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The Contemporary Art Museum St. Louis (CAM) is seeking a dynamic Assistant Curator to support the needs of its ambitious exhibitions program. Reporting directly to the Chief Curator, the Assistant Curator will be responsible for a variety of curatorial and administrative tasks including exhibition research and planning, maintenance of master exhibition records, coordination of catalogs and didactic materials, and fundraising activities. In addition, the Assistant Curator will have lead responsibility for coordinating several ongoing exhibition and artist programs, including the Front Room, Great Rivers Biennial exhibition, Flat Files, and City-Wide Open Studios, and may also have the opportunity to independently curate original exhibitions.

Exhibition responsibilities:

Conduct curatorial research for exhibitions and publications
Work with artists, collectors, colleagues, and the museum registrar to secure loans and arrange shipping of artwork
Obtains all necessary permissions for images and maintain accurate credit lines
Maintain accurate exhibition checklists, image files, funder credit lines, lenders, and other exhibition details; ensure accuracy of information on all CAM publications and website
Coordinate several ongoing curatorial programs, including the Front Room, Great Rivers Biennial exhibition, Flat Files, and City-Wide Open Studios
May independently organize original exhibitions of varying size and scope, depending on experience
Provide general curatorial support for the Chief Curator, Director, and guest curators

Communication responsibilities:

Help prepare and edit exhibition descriptions and didactic materials including gallery guides, wall text, labels, website content, and catalogs.
Work with Education, Development and Public Relations staff to prepare and edit materials to promote, publicize, and interpret exhibitions and related public programs
Gather and write exhibition-related information pertinent to grant applications, final reports, and other institutional needs
Coordinate writing and editing process with CAM staff in other departments to meet all deadlines.
Assist Chief Curator and Director in preparing communication materials for Board of Directors or other needs

Programming responsibilities:

Work with Manager of Public Programs to plan and coordinate public programs related to exhibitions
Work closely with the Museum Educator to foster integration of exhibitions into education and outreach programs
Coordinate all logistical needs for artist/curator visits, including arranging honoraria, travel, lodging, meals, and necessary equipment

Financial responsibilities:

Participate in various fundraising efforts, both specific to exhibition programs and more general museum-wide initiatives
Work with the Chief Curator to develop and monitor the curatorial department budget, including revenue and expenses

Administrative responsibilities:

Provide logistical and administrative coordination of exhibitions, including traveling exhibitions
Maintain CAM's master exhibition schedule, descriptions, checklists, credit lines
Maintain CAM's master colleague and artist mailing lists
Maintain the museum's curatorial archives, both in paper and web formats
Obtain and oversee copyright permission, ISBN numbers, Library of Congress, and distribution records for publications
Oversee interns and volunteers for the curatorial department
Other duties as assigned.

Job Requirements

Core Competencies:

Excellent organization skills; ability to coordinate complicated projects and manage multiple and diverse tasks simultaneously; ability to follow through and meet deadlines
Ability to take initiative and prioritize tasks; excellent time-management, problem-prevention and problem-solving skills
Ability to work with close attention to detail and to maintain confidentiality
Ability to represent the museum with a high level of integrity and professionalism, adhere to museum policies and support management decisions in a positive, professional manner
In-depth knowledge and enthusiasm for contemporary visual art, artists, museums and exhibitions.
Good interpersonal skills, including the ability to work with colleagues, artists, the public, Board, donors and volunteers.
Comfortable working in a fast paced, team oriented environment.

Required experience and education:

Master's degree in Art History or related discipline with emphasis on contemporary visual culture
Recognized curatorial experience, preferably in a museum context
Superb verbal and written communication skills
Demonstrated art historical research experience and proficiency
Demonstrated proficiency with and accuracy in using computer programs, including Word, Excel and PowerPoint
A commitment to presenting and interpreting contemporary art to diverse audiences

How to apply

To apply, please email a cover letter and resume as one document with the subject line: Assistant Curator Application to Chief Curator Dominic Molon at dmolon (at) camstl.org. Email only; no phone calls or packages.

www.camstl.org