Job Title:                     Associate Curator of Modern and Contemporary Art

Date Written:             April 16, 2015

Department:               Curatorial

Reports to:                 Curator of Fine Arts and Exhibitions

Job Summary

The Associate Curator of Modern and Contemporary Art is a dynamic, ambitious, and resourceful curatorial professional who supports the needs of Telfair Museums’ diverse exhibitions and collections programs by mounting innovative and engaging exhibitions, overseeing the management and growth of Telfair’s collection of modern and contemporary art, and managing Telfair’s public art program.

Duties and Responsibilities:

  • Work with the museum’s director and curatorial colleagues to develop and guide the focus of Telfair Museums’ growing modern and contemporary art program.
  • Conceive, organize, and coordinate innovative and engaging exhibitions and installations composed of works from the museum’s permanent collection and/or loaned works.
  • Oversee the management and growth of Telfair’s collection of modern and contemporary art.
  • Responsible for formalizing and managing Telfair’s public art program, including both installations in the public spaces of the museum and partner projects in the greater Savannah community.
  • Assist in the cultivation of collectors and donors, participating in development and public relations, and fostering relationships both within the Savannah community and on the national art scene.
  • Enhance the museum’s relationship with local artists by participating in studio visits and maintaining high visibility in the creative community.
  • Serve as a passionate advocate for modern and contemporary art and artists through speaking engagements ranging from scholarly lectures to community outreach talks.
  • Help Telfair Museums to solidify Savannah’s national reputation as an arts destination.

Job Requirements

Required Skills and Education

  • Advanced degree in art history with a specialization in modern and/or contemporary art.
  • Three to five years of curatorial experience in a museum setting, with a demonstrated history of organizing and managing ambitious exhibitions and installations, including project fundraising.
  • Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with a history of authoring both scholarly publications and interpretation for general audiences.
  • Ability to manage several demanding projects simultaneously with excellent attention to detail.
  • Strong interpersonal skills.
  • Solid national network of relationships with artists, dealers, and scholars.
  • Experience working with museum donors and member groups.
  • Ability to travel, both domestically      and internationally.
  • Ability to work some evenings and      weekends.

Physical Requirements:

  • Standing for extended periods of time; sitting,      walking.
  • Climbing stairs.

Additional Application Requirements

 

Applications are available on Telfair Museums’ website, www.telfair.org. Completed applications must be received by June 1, 2015.

Please also submit a résumé/CV, list of exhibitions curated, and contact information for three professional references. Submit all documents to the attention of Mary Nestor-Harper, Human Resources Director, at nestorharperm@telfair.org.

All applications will be held in confidence; references will not be contacted until finalists have been selected and notified.

About Telfair Museums

 

Telfair Museums, founded through the bequest of Savannah philanthropist Mary Telfair, opened to the public in 1886, establishing it as the oldest art museum in the South.  The museum took a bold step forward in 2006 with the opening of a new contemporary building designed by Moshe Safdie. Known as the Jepson Center for the Arts, the building features over 7,500 square feet of gallery space for major traveling exhibitions of contemporary art and installations of works from the permanent collection. The Jepson Center is home to the Telfair Museums’ Kirk Varnedoe Collection, a cornerstone of the museum’s contemporary holdings. Assembled in honor of the late Savannah native, scholar, and MoMA curator Kirk Varnedoe, the collection features works on paper by some of the most pivotal artists of the past fifty years,

APPLY FOR THIS JOB

Contact Person: Mary Nestor-Harper Phone: 912-790-8868
Email Address: nestorharperm@telfair.org Fax: 912-232-6954
Apply URL: http://www.telfair.org