Southeastern Museums Conference Looking for Director of Curatorial Affairs, Jule Collins Smith Museum, Auburn, AL at Alberta, Canada Full Time

Reporting to the Director & Chief Curator, the Director of Curatorial Affairs leads the curatorial unit of the university’s art museum, ensuring exceptional and innovative stewardship of its 3,000+ collection, exhibitions, and other collection-focused initiatives in collaboration with colleagues in order to expand art’s impact and enrich the relationship of the museum with its communities, region, and the state. Responsible for assisting in executing the Museum’s vision of a highly creative, outward- facing, visitor-centered institution that welcomes everyone to explore, experience, and engage with the visual arts in service to the university, the region, and the nation.

The Director of Curatorial Affairs collaborates on the execution of administrative and budgetary matters for the curatorial unit, the establishment of curatorial policies and procedures, and long-range planning for exhibitions and engagement. Responsible for the safe-keeping and accessibility of the collection, as well as for new acquisitions and exhibitions that increase social interactivity and creative participation.

Why Should YOU Choose Auburn University?

Auburn University was named a “Best in Alabama” employer by Forbes! Our employee longevity speaks for itself, with employees staying an average of ten years.

Competitive state benefits including retirement plan vesting at 10 years of service, generous leave accrual, and parental leave opportunity.

Auburn University tuition assistance for yourself and your dependents. Employees can take 15 hours of classes for free, and dependents receive a 50% tuition waiver.

It’s a Lifestyle: The Auburn/Opelika area is a page right out of Southern Living magazine with an idyllic small-town feel, perfecting a unique balance between a close-knit community and driving consistent growth and development. Paralleling the exponential growth of Auburn University, the Auburn/Opelika area boasts services and amenities that cater to any interest. We’re proud of our top school systems, city services, award-winning restaurants, and the infectious spirit of life in a college town. You can find us nestled halfway between the beach and the mountains in a lower-cost-of-living area, two hours outside of Atlanta or Birmingham. If you’re new to Auburn, we’d love to introduce you. If you’re already acquainted with Auburn, we’ll keep it simple: it’s time to come home!

Our Commitment: Auburn University is committed to a diverse and inclusive campus environment. Visit auburn.edu/inclusion to learn more about our commitment to expanding equity and inclusion for all.

Essential Functions 1. Provides vision and dynamic exhibition programming leadership, including investigating

potential opportunities around galleries, visual storage, centers focused on conservation,

curatorial studies, and prints, drawings, and photographs, new art study rooms, and a campus art program, all to enhance teaching resources for Auburn University, the southeast, and to position the institution as a premier teaching museum.

• 2. Collaborates with other senior leadership team members to administer the museum’s art collecting activities to establish priorities and plans for collection care, research, documentation, and access; and establishes programmatic impact goals to ensure mission and strategic alignment, creative engagement, learning across all demographics, and advancement of the museum’s visibility and reputation.
• 3. Coordinates the recording of selected programs for distribution via website and social media, and informs the execution of marketing, branding, and promotional activities that broaden the museum’s reach and increase stakeholder engagement.
• 4. Establishes the guiding principles of curatorial offerings of the museum, aligned with its mission and vision to actively engage faculty and students and other new, diverse, and broad audiences across the region and state. In collaboration with colleagues, conceptualizes, plans, develops, and implements a 3 – 5 year creative exhibition calendar including other collection- focused initiatives and activities.
• 5. Emphasizes cross-disciplinary, co-creation, multi-sensory, and to the extent possible hands- on learning opportunities in exhibition designs, to cultivate notions of inclusion, life skills, emotional intelligence, and well-being to expand art’s impact on the public sphere. Incorporates new models of cultural participation, artistic practice and potential impact that also utilizes technology, tools, and an experimental social environment.
• 6. Collaborates to identify and shepherd deaccessions and conservation initiatives; facilitates decisions on exhibition loan requests and long-term loan opportunities. In concert with the Director and staff, assists in the development of a Collections Plan and fully participates in any existing collection committee work.
• 7. Conducts original research and assists faculty, students, scholars, docents, and members of the community in their research of JCSM collections and exhibitions.
• 8. Represents JCSM at professional, academic, and social forums/arts initiatives with local, regional, national, international colleagues, and the broader cultural community through exhibition and research programs and events.
• 9. Lectures on and/or leads tours of JCSM exhibitions and collections. Fosters faculty and student use of the collection across in curricula, extracurricular research, publishing, and inventive interpretive techniques. Helps train docents and student ambassadors in specific content areas and museum best practices, as needed.
• 10. Builds and maintains a network of professional relationships with community members, lenders, donors, professional colleagues, artists, dealers, curators, collectors, and other specialists locally, nationally, and globally.
• 11. Manages JCSM’s Curatorial unit and staff while inspiring and nourishing capacity and a culture of innovation, creative learning, risk-taking, transparency, experimentation, open communication and accountability.
• 12. Fosters meaningful and transformative experiences for audiences at an institution that celebrates art, film and cultural discourse, in part through recruiting, training, mentoring, and supervising a team-oriented and strategically-focused staff. Assesses unit functions, priorities, and processes to ensure efficiencies, excellence, and alignment with museum best practices and American Alliance of Museums (AAM) accreditation standards.
• 13. Develops/oversees the unit’s annual budget and schedules, particularly tracking expenditures to ensure adherence to set goals, in close collaboration with the Director and museum colleagues as needed.

Minimum Qualifications

Regularly involves lifting, bending or other physical exertion. Often exposed to one or more elements such as heat, cold, noise, dust, dirt, chemicals, etc., with one often to the point of being objectionable. Injuries may require professional treatment.

Education

Master’s degree in Art History, Arts Education, Education, Public Humanities, Cultural Studies, Museum Studies, Visual Studies, or related field.

Experience

5 years of experience in collaboratively conceptualizing, designing, and installing relevant, creative and innovative exhibitions in an arts and/or culture environment for diverse community audiences with progressively increasing levels of responsibility and accountability.

• Positive, enthusiastic and calm demeanor that conveys openness, curiosity and decisiveness
• Successful use of transcultural, cross-disciplinary and non-linear approaches
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills for a wide range of stakeholders and colleagues from different cultural and social backgrounds, varying ages, language skills, and physical abilities that utilizes high-level emotional intelligence
• Knowledge of exhibition installation (including ADA compliance) and maintenance materials, tools, and methods
• Knowledge and understanding of museum ethics and principles, especially with regard to issues of provenance
• Demonstrable experience in museum digital engagement, as well as staff and budget oversight
• Comfortable with frequent interactions with individuals including donors/VIPs, faculty, students, press, and other museum professionals
• Strong writing, presentation and public speaking skills and effective communication, organizational, and time-management skills
• Forward thinking and innovative and willing to experiment
• English language fluency; Spanish or Korean fluency is a plus.

Minimum Technology Skills

• Computers (and Office Suite software) and phone
• Camera/video a plus as is experience with Collector Systems, a collection management software or a similar software platform.

Salary Range

$60,900-$109,600

Position Is Located In

Auburn, Alabama

EEO Statement

Auburn University is committed to an inclusive and diverse campus environment. Women, underrepresented groups, individuals with disabilities and veterans are encouraged to apply.AUBURN UNIVERSITY IS AN AFFIRMATIVE ACTION/EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER. It is our

policy to provide equal employment opportunities for all individuals without regard to race, sex, religion, color, national origin, age, disability, protected veteran status, genetic information, sexual orientation, gender identity, or any other classification protected by applicable law.