Associate Curator Title: Associate Curator
Department: Curatorial
Type: Full-time exempt position, with some evenings and weekends
Salary: Commensurate to experience
Reports to: Chief Curator
Organization: Bellevue Arts Museum Bellevue Arts Museum
Bellevue Arts Museum provides a public forum for the community to contemplate, appreciate, and discuss visual culture. We work with audiences, artists, makers, and designers to understand our shared experience of the world. Description Bellevue Arts Museum is seeking an Associate Curator to assist the Curatorial Team with exhibition conception, research, planning, design, coordination, and execution. The ideal candidate will have a proven experience in curation and in exhibition design, coordination, and project management, preferably in a museum environment. The candidate should also have excellent interpersonal skills, communication skills, and strong attention to detail, as well as the ability to multi-task, solve problems, think creatively, and prioritize in a fastpaced environment.
Essential Duties and Responsibilities
Work with Chief Curator and Curatorial Team on exhibition research, planning, design, and execution
Conceive and coordinate exhibitions that advance the Museum’s mission
Initiate and maintain contact with artists, galleries, and other relevant parties
Manage exhibition proposals submitted to the museum. In particular: o Manages the stages of discussion and decision-making for each proposal o In collaboration with Curatorial Team, assesses budgets for each exhibition o Manages exhibition contracts with artists and other institutions, serving as liaison for the Museum
Coordinate with Registrar and Chief Preparator on installation schedules and technical requirements as directed by exhibition designs
With Registrar, prepare loan paperwork, draft contracts, manage contract negotiation process, and track correspondence with partnering institutions
Manage production schedule of gallery guides in coordination with Curatorial and Marketing Teams
Prepare exhibition graphics and didactic materials in coordination with Marketing Team
Manage the annual exhibitions schedule, communicating it effectively to other Museum Teams
With Chief Curator, Registrar, and Chief Preparator, develop and manage the Curatorial Team’s annual budget
Download, edit, and organize digital images for internal archive purposes.
Maintain a current working knowledge of and connection to the field, discipline, and arts community through interactions; gallery and studio tours; attendance of local, regional, and national events; publications; professional memberships; workshops; and conferences
Engage the community and act as a public liaison for the Museum (offering tours, giving lectures, interacting with other organizations, artists, collectors, donors, students, press, etc.)
Participate in defining policies, objectives, strategies, and goals within Curatorial Team
General administrative duties as required, including periodic supervision of interns
Perform work on weekends and evenings as needed to meet applicable deadlines
Other duties as assigned, including work on the BAM annual fund-raising gala
Supervisory Responsibilities
Keep Chief Curator appraised of Curatorial Team’s day-to-day
Qualifications
To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required. Education/Experience: Bachelor’s degree required. Master’s degree (M. A.) preferred. 2+ years related experience and/or training (or equivalent combination of education and experience) is also required.
Prior experience and/or current skills must include:
Proven experience in curating and in exhibition design, coordination, and project management, preferably in a museum environment
Excellent interpersonal skills and demonstrated ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships, both one-on-one and in a team situation, and a commitment to collaboration
Ability to communicate effectively and in a professional manner, both verbally and in writing
Self-directed; able to take initiative and anticipate actions as needed
Attention to detail and ability to conceptualize steps involved in implementing programs as well as to see the big picture
Ability to multi-task and prioritize in a fast-paced environment
Ability to solve practical problems and deal with a variety of concrete variables in situations where only limited standardization exists
Ability to interpret a variety of instructions provided in written, oral, diagram, or schedule form
Must be organized, accurate, with high attention to detail
Ability to think creatively and bring new ideas to the table
Must be reliable and have the ability to meet deadlines and commitments
