William and Sarah Ross Soter Assistant/Associate Curator of Photography

Job Title: William and Sarah Ross Soter Assistant/Associate Curator of Photography

Department: Curatorial

Reports to: Deputy Director for Curatorial Affairs

Supervises: Volunteers & Interns as needed

FLSA Status: Full-time, Regular, Exempt

Work Schedule: Monday – Friday, 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM plus additional hours as needed

Salary range: $65,000--$75,000            ______________________________________________________________________

About the Columbus Museum of Art:

The Columbus Museum of Art’s mission is to create great experiences with great art for everyone. Guided by a vision to connect people and art, CMA nurtures that relationship, and attempts to remove barriers between our community and its museum.

CMA’s collection includes outstanding examples of late nineteenth and early twentieth-century American and European works of modern art, represented primarily by the collections of Ferdinand Howald and Howard D. and Babette L. Sirak. These important collections are joined by significant holdings of the New York Photo League, as well as the Philip and Suzanne Schiller Collection of American Social Commentary Art and the Scantland Collection of contemporary art. In October 2015, the museum unveiled an extensive 50,000 square foot renovation. This major overhaul featured construction of the Margaret M. Walter Wing, the upper galleries of which showcase the museum’s postwar and contemporary collections.

Since 2019, the museum has organized an off-site program of contemporary exhibitions at The Pizzuti, an 18,000 square foot facility located in the Short North neighborhood, which was gifted by Ann and Ron Pizzuti in late 2018. CMA also operates the Aminah Robinson Legacy Project which encompasses an artist residency program for U.S.-based visual artists and writers located in the former home of the late artist Aminah Robinson. Through its Art in Public Spaces (APS) program, the museum actively lends works from its permanent collection to city and state governmental institutions, including the Ohio Statehouse and Franklin County Courthouse, among others.

Position Summary:

The Assistant/Associate Curator of Photography will lead the museum’s efforts to steward, expand, and reinterpret its collection of photography and lens-based art, while building a rigorous and dynamic program of exhibitions relating to these media. Since the 1960s, the museum has established a national reputation for its support of socially engaged photography—first through a gift of 138 photographs, including works by Walker Evans and Edward Weston, from Richard M. and Elizabeth M. Ross in 1991, followed by the museum’s purchase of the Photo League Collection in 2001. Over the past decade, CMA has launched several major exhibitions of historical and contemporary photography, which now represents the fastest growing area of its permanent collection.

Reporting to the Deputy Director for Curatorial Affairs, the Assistant/Associate Curator of Photography will take responsibility for all facets related to photography and lens-based art, bringing to this work connoisseurship skills, scholarly expertise, experience in collections development, and a strong ability to develop major exhibition projects and publications.  Candidates with expertise in areas of specialization underrepresented in American museums are encouraged to apply. The curator will work effectively with colleagues in overlapping areas of interest and expertise, especially modern and contemporary art.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities:

• With the Executive Director and Deputy Director for Curatorial Affairs, develop and implement a robust and dynamic program that promotes scholarship in the field and aligns with CMA’s mission and strategic goals.
• Identify and recommend works to be acquired for the collection and provide supporting documentation to justify their acquisition by gift or purchase.
• Conduct and publish scholarly research of the collection and the field of photography and lens-based art, including essays, catalogues, gallery didactics, guided tours, etc.
• Assist members of the registrarial team in maintaining accurate information on works in the permanent collection.
• Conceptualize, develop, and organize a broad range of engaging and ambitious exhibitions related to photography and related fields.
• Actively seek tour venues and partners for CMA organized exhibitions.
• In collaboration with the curatorial department, oversee exhibition budgets, installation design and publications; coordinate exhibition details including correspondence, checklists, documentary materials, text panels and extended label copy as well as facilitating marketing and communications materials.
• Serve as the museum’s primary liaison for exhibitions related to photography organized by guest curators or outside exhibition partners.
• Work with members of the learning and engagement department on various methods for interpreting works in the collection and exhibitions.
• Provide training for docents and select staff.
• Lecture and lead formal and informal tours of the museum’s collections.
• Assist colleagues with the coordination of The Contemporaries, an affinity group that supports acquisitions of contemporary art for the museum’s collection.
• Cultivate and steward collectors, artists, members, potential donors, and members of the community to help grow the collection.
• Represent the museum in professional organizations, conferences and other public forums.
• The Assistant/Associate Curator of Photography shall attend one professional conference annually (domestic travel) plus an additional professional development opportunity, in order to increase the national and international profile of the museum’s collection.
• Keep abreast of trends within the art market as well as exhibitions and major acquisitions made nationally and internationally as they relate to the museum’s collection and exhibitions.
• Attend meetings related to the photography program including board of trustee meetings, committee and staff meetings, as needed.
• Serve as courier to oversee works of art loaned to national and international exhibitions, as needed.

Qualifications:

• Master’s Degree required, PhD preferred, and/or commensurate experience.
• 3-5 years previous museum or comparable arts organization experience.
• Proven scholarly achievement in the field of photography, including original research and critical inquiry in publications, exhibitions, and public speaking.
• Strong commitment to values of diversity, equity, access, and inclusion.
• Must be willing to travel by land or air for collections and exhibition development, to courier works of art and to attend museum and/or professional conferences.
• A valid driver’s license is required.
• Must be willing to work evenings and weekends as needed.

Other Qualities:

The William and Sarah Ross Soter Assistant/Associate Curator of Photography is expected to be:

• professional and discreet in the performance of their duties.
• self-starting, well-organized, tactful, innovative, and capable of multitasking to meet deadlines.
• efficient and accurate in their work.
• a team player and collaborator who works well with a variety of staff and volunteers.
• a skilled communicator.
• comfortable working with collectors, donors, artists, and the academic community.
• willing to take on additional responsibilities as needed.

Go to https://www.columbusmuseum.org/about-cma/job-opportunities/ to view open opportunities and apply!