Position: Kemper Assistant Curator of Collections and Academic Affairs
Application deadline: 11 April 2022
Institution: The Davis Museum, Wellesley College, Wellesley, MA, USA
Job Description
The Davis Museum seeks a resourceful, enthusiastic, and steadfast Kemper Assistant Curator of Collections and Academic Affairs to serve as a liaison between the Museum and the academic community at Wellesley College. The successful candidate will have a deep commitment to object-based learning, interdisciplinary collaboration, and innovative approaches to the presentation and interpretation of original works of art.
Supervised by the Sonja Novak Koerner ’51 Senior Curator/Assistant Director of Curatorial Affairs, the position will focus mainly on engaging faculty and students from the arts, humanities, and sciences with the permanent collections at the Davis—through inventive cross-disciplinary projects, programs, and exhibitions. The Kemper Assistant/Associate Curator will spearhead and steward collaborative, collections-based projects and exhibitions that incorporate faculty research and teaching interests.
The Kemper Assistant Curator will facilitate creative use of the Davis collections by faculty and students across disciplines, increasing access to and engagement with original works of art; conceptualize, plan, and organize collaborative projects and exhibitions; schedule class visits; research and write about the Davis’s collections and participate in the acquisitions process; produce gallery didactics; offer gallery talks and class sessions; participate in events and outreach efforts; and supervise interns and student workers.
An integral member of the curatorial team, the Kemper Assistant Curator will work closely with staff in all areas of the Davis Museum’s operations, with faculty and students across disciplines, and with campus administrative staff. The successful candidate will align closely with the Davis Museum’s values of diversity, equity, accessibility and inclusion, excellence and innovation, and will bring strong commitment to the academic mission of the institution.
Requirements
Ph.D. in art history is required, with three to five years of relevant museum experience. The ideal candidate will have scholarly specialization in an area germane to the Davis Museum’s collections, a generalist’s enthusiasm and range of interests, and demonstrable knowledge of professional museum practices. The search committee would especially welcome scholars specializing in the arts of Asia and/or Asian Diasporas. To be successful, the candidate should possess a strong commitment to the unique orientation of the academic museum and to the educational mission of the Davis.
The position requires excellent oral and written communication skills, the ability to collaborate effectively and collegially, as well as to manage multiple projects and deadlines independently. Proficiency in a digital environment required. Availability on some evenings and weekends and some travel required; other duties as assigned.
About the Davis
One of the oldest and most acclaimed academic art museums in the United States, the Davis is at the core of Wellesley’s mission to educate young women for the world. A dynamic force in the intellectual, pedagogical and social life of the campus, the Davis also engages an expanded regional, national, and international community through innovative special exhibitions and enriching public programs.
The Davis collections of some 15,000 objects span global history from antiquity to the present and include masterpieces from almost every continent. Open to all, the holdings are housed in an extraordinary museum building, designed by Rafael Moneo, winner of the Pritzker Architecture Prize. In addition to dynamic presentations of the permanent collections, and installations that support specific coursework and research interests, the Davis hosts a rotating series of engaging temporary exhibitions and programs—all guided by values of inclusion, excellence, innovation, and access.
Review of Applications begins on April 11, 2022. All employees hired after August 2, 2021 are required to upload proof of vaccination against COVID-19, subject to approved medical or religious exemptions or disability accommodations.
For more information, please visit the website.
