Curator of Western American Art [The Denver Art Museum, CO]

Curator of Western American Art

The Denver Art Museum, Petrie Institute of Western American Art

The Denver Art Museum’s Petrie Institute of Western American Art seeks an energetic and ambitious Assistant/Associate Curator to assist in managing a significant part of the Museum’s collection at a time of tremendous opportunity. Ideally, the successful candidate will have a broad knowledge of American art and a focus or interest in the art and artists of the American West.

The Petrie Institute of Western American Art is the national leader in scholarly research and programming in the field of art of the American West. The institute’s mission is to recognize and promote the significance of the West in the larger picture of American cultural development. Through publications, research, symposia, exhibitions, and acquisitions the Petrie Institute strives to bring the Denver Art Museum to the forefront of internationally respected centers of western American art.

Christoph Heinrich, Director of the DAM since 2010, has put in place a vision of dynamic programming for visitors and families, including destination exhibitions and rotating permanent-collection installations. The DAM vision includes a commitment to pulling back the curtain on the creative process of artists, not only by featuring frequent on-site installations but also by incorporating interactive educational spaces in the galleries and special exhibitions.  The DAM is committed to implementing ambitious, large-scale special exhibitions and exploring new and dynamic ways of engaging audiences.

In 2006 the Hamilton Building, designed by architect Daniel Libeskind joined the 1971 North Building, designed by architect Gio Ponti.  Today, with 250 staff and an operating budget of $26M, the DAM is one of the 15 largest museums in the AAMD.  The Curator will have the opportunity to organize world-class exhibitions, along with smaller shows and projects.  The Curator will also create innovative rotations of the permanent collection in 12,000 square feet of gallery space.

Key Opportunities and Responsibilities:

• Responsible for the acquisition, study, care, display, interpretation, record keeping and publication of designated collection.
• Works collaboratively with Learning & Engagement, Design and Collections in the development, creation, interpretation and installation of permanent galleries and special exhibitions organized or booked by the museum.
• In collaboration with museum administration and development department, cultivates donors to encourage art donation and funding for acquisitions, exhibitions, publications, research grants, and fellowships. Such donors include local and national collectors and patrons, foundations, corporations and professional organizations.
• Organizes and directs activities of departmental acquisition group DAM Westerners (as appropriate).
• Conducts original research on art objects and collections, making results known through publication in collection catalogues, exhibition catalogues and brochures, peer-reviewed scholarly journals, conferences, and interpretive programs for visitors.
• Prepares and gives lectures, tours, and work-shops to the public, docents, educators and students, professional colleagues, and other groups. Maintains professional affiliations in scholarly organizations, professional societies, and relevant committees.
• Works with Communications to provide information on collection or subject area to the media.  Responds to inquiries from the public.
• Collaborates on department work plans and budgets, and contributes to the budgetary plan for exhibitions
• As an institutional member of the American Alliance of Museums (AAM), the Association of Art Museum Directors (AAMD), and the International Council of Museums (ICOM), the DAM is committed to following the AAMD Report on the Acquisition of Archaeological Materials and Ancient Art and the 1970 UNESCO Convention on the Means of Prohibiting and Preventing the Illicit Import, Export, and Transfer of Ownership of Cultural Property. All curators are required to abide by the above guidelines and are expected to comply with and conduct appropriate provenance research on all objects in their collections.

HOW TO APPLY:

Apply in confidence:  Email cover letter, résumé or CV, salary requirement, and names of 3 references with contact information to hrcoordinator@denverartmuseum.org by November 15, 2015.

About the DAM’s Encyclopedic Collections

Since its founding in 1893, the DAM has amassed more than 70,000 works, one of the most comprehensive collections of world art between Chicago and the West Coast.  Internationally known for its holdings of American Indian art, pre-Columbian and Spanish Colonial art, it also has significant concentrations in European and American painting and sculpture, architecture, design and graphics, and photography; as well as modern and contemporary, Asian, African, Oceanic, western American, and textile art.  Visit:http://www.denverartmuseum.org/collections.

About the Petrie Institute of Western American Art Collection:

In 2001, the museum received the gift of a large, important collection of western paintings and bronzes from William Sr. and Dorothy Harmsen, which provided the impetus for establishing the institute of western American Art. In 2007, the institute received a new title, the Petrie Institute of Western American Art, following an extraordinary gift from the Thomas A. Petrie family to partially endow the department. After careful deliberation it was decided to expand the galleries for western art. The Petrie Institute retained the striking Dietler Gallery on the second level of the Hamilton Building and added over 6,000 square feet of space on the seventh level of the North Building in the Betsy Magness Galleries, nearly doubling the gallery space and allowing the museum to tell the story of the art of the West with even greater resonance. In 2010, the fundraising effort to endow the Petrie Institute was completed. With those pivotal contributions, the new endowment, handsome new galleries, the expanded collection, and attendant educational, exhibition, and publication programs, the Denver Art Museum now stands shoulder to shoulder with the nation’s most renowned western institutions.

