Assistant Professor-Curator [Avenir Museum – Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO]

Description

Colorado State University

Department of Design and Merchandising

Avenir Museum of Design and Merchandising

Assistant Professor/Curator Tenure Track Position Announcement

Description of Work Unit:

The Department of Design and Merchandising embraces a vision of excellence in the tripartite activities of teaching, research, and outreach. The Department offers two academic majors, each leading to a Bachelor of Science degree: Apparel and Merchandising, (3 concentrations: Apparel Design and Production, Merchandising, and Product Development), and Interior Design (CIDA accredited). We also offer a Master of Science degree in two specializations: Apparel and Merchandising and Interior Design.

The Department of Design and Merchandising has 13 full-time faculty positions, plus additional special faculty appointments and non-tenure-track faculty, serving over 600 undergraduate students and 35 graduate students.

The Avenir Museum in the Department of Design and Merchandising is a repository of 20,000 historically and culturally significant items of dress, textiles and interior artifacts representing regional, national, and international cultures. The mission of the Avenir Museum is to obtain, document, preserve, interpret, and exhibit artifacts emphasizing the importance of material culture and expanding knowledge of dress, textiles and interior furnishings. The Avenir Museum is housed in a new 19,000 sq. ft. facility (opened in 2016) adjacent to the University Center for the Arts; our premises feature four galleries, large dedicated smart classroom and program space, expanded collections storage and work areas, extensive library/conference room, and conservation lab.

Position Summary:

Applications and nominations are invited for the Assistant Professor tenure-track position of Curator of the Avenir Museum in the Department of Design and Merchandising at Colorado State University. This is a nine-month position with three months half-time summer salary. Salary and rank commensurate with experience and qualifications.

Requirements

Required Job Qualifications:

• Earned Ph.D. in historic costume and textiles, with a specialization in an area of the museum collection (e.g., 19th and 20th century garments, ethnographic textiles); or, in a related discipline such as anthropology, history, material culture studies, or museum studies;
• Academic credentials eligible for appointment at the rank of Assistant Professor;
• Post-secondary teaching experience;
• Record of research and scholarship;
• Curatorial experience in a professional or university museum setting;
• Physical capability to install exhibitions (physical strength and ability to use step ladder; set lighting; move exhibit platforms, mannequins, walls and vitrines; and lift minimum of 25 lbs.);
• Demonstrated potential for grantsmanship;
• Evidence of excellent communication and team management skills (to be assessed at interview);
• Evidence of contributions in areas of service and outreach within the Department, College, and University, and to the external community.

Preferred Job Qualifications:

• Evidence of successful grant proposal writing;
• Demonstrated experience with basic textile conservation methodologies;
• Ability to advance the department’s commitment to diversity and inclusion through research, teaching and outreach with relevant programs, goals and activities.

Essential Job Duties

Job Duty Category – Research 25%

• Conduct and disseminate scholarly research in support of the museum exhibitions and programming;
• Secure external funding in support of exhibition development, research/creative activity, teaching, and/or outreach;
• Direct graduate student research;

Job Duty Category –Teaching & Advising 30%

• Teach two to three courses per year related to historic costume and textiles or care and exhibit of museum collections;
• Collaborate with faculty to support teaching from the collections;

Job Duty Category –Service 45%

• Curate academic exhibitions across Avenir Museum galleries annually;
• Provide oversight of faculty- and student-curated exhibits;
• Direct and participate in the physical work required to install exhibitions;
• Promote collections through outreach programs;
• Develop and maintain donor relations;
  • Collaborate with the museum’s Director of Operations and Engagement and with the Collections Manager to set priorities, policies, and procedures for cataloguing, preservation, and security of the collections;
  • Serve as a resource for curatorial-related inquiries;
  • Represent Colorado State University at professional and scholarly meetings.

Special Instructions to Applicants

Please note that while the position announcement was originally posted at the Assistant or Associate Professor level, the hiring will only take place at the Assistant Professor level. Please address your application materials accordingly. Please submit the following materials directly to this posting at http://jobs.colostate.edu/postings/35844:

• letter of application;
• vitae;
• copies of transcripts from all institutions of higher education attended;
• electronic portfolio of curatorial or exhibit work (e.g., exhibition views, catalogs, publications, etc.);
• evidence of teaching competence;
• evidence of research and grantsmanship accomplishments;
• four (4) professional references with postal addresses, e-mail addresses, and telephone numbers (references will not be contacted without permission of the applicant).

To ensure full consideration, applications must be received by 11:59pm (MT) on September 5, 2016.

The desired start date is August 2017.

Applicants may learn more about this position and the University from co-search chairs Dr. Jennifer Ogle by email to Jennifer.Ogle@colostate.edu or by phone 970-491-3754. Or, Doreen Beard by email to Doreen.Beard@colostate.edu or phone 970-491-7122, and from the Design & Merchandising home page at http://www.dm.chhs.colostate.edu/