Chief Curator of American Art, Virginia Steele Scott [The Huntington Library, Art Collections, and Botanical Gardens, San Marino, CA]

Description

Job Title: Virginia Steele Scott Chief Curator of American Art

Classification: Exempt, Regular Full-Time, 37.5 hours per week

The Huntington Library, Art Collections, and Botanical Gardens seeks a highly motivated, experienced, innovative, collaborative, and visionary chief curator of American art. Reporting to the Director of the Art Collections, the chief curator of American art is responsible for the care and development of the collection of American art, its growth, display, interpretation, publication, and programming. Consisting of approximately 12,000 objects in all media spanning the colonial era to the late 20th century, the American art collection has grown exponentially since its birth as a Huntington collecting area more than thirty years ago, while the American art galleries, having undergone significant expansion in the last several years, are now approximately 30,000 square feet in size, including the newly completed Jonathan and Karin Fielding Wing opening October 2016.

The successful candidate should have a proven record of building relationships across all levels of an organization, must be an effective manager of resources (both human and financial), and fit well within an institutional culture that values collegiality, trust, and transparency. The successful candidate will also have a wide-ranging knowledge of the history of art, in addition to a specialization in American art, and a knowledge of and curiosity about the art of today.
Essential Functions

• Supervises the assistant curator of American art and curator of American decorative art, as well as occasional curatorial fellows and interns, as appropriate.
• Pursues scholarly research to support acquisitions, exhibitions, publications, and gallery installations.
• Oversees installation of the permanent galleries of American art, with periodic reassessment and reinstallation, particularly as the collection grows.
• In consultation with the Director of the Art Collections, advises on long term collecting strategy as it relates to the mission and larger strategic initiatives of the institution.
• In consultation with the Director of the Art Collections, develops a sustainable program for contemporary art within the context of the historical art collections. Cultivates external relationships with artists.
• Researches and develops potential acquisitions, and makes appropriate presentations to Trustees, Overseers, Art Collectors Council, and other Huntington supporters.
• Proposes and organizes temporary exhibitions of significance, both travelling exhibitions and rotations of the permanent collection.
• Acquires important works of American art across media through purchase and donation. Secures important loans of American art when appropriate.
• Works with the Education department on programs related to the American collection and didactic materials, including all interpretive digital media.
• Works with the Advancement department to identify, nurture, and steward potential donors and/or art collections, and is a keen advocate for the Huntington’s American art collection within the Los Angeles donor community, the region, and beyond.
• Works closely with the chief curator of European art on short and long term divisional strategic initiatives.
• Other duties as assigned.

Requirements

Qualifications

• A Ph.D. in art history, with a specialization in American art, is strongly preferred.
• A strong record of publications, exhibitions, and collection responsibilities.
• A keen knowledge of and experience with global contemporary art.

Experience

• A minimum of 5 years of museum experience.
• Experience managing others, projects, and budgets.

How to Apply

Visit http://huntington.org to submit application materials directly online.  Application submissions must include the following:

• A cover letter addressing the candidate’s interest in the position.
• A published paper or writing sample.
• A complete Curriculum Vitae to include education history, employment, honors, awards, publications, etc.
• The names and contact information of three references.