Western Spirit:Scottsdale's Museum of the West                                                         

Chief Curator

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The Chief Curator performs specialized, professional work involving the vision, care, selection, presentation, and interpretation of works of art; supervises installation; performs research; meets with collection owners, artists, boards, and the public concerning art acquisition, care, and the stories it will provide for our guests.

About the Museum

Opened in January 2015, the Museum is housed in an architecturally distinctive and LEED Gold certified building built in the heart of Old Scottdale’s arts district. The building, exhibits and programs are presented with a mission to boldly immerse Museum visitors in the unique story of the American West. Its vision is to celebrate the West by offering world-class exhibitions, educational programs, and community outreach. It seeks to address regional history, particularly as reflected by the art and the dynamic cultural exchanges that have marked the transition of the Old West into the New West. TripAdvisor, Facebook, and Yahoo rank it as a 4.5 visitor experience and True West Magazine has recently named Western Spirit the #1 Western Museum in the United States. The potential is great for the Museum with Scottsdale visited by more than 11 million people annually.

The Museum’s exhibits include first-rate works of art including sculpture, paintings, photographs, and other western artifacts in the Museum’s seven major galleries within its 43,000-square foot, award-winning designed building. Plans are underway for an additional 11,000 square feet of gallery space and the groundbreaking took place on January 10, 2024, with completion scheduled in the fall of 2025. The Museum expects to add several major collections of western art and artifacts during 2024 including the highly acclaimed Eddie Basha Western Art Collection. The City of Scottsdale owns the museum’s building, and the Museum is operated under a long-term management agreement with the City.

The Museum is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization and a Smithsonian Affiliate museum. 

The Museum’s web site can be found at https://scottsdalemuseumwest.org/

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS AND RESPONSIBILITIES

• Create the vision for the thematic layout of the Museum’s artwork without showing preference to any political viewpoint or philosophy.
• Implement western art exhibitions, including loan exhibitions. Plan, research, propose and meet budget, schedule, design and produce catalogues for these exhibitions. Provide appropriate exhibition information for funding and publicity. Prepare budget recommendations and cost estimates for specialized programs; review and approve expenditures.

• Provide research and information on Western art for the museum files, publicity, publications, and educational programs. Advise staff and Collections Committee on the quality, importance and relative value of gifts and proposed purchases of art.
• Participate in the Museum’s educational programs through lectures to the Docents, other organizations, and schools. Provide special groups with Museum tours and serve as a guide to Museum members on art-related trips. Promote the Museum’s educational and cultural goals at professional association meetings and other outside activities. 
• Assist the Registrar in shipment and conservation. Attend regular curatorial meetings to help coordinate exhibition schedules, budgeting, and staff allocation necessary to complete activities.
• Train, supervise, and coordinates activities of fellow teammates and volunteers.
• Other duties as assigned.

QUALIFICATIONS

Knowledge of:

• Art museums and their role in the educational and cultural life of the community.
• Organization and practices of a modern art museum, including budgeting, purchasing, administration, supervision, and performance evaluation.
• Art history; thorough knowledge of Western Art (including indigenous art).
• The functioning of the art market.

Skills in:

• Effective oral and written presentation.
• Techniques in presentation, selection, evaluation, preservation, and conservation of works of art.
• Soliciting donations of art and funds.
• Use of computers and computer applications and software.
• Grant writing.

Ability to:

• Initiate, plan, coordinate, supervise, and evaluate various activities of an art museum.
• Prepare clear, concise, and comprehensive reports and correspondence.
• Prepare budget recommendations.
• Establish and maintain effective working relationships with other Museums, Co-Trustees, community groups, artists, and employees.
• Supervise, train, and evaluate subordinates.

EXPERIENCE AND EDUCATION

Any combination of education and experience that would provide the required knowledge and abilities is qualifying. A typical way to obtain the knowledge and abilities would be:

Experience:

Minimum of six years of professional curatorial experience in a museum or art gallery, with at least three of the six years serving in a supervisory capacity.

Education:

Candidates should have a Ph.D. or be working on a Ph.D. in a related subject or relevant equivalent experience and publications. A minimum of six years of curatorial experience, a distinguished body of publications and exhibitions or/and gallery development, experience working with donors, collectors, Board members, volunteers and members of the public, and strong administrative skills are all requirements.

WORK SCHEDULE

The work schedule generally is Monday through Friday, 9:00am – 5:00pm. The Museum’s open schedule is all 7 days from October through April and a flexible work schedule or additional work hours may be necessary to meet the requirements of this job position, which could encompass evening hours and weekend work because of the pivotal events the Museum is offering. The responsibilities and required interactions of this position are not conducive to virtual work arrangements.

PHYSICAL DEMANDS

The work environment characteristics described here are representative of those a Chief Curator encounters while performing the essential functions of the role:

Climate controlled art museum with display galleries, standard offices, museum shop, and other non-public spaces. Work is performed primarily indoors and occasionally outdoors at the Museum, however there will be occasions where work is performed outside the Museum in public spaces such as restaurants, event venues, private homes, offices, and meeting rooms.

While performing the duties of this job, the employee is frequently required to receive oral and written instructions in English and to clearly communicate in English in person, over the telephone, through email and through other electronic means. The employee is required to move about their work area, between galleries and storage areas, ascend and descend stairs; and stand and/or sit for extended periods of time. The employee is occasionally required to lift, drag and/or move up to 15 pounds unassisted. The employee is required to identify, observe, and assess visually and comply with Museum health and safety-related protocols.

Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable qualified individuals with different abilities to perform the essential functions to the extent that Western Spirit may do so without undue hardship. The term “qualified individual with different abilities ” means an individual who with or without reasonable accommodation can perform the essential functions of the position.

REPORTING RELATIONSHIPS

Reports to Museum’s CEO/Executive Director

SALARY

The salary range for this position is $95,000 - $125,000 based on experience.

BENEFITS

The Museum provides a comprehensive program of benefits that includes:

• Paid time-off and holidays
• Medical, dental & vision insurance
• Short Term/Long Term Disability insurances
• Retirement Plan

INTERESTED APPLICANTS:

We are committed to an inclusive workplace and actively seek to employ a diverse group of people who embody our organizational values. We welcome and encourage individuals of all backgrounds to apply and are proud to be an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to age, ancestry, color, disability, ethnicity, familial status, gender identity and/or expression, genetic information, marital status, national origin, race, religion, sex (including pregnancy), sexual orientation, veteran status, or any other protected status.

TO APPLY:

Please send a resume and cover letter addressed to Shannon Barrett, Director of Human Resources at sbarrett@westernspirit.org. Submissions will be reviewed and considered as received.