Current Opportunities

Curator of Japanese Art

Portland Japanese Garden seeks Curator of Japanese Art

Position Overview
The Portland Japanese Garden seeks a Curator of Art and Craft (hereinafter referred to as “The Curator”) with enthusiasm, vision, and considerable experience with the curation of Japanese art, craft, and culture, to oversee the artistic vision and manage the exhibitions and multi-disciplinary programs along with collections of the Garden and its newly expanded facilities. The Curator of Art is supervised by the Director of Programming and currently oversees a staff of two.

Primary Duties
• Responsible for overseeing the artistic vision of the Garden’s annual Art in the Garden exhibition series and collections program in keeping with the Garden’s mission (i.e. to foster a deep Connection with Nature; celebrate the Art of Craft; provide an Experience of Peace).

• In consultation with the Executive Office and Director of Programming, the Curator is in charge of developing international exhibition concepts, including annual regional and other themes in keeping with the mission often with a view to crafting a format for international travelling exhibitions through partnerships with international arts & cultural institutions. The Curator is also responsible for assembling, cataloguing, and managing the Garden’s art collections of objects and artifacts. At the PJG, the Curator of Art is responsible for planning, organizing and implementing multiple (6-10) exhibitions annually in the Pavilion and Tanabe Galleries.

• Operating in two uniquely appointed gallery facilities (the Pavilion Gallery and the Mayho and Cal Tanabe Gallery) located within the context of a Japanese garden in the Pacific Northwest, the Curator will demonstrate a willingness to challenge both museum and commercial art gallery paradigms and “think outside the box” to fulfill the Garden’s mission to serve an audience of over 500,000 visitors from all over the world per year.

• Oversees the development and maintenance of the Garden’s artistic and cultural collections of objects, primarily in the categories of Japanese ceramics, photography, bamboo basketry, and netsuke.

• Secures museum-quality storage facilities and ensures professional handling of international shipping. The curator develops ways in which objects, archives and artworks are interpreted, through exhibitions, publications, events and audio-visual presentations. The position involves identifying artists and developing exhibitions, as well as arranging for the restoration of artifacts, identifying and recording items, organizing loans, and dealing with enquiries from artists, students, and outside entities.

• Interacts regularly with colleagues in other departments including program planning, marketing, and development. Additionally, the Curator will conduct research into the Garden’s collections and exhibition themes and may lecture on related subjects both internally and externally.

• The Curator participates in special projects including internal workgroups, artist-in-residencies, and artistic programs that advance the Garden’s creative leadership, multi-disciplinary mission, and commitment to nature and peace.

Additional Notes
• The Curator currently oversees a staff of two: Exhibition Manager and Exhibition Assistant, plus a Japan-based Associate Curator Abroad, as well as a team of specialized contractors who assist with shipping, US Customs and Visa arrangements, art moving, lighting, graphic installation, art installers and others as required.
• The Curator creates and oversees the annual Art and Craft Department budget, planning for exhibition logistics, and communications with artists in the US and in Japan.
• The Curator occasionally travels to Japan and elsewhere in the US to research exhibition possibilities and network with other curators and gallery owners to explore collaborative exhibition and traveling exhibition possibilities.
• The Curator of Art is supervised by the Director of Programming and works closely with the Garden Curator to develop related lectures, demonstrations, artist-in-residency programs, and other art-related programs and projects for the PJG.
• The Curator of Art provides content for the Docent Training and Education programs, occasionally lecturing, and overseeing the Exhibition Manager, who coordinates the Docent program in conjunction with the Volunteer Manager and Volunteer Coordinator.
• The Curator oversees the collections management policy, as well as cataloguing and ongoing database management for the Garden’s collections.
• As a multidisciplinary institution, the Garden supports opportunities to learn from and work with programmers and cultural professionals across disciplines throughout the organization.

Other Responsibilities 
• Create and oversee written content related to exhibitions and Art Department for both print and online media.
• Create and oversee graphic/didactic materials (wall panels, scrims, etc.)
• Maintain, promote, and create relationships with outside groups and persons
• Program and policy development
• Relationship building with artists and arts organizations locally, nationally, and internationally
• Hospitality for visiting artists
• Lead tours of exhibition, the Garden (as necessary), and special exhibitions to donors, touring groups, professionals, and special guests.
• Research and present lectures for educators, potential funders, Board, or other groups.
• Participate in donor and community relations through attendance at Garden events, including receptions, public programs, patron events, and openings.
• Familiarize oneself with the organization and the Employee Handbook
• Maintain a high level of professionalism in manner and appearance

Qualifications
• Minimum Bachelor of Arts degree; graduate degree preferred
• Minimum 5 years cross-cultural curatorial experience in the fields of Japanese art and craft
• Broad familiarity with traditional Japanese art forms, including tea ceremony, ikebana, bonsai, performing arts, cuisine, and others
• Demonstrated experience with public speaking
• Proficiency in standard office technology (Office Suite, including PPT)
• Demonstrated ability to work with a growing team of colleagues in multiple departments, including Development, Marketing, Operations, Events Management, and Administration.
• Demonstrated ability to manage a high level of change and growth as the Garden takes the world stage to lead the field in Japanese gardens, arts and cultural education.

