Curating.info

The MOCA Cleveland Assistant Curator supports the museum's ambitious exhibitions program with immediate focus on exhibition planning for MOCA's new building opening in the Fall of 2012. 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, writing and editing exhibition-related copy, and fundraising activities. In addition, the Assistant Curator also may 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 help coordinate shipping of artwork
Obtain 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 MOCA publications and website
May independently organize original exhibitions of varying size and scope, depending on experience
Provide general curatorial support for the Chief Curator, Associate Curator and guest curators

Communication responsibilities:

Help create, coordinate, and edit exhibition descriptions and didactic materials including gallery guides, wall text, labels, newsletter and website content, and catalog text.
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 MOCA 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 Director of Education to plan and coordinate public programs related to exhibitions
Coordinate logistical needs for artist/curator visits, including arranging honoraria, travel, lodging, meals, and any event-related logistics.

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:

Working with Registrar, provide logistical and administrative coordination of exhibitions, including traveling exhibitions
Working with Registrar maintain master exhibition schedule, descriptions, checklists, credit lines
Maintain MOCA’s master colleague and artist mailing lists
Oversee records management for curatorial department
Working with Registrar updates and maintains exhibitions and loans database
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 organizational skills; ability to coordinate complicated projects and manage multiple and diverse tasks simultaneously; ability to follow through and meet deadlines
In-depth knowledge and enthusiasm for contemporary visual art, artists, museums and exhibitions.
Ability to take initiative and prioritize tasks; excellent time-management, problem-prevention and problem-solving skills
Strong interpersonal skills, including the ability to work with colleagues, artists, the public, Board, donors and volunteers;
Comfortable working both independently and collaboratively in a fast paced, team-oriented environment.
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

Required experience and education:

Master's degree in Art History or related discipline with emphasis on contemporary visual culture
2 years recognized curatorial experience preferred, particularly 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
This is a full time position with occasional evenings or weekend time commitments for exhibition installation, program and special event management and participation.

Please send cover letter, resume, and two writing samples, one under 500 words and one under 2000 words, to Christina Eagleeye-Wilson at cwilson (at) mocacleveland.org.

Or mail to:
MOCA Cleveland
8501 Carnegie Ave.
Cleveland, OH 44106
216.421.8671 x31

Deadline for applying is July 29, 2011.

For more information please visit http://www.mocacleveland.org/jobopps.php