the 1970 UNESCO Convention on the Means of Prohibiting and Preventing the Illicit Import, Export, and Transfer of Ownership of Cultural Property. All curators are required to abide by the above guidelines and are expected to comply with and conduct appropriate provenance research on all objects in their collections.

Job Qualifications:
• Thorough knowledge of Asian art, with a focus on specific aspect(s)
• Passionate interest in Asian art, culture, history, religions, and traditions
• Strong international network of professional colleagues, collectors, dealers, and artists; must be willing to travel extensively
• Substantial record of exhibitions and publications, and strong fund raising and public speaking abilities
• Proficiency in Asian language(s) and research capability in French and German

Education or Formal Training:
• MA or MFA required
• PhD preferred

Experience:
• Five or more years as a curator, or equivalent professional experience
• Experience in museum installations
• Experience in publication editing and graphic design

Note: International candidates will be considered.

This is a full-time position with benefits. Posting closes on March 4, 2014. If interested in this position, please email your cover letter and resume to hrcoordinator@denverartmuseum.org. In the subject line of your email, please list your name first, followed by the position you are interested in obtaining.

It is a policy of the Denver Art Museum to prohibit discrimination against any person or organization based on age, sex, color, creed, religion, national origin, sexual orientation, transgender status, gender identity, gender expression, ancestry, marital status, gender, veteran status, political service, affiliation, or disability.