Curator of Drawings [Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH]

Description

The Cleveland Museum of Art seeks a highly motivated curator of drawings to oversee the growth, display, and interpretation of the museum’s collection of drawings. The curator of drawings will work closely and collaboratively with the curatorial staff responsible for the museum’s collection of more than 20,000 Old Master and modern prints, providing direction to the Mellon Fellow who currently has this responsibility. The successful candidate will have expertise in drawings as well as experience with and an interest in prints, and a vision for highlighting the dialogue between drawings and prints through exhibitions and publications.

The museum’s collection of more than 4,000 drawings represents the work of European and American artists from the fifteenth to the twenty-first century. The importance of Cleveland’s major sheets places the museum at the forefront of drawings collections in the United States. The collection’s greatest strengths lie in its holdings of key works by Italian artists of the sixteenth century, French artists of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, and American drawings of the early twentieth century.

The Curator of Drawings reports to the Chief Curator.

Primary responsibilities include:

• Pursuing scholarly research to support acquisitions, the installation of the collection, exhibitions, publications, and gallery installations.
• In consultation with the Museum Director and Chief Curator, reviewing and changing as necessary the current plan for the development of the collection and acquiring major works of art through purchase and donation.
• Working in close collaboration with the Conservation Department to regularly assess the conservation needs of the collection.
• Proposing ideas for exhibitions in—but not limited to—the Prints and Drawings Galleries and working with the Chief Curator and Director of Exhibitions and Publications to develop projects.
• Working with the Director of Exhibitions and Publications to fulfill the schedule of three exhibitions per year in the Prints and Drawings Galleries.
• Proposing ideas for publications and working with the Chief Curator and Director of Exhibitions and publications to develop projects.
• Working with colleagues in the Department of Education and Academic Affairs on programs and didactic materials related to exhibitions. Leveraging opportunities to utilize electronic means to interpret drawings.
• Working with colleagues in Advancement to identify and nurture potential donors for projects related to the collection and exhibitions.
• Oversee the work of the curatorial staff in charge of the museum’s collection of prints, and coordinating and making connections between the collections of drawings and prints.
• Supervising graduate and undergraduate interns with an interest in drawings who are enrolled in the museum’s joint-program in art history with Case Western Reserve University, and possibly teaching or co-teaching undergraduate and graduate courses at CWRU.

Candidates outside the United States are welcome to apply. Compensation commensurate with experience and qualifications. A full range of benefits accompanies this position.

Letters of application must include the following:

• A cover letter that addresses the candidate’s interest in the position.
• A published paper or writing sample.
• A complete curriculum vitae of education, employment, honors, awards, and publications.
• The names of three references and contact information.

Please forward your documentation to careers@clevelandart.org

Requirements

A Ph.D. in Art History is preferred with a specialization in drawings and a wide array of interests and experience. A minimum of five years of museum experience. Proficiency in English is required; proficiency in another European language is preferred. Candidates will be judged on their excellence and promise, curatorial and scholarly record, and interpersonal and communication skills. Ability to work as part of a team in a highly collaborative environment is essential, as is basic supervisory experience.