Milwaukee Art Museum Job Description
Job Title: Chief Curator
Job: Full Time/Salaried/Exempt
Supervisor: Director
Updated: 3/2017
General Purpose:
Home to a rich collection of more than 30,000 works of art, the Milwaukee Art Museum (MAM) is located on the shore of Lake Michigan, in the heart of downtown Milwaukee. Its campus includes the Santiago Calatrava–designed Quadracci Pavilion, Eero Saarinen–designed Milwaukee County War Memorial Center, and David Kahler‒designed addition. The Museum recently reopened its Collection Galleries after a major renovation-reinstallation project, debuting dramatically transformed galleries and a new lakefront entrance. MAM’s far-reaching collection spans antiquity to the present day, including European and American paintings, sculptures, prints, drawings, decorative arts and design, photographs, and folk and self-taught art. Its holdings of American decorative arts, German Expressionism, Haitian art, and post-1960 American art are among the best in the nation, and the Museum features one of the largest collections of works by Wisconsin native Georgia O’Keeffe. The Milwaukee Art Museum welcomes 400,000 visitors a year.
The Chief Curator is a member of the Museum’s senior management team, actively participating in shaping the organization’s vision and mission, while directing its artistic program. This position leads the efforts to build, present, care for, and conserve the Museum’s collections, and is responsible for the support and content of the exhibitions and related efforts. The Chief Curator manages the Curatorial Department and all aspects of its operations, working in a collegial manner to build trust and respect in a team-centric department and throughout the Museum.
The Chief Curator is the lead spokesperson for the art in the Museum’s collection and the exhibitions and must be at ease in a highly visible and public position. The incumbent must cultivate relationships with donors, collectors, and the broader art world, building support for MAM’s artistic program through gifts, purchases, and exhibition fundraising efforts. And as a community ambassador for MAM, the Chief Curator must develop civic, cultural, philanthropic, and governmental relationships, advancing the Museum’s mission in tandem with the strategic success of its operations, fundraising, and revenue plans.
Education/Experience Requirements:
Duties and Responsibilities:
*The Curatorial Department is one of the largest at MAM and includes registration, the Museum library and archive, conservation, and art preparation.
The Milwaukee Art Museum’s next Chief Curator will be a respected and seasoned leader with a record of achievement in curatorial work and museum management, and a high degree of financial acumen.
The Chief Curator leads the collection acquisition and deaccession process. As such, the Chief Curator plays a key role in working with the Board of Trustees (specifically the Acquisition and Collection Committee), the various support groups of the Museum, and other art supporters in the community to execute that plan. The collection is a diverse, living experience and its presentations must be kept fresh and relevant to add value to the community. The Chief Curator is the principal architect of that experience and is responsible for developing and implementing the evolution of the collection installation over time.
The Chief Curator is responsible for the content of the art displays and the interpretation of the art. The Chief Curator directs scholarship efforts, as well as the archiving of information associated with the art for future generations. The Chief Curator’s role includes the digital realm, where the stream of information must be organized, presented, and archived in a meaningful way. Publications and catalogues in both print and digital formats are important aspects of the Museum’s presentation of art.
The Chief Curator is the content authority for the art of the Museum. In that role, the Chief Curator works closely with the Education Department and other departments to ensure the accuracy and relevance of the information disseminated about the art.
Other duties and responsibilities as assigned.
Interested applicants, please contact: hr@mam.org