Director of Exhibitions and Curatorial Initiatives

The American Federation of Arts (AFA) is looking for a Director of Exhibitions & Curatorial Initiatives (DECI) to lead and grow our traveling exhibitions program. This role involves leading a curatorial team and collaborating with outside curators, museums, and other stakeholders nationally and internationally to create and travel exhibitions. This position is key to developing exhibitions that reflect the evolving museum landscape and meet the expectations of today's audiences.

General Duties and Responsibilities:

• Demonstrate a commitment to advancing the AFA’s mission to expand access to art
• Lead an exhibitions/curatorial department of curators and other key staff to set goals and produce exhibitions in a fast-paced high energy environment;
• Build and maintain an environment of excellence and team spirit;
• Develop new travelling exhibitions and publications utilizing partnerships with guest curators, institutions, and private collections;
• Secure venues for exhibition tours;
• Lead effective planning meetings and attend venue exhibition openings nationally and internationally;
• Communicate across departments to ensure stakeholders have what is needed for donor cultivation, funding proposals, marketing efforts, social media, website, etc.;
• Lead teams of  guest curators and co-organizers to shape exhibitions and prepare and finalize exhibition materials, including illustrated checklists, project descriptions, and didactic materials;
• Work closely with the Director of Registration to establish and monitor exhibition timelines and budgets;
• Liaise with leadership and curatorial staff at partner museums and respond to issues related to curatorial content of exhibition and installation as required.

  Qualifications:

• Strong interpersonal and diplomatic skills with the ability to network and collaborate effectively;
• 5-7 years of senior-level experience leading and managing teams;
• Proven management and administrative skills to establish efficient processes and teams;
• Experience managing complex projects;
• Strong financial acumen and ability to create and manage complex budgets along with proficiency in Excel;
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills; confident public speaker, salesperson, and effective relationship builder;
• Exceptional organizational skills and initiative, a multi-tasker with the ability to oversee complex projects and schedules, maintain deadlines, work within budgets, set priorities, and manage the curatorial team responsible for multiple projects simultaneously;
• Strategic and creative problem-solving skills to achieve goals under pressure;
• Experience working with exhibitions and/or collections is required;
• Minimum five years in a museum or art-related setting with curatorial experience in exhibitions, staff management, budgeting, and sponsorship;
• M.A. or above in art history and/or related field preferred
• An established network of curators and institutions nationally and internationally is a plus;
• Experience in fundraising and donor relations a plus.

Salary: Competitive salary and benefits package; $125,000 -$150,000 commensurate with experience

Hybrid environment

To apply, submit a cover letter and resume, by February 20, 2025, to hr@amfedarts.org