Senior Curator

Company Name: 

Georgia O'Keeffe Museum

Address: 

217 Johnson St
Santa Fe, NM 87501

Job Description: 

 

Senior Curator

Georgia O'Keeffe Museum
Santa Fe, NM

 

Overview

The Georgia O'Keeffe Museum seeks a dynamic thought leader to join at a pivotal moment as they build a new Museum campus. The Senior Curator will envision and realize an intensely compelling exhibition program to contextualize and illuminate O'Keeffe's timeless relevance.

About the Museum

The Georgia O'Keeffe Museum celebrates the art, life, and independent spirit of Georgia O'Keeffe. Since 1997, the Georgia O'Keeffe Museum offers insight not only into the artist's paintings, but also her creative process and the light and landscape that inspired her. In addition to the main Museum campus in Santa Fe, the O'Keeffe Museum maintains O'Keeffe's two homes in northern New Mexico, a Research Center and Library, and a variety of collections relating to O'Keeffe and modern art.

The Museum's collections of over 3,000 works comprises 140 O'Keeffe oil paintings, nearly 700 drawings, and objects from O'Keeffe's personal ephemera. Throughout the year, visitors can see a changing selection of these works. In addition, the Museum presents exhibitions that are either devoted entirely to O'Keeffe's work or combine examples of her art with works by her American modernist contemporaries.

Educational programs at the Museum serve more than 7,100 students and adults per year with a robust slate of workshops, lectures, conversations, and classroom activities.

Position Summary

The Georgia O'Keeffe Museum seeks an ambitious and innovative curatorial leader to join the Museum at an incredibly exciting moment in the organization's history. As they prepare to open a dramatically expanded new museum building in 2026, the Senior Curator will have the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to launch a new exhibition program to support dedicated changing exhibition galleries and lead the reinstallation of collection installations in a suite of galleries dedicated to the artist's art and life. This key employee will have broad responsibility for shaping the exhibitions, collections, publications, and intellectual voice of the Museum.

Since opening in 1997 with a focus on the art and life of Georgia O'Keeffe, the Museum's collections have grown exponentially. Twenty-six years later, they are on the threshold of a significant expansion to accommodate growing collections and audience demand. The expansion project includes a brand new, purpose-built building with beautiful collection galleries, dedicated changing exhibition space, and new collections storage and care facilities. The new Museum will be the heart of a redesigned campus linking galleries, public programming spaces, a beautifully designed garden, the Research Center hosting our Library & Archive, and staff workspaces.

The Museum is in Santa Fe, New Mexico, a vibrant, diverse, cultural hub full of museums, art and performance spaces, and galleries surrounded by the stunning landscapes and vistas for which the region is famous. The Museum also cares for O'Keeffe's two New Mexico homes at Abiquiú and Ghost Ranch, roughly an hour northwest of Santa Fe.

The Museum seeks a dynamic leader and collaborator to join the Museum as they redesign the campus, the galleries, and the organization itself. The Senior Curator will have the opportunity to work with a diverse team who brings both innovation and experience to every project. The person in this role will build and bring to life an intensely compelling exhibition program to contextualize and illuminate O'Keeffe's timeless relevance through a variety of lenses and dialogs, including artists of her time and our own.

Core Competencies

While it is understood that no one candidate will bring every desired skill, characteristic, and experience, the following offers a reflection of the ideal candidate profile:

• Significant experience developing, organizing, and installing original and innovative exhibitions with a visitor-centered approach.
• Familiarity with the art and life of Georgia O'Keeffe, other artists of the Stieglitz Circle, and American modern art, with an interest in exploring the subject further, developing personal expertise, and advancing research.
• Curiosity, creativity, flexibility, and an agile mind comfortable with problem solving in a dynamic environment.
• Collaborative working style; work well within and across teams.
• Compelling oral and written communication skills. Advanced public speaking skills and comfort delivering engaging public presentations, leading tours for members, guest, and donors, and representing the museum with members of the press and public.
• Ability to forge and maintain effective working relationships within organization as well as with representatives of public and private organizations.
• Proven ability to cultivate lenders, collectors, donors, and dealers.
• Experience working with interpretive planners and incorporating audience research and evaluation feedback highly desirable.
• Excellent planning and organization skills, coupled with sound judgment.
• A strong sense of public purpose and a clear understanding of professional ethics.
• Familiarity with best practices in the care and handling of fine art and other collections objects.
• Experience supervising staff.
• Willingness to participate in evening and weekend activities, and a commitment to community involvement.

Qualifications

• MA or PhD in Art History, American Studies, Museum Studies, or a closely related field.
• At least five to seven years of curatorial experience in roles of comparable and increasing responsibility. Experience with organizing exhibitions leveraging a national network of curators and other museum colleagues, artists, collectors, and dealers desirable.
• Record of exhibitions, publications, or other evidence of developing successful cultural projects.

Salary and Benefits

Salary range is $90,000-$120,000 based on experience.

This position is eligible for our full benefits package including medical, dental, vision, Life Insurance and Short/Long Term disability, 403b retirement plan with employer match, museum membership, retail store discount, Employee Assistance Program, PTO, Paid Holidays and more.

Contact

Koya Partners, the executive search firm that specializes in mission-driven search, has been exclusively retained for this engagement, with Naree Viner and Tenley Bank of Koya Partners leading the search team. To express interest in this role please submit your materials to our online talent portal, or email Tenley directly at tbank@koyapartners.com. All inquiries and discussions will be considered strictly confidential.

Koya Partners is committed to providing reasonable accommodation to individuals living with disabilities. If you are a qualified individual living with a disability and need assistance expressing interest online, please email NonprofitSearchOps@divsearch.com. If you are selected for an interview, you will receive additional information regarding how to request an accommodation for the interview process.

About Koya Partners

Koya Partners, a part of Diversified Search Group, is a leading executive search and strategic advising firm dedicated to connecting exceptionally talented people with mission-driven clients. Our founding philosophy— The Right Person in the Right Place Can Change the World—guides our work as we partner with nonprofits & NGOs, institutions of higher education, responsible businesses, and social enterprises in local communities and around the world.

Copyright ©2022 Jobelephant.com Inc. All rights reserved.

Posted by the FREE value-added recruitment advertising agency

jeid-25518fafcc116a47b8ffd45397824cc9