In 2013 the museum announced a major gift of western American art from Henry Roath. The generous donation effectively doubled the importance of the existing western collections and is one of the most important gifts in the history of the Denver Art Museum. Along with the collection donation, Mr. Roath made a financial gift to help establish an acquisitions fund to transform the future of the department and collection. In complementing the museum’s existing holdings, The Roath Collection helps the museum illustrate the full spectrum of creative output from the American West and demonstrate the importance of the American West in the development of American art. In 2014, the PIWAA made an aggressive move to further improve its collection with the gift/purchase of the Dr. George and Mrs. Catherine Peck Collection. This acquisition was the most ambitious purchase in the institute’s history and demonstrates the commitment to enhancing its holdings of western American art.

The Petrie Institute works closely with the museum’s innovative and nationally acclaimed education department to develop interpretive programming for the works in the western American art galleries. The education department’s important role in enhancing visitor experience is complemented by the Petrie Institute staff’s own educational contributions, including: interpretive labeling in the galleries; annual scholarly symposia; and the publication of nationally distributed exhibition publications and annual editions ofWestern Passages, which explore unexpected subjects and uncommon points of view as well as the tried and true. The Petrie Institute offers annual scholarly symposia that relate directly to either the department’s exhibitions or other major topics in western American art.

An ambitious exhibition schedule highlights the Petrie Institute’s program. Since 2009, the department has developed and hosted more than a dozen special exhibitions most of which have included a major scholarly publications. Highlights from this exciting and dynamic program include, The Masterworks of Charles M. Russell: A Retrospective of Paintings and Sculpture (2009), Charles Deas and 1840’s America (2010), Thomas Moran’s Yellowstone: A Project for the Nation (2013) and The American West in Bronze, 1850-1925 (2013).

About Denver:

Denver offers major-city sophistication in a location inspiring for its natural beauty.  Enjoy Rocky Mountain ski slopes along with major museums, four major sports teams, and a wide variety of neighborhoods.  The Metropolitan Area has over 2.7 million people, and the Mile High City is now larger than Washington, Boston, or Atlanta — yet it remains a livable, friendly city.

Denver hosts a vital contemporary art scene enlivened by a rich variety of cultural organizations, galleries, collectors, and 5 distinct arts districts with galleries and studio buildings.  See: http://brilliantindenver.com/plan-your-visit/more-things-to-do-in-denver/explore-denvers-arts-world.  Partake of museums, symphony, ballet, opera, and Broadway shows; and enjoy skiing and year-round outdoor sports nearby and near Boulder, or at Aspen or Vail; or visit the National Parks.  Denver’s temperate climate boasts 300 days of sunshine per year, and Colorado’s high-quality lifestyle is attracting young, cosmopolitan, entrepreneurial, creative populations from both Coasts.  Visit: http://www.denver.org/ and http://artsandvenuesdenver.com/events-programs/imagine-2020-creating-a-future-for-denvers-culture and: http://www.colorado.com/.

It is the policy of the Denver Art Museum to prohibit discrimination against any person or organization based on age, race, sex, color, creed, religion, national origin, sexual orientation, transgender status, gender identity, gender expression, ancestry, marital status, gender, veteran status, political service, affiliation or disability.

Required Job Qualifications

• Three to five years in museum and/or academic positions.
• Broad expertise in American Art with an interest in the art and artists of the American West.
• PH.D. preferred, or M.A. in specialized area of art history.
• Knowledge of American and Western American collections and collectors
• Ability to research, write and lecture to both scholarly and public audiences
• Fundraising capabilities
• Strong network of professional colleagues, collectors and dealers; must be willing to travel
• Substantial record of exhibitions and publications, and public speaking abilities
• Demonstrated record of successful collaboration with curatorial colleagues, conservators, educators, designers and other museum professionals
• Knowledge and willingness to learn about museum’s visitors
• Please note: this is not a collections management position.
• Please note: the Petrie Institute of Western American Art is a separate curatorial department from the      American Indian and Spanish Colonial departments who steward those respective collections.

Position reports to the Curator of Western American Art, Director of the Petrie Institute of Western American Art, Thomas Smith.