Applications due August 29, 2014

The Phoenix Art Museum is the leading visual arts institution in the Southwest. Originally incorporated in 1949, the first part of the current Museum building opened in 1959. The most recent expansion took place in 2006. Today, the Museum’s facility totals almost 300,000 square feet. The founding of the Museum and its development reflect the constant commitment from the community and mirror the growth of Phoenix from a small desert town into the sixth largest city in the United States and the thirteenth largest metro area.

The mission of Phoenix Art Museum is to present great art from around the world to enrich the lives of its visitors and their communities. A general art museum, the Museum has a collection of approximately 17,000 works of art in curatorial areas emphasizing Contemporary, Modern, American, European, Latin American, Asian, and Western American Art, and Fashion Design. Through a long-term collaboration with the Center for Creative Photography at the University of Arizona in Tucson, the Museum also presents regular exhibitions of some of the world’s finest photography. There is also a Sculpture Garden housing modern sculptures, the Thorne Miniature Rooms of historic interiors, and an interactive children’s area, PhxArtKids. Several galleries are devoted to changing exhibitions and the Ellen and Howard C. Katz Wing for Modern and Contemporary Art features 10 galleries, a 48-foot atrium, a flying staircase, light wells and enclosed exterior overlook balconies.

The Phoenix Art Museum operates with an annual budget of approximately $10.6 million, and serves approximately 250,000 visitors annually. For further information about the museum, visit their website at www.phxart.org.

The Curator of Contemporary Art reports to the Museum Director and is a specialist in the academic disciplines related to the art work in the contemporary collection. The chief responsibility of the Curator of Contemporary Art is to develop exhibitions and to care for and provide scholarly interpretation of all work in the collection area and on loan to the Museum, as well as to recommend the acquisition of new work.

Contemporary Forum, the auxiliary dedicated to contemporary art, has helped the Museum build the finest collection of contemporary art in the Southwest. It raises money for acquisitions, sponsors lectures and art films, assists emerging artists and visits private collections and museums both domestically and abroad. Contemporary Forum has more than 600 members, a 29 member board and assets of more than one million dollars.

The Curator of Contemporary Art must be a passionate and energetic person with the ability to manage, research, position, exhibit and develop an important collection, while working and accomplishing multiple projects concurrently. S/he must be a team player and have the demonstrated interest and ability to share the collection with diverse audiences and to build a positive image and lasting relationships for the Museum. S/he must be an innovative thinker and a great communicator with the ability to present the collection and the Museum to all internal and external constituencies and must have a reputation for the highest level of integrity and credibility. Candidates will have a Master’s degree in art history with an emphasis on contemporary art (a PhD is desirable) and a minimum of seven years increasingly responsible curatorial experience. This is not an entry level position. The position is open and will be filled at the earliest possible date.

Application Instructions
Applicants should submit resumes and a one-page narrative describing their interest in the position and relevant experience. Applications will be reviewed by Linda Sweet and Diane Frankel of Management Consultants for the Arts, an executive search firm working with the Museum’s Director. Send applications to: mcawall2@gmail.com.

For the full job description, please go to www.mcaonline.us.