Curator

INTRODUCTION
The Curator is a senior professional position at the Gadsden Arts Center & Museum, located in Quincy, Florida, 20 miles northwest of the state capital of Tallahassee. Accredited by the American Alliance of Museums in 2016, Gadsden Arts is a unique provider of historically significant art exhibitions and free Art for Children education programs for the region. Gadsden Arts also represents hundreds of contemporary artists from the region every year through small exhibitions, the annual Art in Gadsden juried exhibition, Artists Guild, and Fletcher Museum Shop. The organization is known for its warm, welcoming culture, strong volunteer engagement, and widespread community support.

GACM MISSION, VISION, & VALUES
Mission
Gadsden Arts inspires the exploration, understanding, and appreciation of the visual arts to enrich life for everyone, bringing people together and contributing to cultural and economic vitality in our community.

Vision
An innovative arts center and museum that endures, alive with art experiences for every individual of the community, and widely acclaimed for its excellence and positive impact.

Values
• Welcoming all people, and bringing people together
• Involving community members as essential to our success
• Providing culturally and historically important exhibitions of art
• Promoting art education as vital to the full intellectual and social development of children and youth
• Enriching life for families, adults, and seniors through engaging art experiences
• Providing facilities and programs that are accessible for all
• Preserving and interpreting art of the American South
• Promoting the artistic production of our region
• Supporting community cultural activities
• Playing a central role in community revitalization

THE CURATOR POSITION
The Curator is a full-time professional position that reports to the Executive Director with primary responsibilities in the areas of Exhibitions and the Permanent Collection, and additional responsibilities in collection and exhibition-related events, programming, marketing, facilities, and fundraising.

Curator Primary Duties
1. Exhibitions
o Research and organize or borrow culturally and historically significant exhibitions (2-3 per year), working 3 years in advance
o Manage all aspects of exhibitions and support related programs, events, and marketing activities
o Invite exhibition applications from established artists and artists’ groups, process applications, and manage 10-12 local and regional exhibitions per year
o Lead or support planning and implementation of exhibition-related programs, presentations, and events in collaboration with the Museum Educator, Executive Director, and Museum Assistants
o Recruit and supervise departmental volunteers, interns, part-time staff, and contract preparators for exhibitions and collections
o Apply policies related to all departmental activities, and make policy recommendations
o Organize the GACM Exhibitions Committee and work with them to carry out their duties
o Manage routine maintenance of galleries
o Maintain a history (list) of all GACM exhibitions
o Provide updated exhibition content for the GACM website and publicity

2. Collection
o Manage all aspects of the GACM Permanent Collection including the collection mission and policies, object files, collection database, collection online, accessions, de-accessions, the annual Permanent Collection exhibition, donor relations, prospective gifts to the collections, storage, conservation, and collection loans
o Supervise maintenance and improvements of collections storage and art receiving areas
o Organize the GACM Collections Committee and work with them to carry out their duties
o Provide updated exhibition content for the GACM website and publicity

2. Marketing Support
o Assist with the development of marketing content for press releases, e-newsletters, website, print publications, and social media, and review all content pre-distribution

3. Development Support
o Attend and support all museum development, collection, and exhibition-related events
o Assist with exhibition and collection-related fundraising activities
o Assist with the annual Week with the Arts fundraiser and its Collect Art Auction
o Manage Museum Shop meetings and correspondence with represented artists

QUALIFICATIONS & COMPENSATION
Curator Required Qualifications
o Passionate interest in American art, and in engaging people of all ages with art
o Bachelor’s degree in a related area of study
o 2+ years curatorial experience (internships and fellowships accepted)
o Experience handling art
o Physical ability to move art–must be able to lift 40 pounds and spend long hours standing and walking. Physical ability to implement gallery prep and installation.
o Proficient in MS Office Suite and strong computer skills
o A reliable team player
o Strong research and writing skills
o Strong presentation and public speaking skills
o Strong interpersonal communication and customer service skills
o Strong planning and organizational skills, and attention to detail
o Must have excellent command of spoken and written English, able to generate content in English for broad audiences
o Available for evening and weekend events
o Available to travel 1-3 times per year
o Exemplifies GACM’s values and follows GACM’s code of ethics
o Must pass a Level II background check

Curator Preferred Qualifications
o 2+ years curatorial experience in an AAM Accredited museum
o Master’s degree in a related field of study
o Experience working with traveling exhibitions of art
o Experience administering grants
o A strong network of art museum colleagues
o A strong record of exhibitions and publications
o Experience with collections database software, and/or Adobe Creative Suite

Compensation
o Salary range $42,000 – $57,000 annually, per with qualifications and experience
o A generous benefits package offering health and vision insurance, paid leave, and retirement plan. (Health and vision have no waiting period; paid leave is accrued; a waiting period applies to enroll in the retirement plan.)

How to Apply
o Email your letter of interest, resumé, and contact information for three professional references to grace@gadsdenarts.org. Incomplete applications will not be considered.
o Optional: attach or provide links to relevant work samples
o Questions? Email grace@gadsdenarts.org or call (850) 627-5020

More Information
o About Gadsden Arts: https://gadsdenarts.org/about/Our-History
o About the GACM Permanent Collection: https://gadsdenarts.org/collection
o Quincy and Tallahassee Area Info: https://visittallahassee.com/