Special Requirements
• Fluency in Japanese and English, both verbal and written communication skills
• Ability to accommodate changing Garden needs, including working occasional weekends and evenings
• Must be comfortable with occasional light to medium weight lifting

Compensation
• Salary: $80,000 - $100,000 per year
• This is a full-time, benefited, salary position with a minimum of 40 hours per week.
• Benefits include: health, dental, and vision insurance (premium 100% covered for employees); paid vacation, sick, and holiday time; eligible for 4% employer match on 401k plan after one year of employment

Applications
To apply, please email a resume, cover letter, and three work-related references to humanresources@japanesegarden.org, with “Curator” in the subject line. Please no phone calls or hand delivered applications.  Submit application materials by August 31, 2018.

All submitted applications will be held in confidence.

Organization Overview 
The Portland Japanese Garden is renowned as one of the most authentic and finest Japanese gardens outside of Japan. Nestled in Washington Park above downtown Portland, Oregon, the Garden is now in its 55th year and is positioned as one of the most important Japanese cultural institutions in North America.  The Garden has a $11.1 million operating budget, with 122 FTE’s.   The Garden also has endowment assets of approximately $3 million which are overseen by the Portland Japanese Garden Foundation.  500,000 visitors annually take advantage of this national treasure and its art, cultural, and educational programs. 

An expansion of educational and visitor facilities had long been needed because the Garden’s original facilities were designed for 30,000 visitors/year.  CEO Steve Bloom and the Board of Trustees began in earnest to turn vision into reality in 2009 after Bloom returned from serving as a Council on Foreign Relations International Affairs Fellow in Japan sponsored by Hitachi and concurrently Visiting Scholar at Tokyo University of Agriculture.   Internationally renowned Japanese architect Kengo Kuma designed a Cultural Village with new educational and visitor facilities and new entry area adjacent to the original Garden.  Garden Curator Sadafumi Uchiyama designed seven new garden areas to surround the new buildings.  Construction was completed in April 2017 and opened to significant international acclaim.

Over the past ten years, the Garden has been expanding its programs to meet rapidly growing audience demand in order to fulfill its mission to serve as a bridge between our two cultures.  The position of Curator of Culture, Art and Education was created in 2007 to develop unique art exhibitions and build upon long-time community partnerships with groups practicing tea ceremony, ikebana, bonsai and other Japanese garden arts.   In that position, Diane Durston, celebrated author and experienced museum educator, has brought first-of-a-kind art exhibitions focused on Japanese arts, artists, and craftsmanship that illuminate our cross-cultural dialogue and understanding of the Japanese garden as an art form. Working closely with Garden Curator Uchiyama, they have developed educational offerings ranging from hands-on workshops in bamboo fence-building to lectures by leading scholars from around the world.  

ART IN THE GARDEN
Central to the Garden’s arts programming is the annual Art in the Garden series of exhibitions. Over the past ten years, Art in the Garden has introduced the work of more than 75 Japanese and American artists influenced by Japan, including work by internationally renowned artists as well as by the unknown but nonetheless masterful craftsmen.

Art in the Garden seeks to explore ideas and aesthetics that are an integral part of the spirit and the fabric of life in traditional and modern Japan. By looking outside the limitations of the widely-held notions of fine art vs. craft, work chosen for exhibition at the Garden aims instead to define the spirit of this complex culture and reflect whenever possible the beauty of nature and a broader interpretation of the Garden itself. Through painting, sculpture, calligraphy, ceramics, bamboo work, stonework, lacquer, and a myriad of work in other methods and mediums, Art in the Garden pursues the thread of tradition through a millennium of development and change into new forms of expression in the present day that reflect that same spirit. In doing so, we follow it from Japan to North America where our hope is to inspire a new generation of artists and craftsmen with the spirit that inspired its originators 1,000 years ago, adding our own sense of place to the milieu, just as with the Garden itself.

About This Job

  • Portland Japanese Garden
  • Portland , OR
  • Category: Professional
  • Posted: August 1, 2018