Assistant Curator of Latin American Art and Culture

University of Tulsa-posted 4 months ago
Full-time
Hybrid • Tulsa, OK
Educational Services
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Gilcrease Museum, which houses an interdisciplinary collection representing the diverse heritage of the Americas, seeks an intellectually curious, creative, and self-motivated individual to be its inaugural Assistant Curator of Latin American Art and Culture. The Assistant Curator of Latin American Art and Culture will lead exhibitions, acquisitions, research, and interpretation within Gilcrease's broad visual culture and archival collections. These include fine art from the 16th through 20th centuries from throughout the Americas, ranging from Spanish colonial retablos and work by Juan Correa to paintings, drawings, and prints by Diego Rivera, Miguel Covarrubias, José Clemente Orozco, Maria Izquierdo, and Rufino Tamayo, as well as recent work by Mexican folk and self-taught artists. In addition, Gilcrease holds one of the most significant collections in the United States of manuscripts, documents, and rare books pertaining to European settlement and conflicts across New Spain, from the Caribbean and present-day Mexico to South America, dating from the 16th to 19th centuries. These objects' stories are intricately intertwined with other museum holdings, notably collections of cultural material spanning more than 2,000 years, including works by Incan, Moche, Mayan, Panamanian (Gran Coclé), Mixtec, Aztec, Zapotec, Toltec, and West Mexican (Occidentale) creators. Furthermore, Gilcrease has nearly encyclopedic representation of Taos School artists and broad artistic and historical collections pertaining to the American Southwest within its holdings of Indigenous and non-Indigenous objects from the present-day United States. The Assistant Curator of Latin American Art and Culture will participate on a seven-member curatorial team and collaborate with other museum departments, reporting to the Director of Curatorial Affairs. Primary duties include researching and cataloguing the collection; developing dynamic long-term, temporary, and traveling exhibitions; identifying and bringing traveling exhibitions to Gilcrease; and raising national and international visibility for Gilcrease's work and for its collections. This role will also promote equity and inclusion of the Latinx community around all Gilcrease exhibitions and programs, and it will build and maintain community relationships to collaboratively celebrate and advocate for Latin American art and culture for a variety of audiences and constituents.

  • Curates and presents temporary, long-term, and traveling museum exhibitions, utilizing Gilcrease collections and loans.
  • Supports the implementation and public unveiling of Gilcrease's new Interpretive Plan, contributing to the presentation of interdisciplinary narratives in the new museum building.
  • Collaborates with collections stewards, conservators and other staff to support access and care of Gilcrease's collections of Latin American art and material culture and related works.
  • Creates and implements a collections development plan for Latin American art and cultural materials, including leadership of acquisitions through gift and purchase.
  • Assists the curators of Indigenous art, collections stewards, and other staff in conducting consultations regarding Indigenous collection items, particularly from communities in Central and South America and present-day Mexico.
  • Contributes to an interdepartmental team to develop collections policies, museum operations, and programming that build and strengthen Gilcrease's relationships with the communities throughout the Americas from which its collections originate.
  • Conducts scholarly research on the Gilcrease collection for exhibitions and publications, including digital and online resources.
  • Investigates connections between contemporary Latinx art and culture and historical narratives, and across geographic, political, linguistic, and other lines.
  • Fosters and maintains positive working relationships with museum colleagues across the U.S. and beyond, as well as with scholars, gallerists, collectors, living artists, and a diverse array of community advisors.
  • Promotes Gilcrease nationally and internationally through publishing and presenting at conferences, universities, and other external venues.
  • Collaborates with the Associate Curator of Contemporary Culture and Community on community-driven curatorial projects, including exhibitions, performances, installations, and visiting artist collaborations.
  • Develops on-site public and educational programming in coordination with the Learning & Community Engagement Department, including public lectures, symposia, media programs, and museum tours.
  • Liaises with and builds strong, ongoing relationships with outside stakeholders, including museum supporters, citizens of Tulsa, regional artists and arts organizations, and national and international communities with ties to Gilcrease's collections and mission.
  • Facilitates research by visiting scholars and responds to public and professional inquiries relating to the Latin American collections and areas of expertise.
  • Supervises or co-supervises curatorial department interns and volunteers.
  • Conducts staff and docent training.
  • Serves on Gilcrease interdepartmental teams to enhance operations, communication, and staff culture across the museum.
  • Assists in preparing and writing applications and reports for grants supporting exhibitions and the care and interpretation of the collection.
  • Interacts with donors, board members, The University of Tulsa staff, and volunteers; conducts VIP tours as requested.
  • Performs other duties as assigned.
  • Recognized scholarly expertise in any area of Latin American and/or Latino art and culture, including Spanish Colonial, Chicano, or Caribbean studies, demonstrated through publications and conference participation.
  • Excellent communication skills: writing, public speaking, and interpretation for both scholarly and general audiences.
  • Ability to creatively interpret and present interdisciplinary museum collections.
  • Demonstrated ability to collaborate as a team member with staff and volunteers.
  • Cultural sensitivity and ability to reach out and work with diverse communities, including communities of cultures associated with Gilcrease collections, and constituents served by Gilcrease Museum.
  • Demonstrated ability to manage concurrent projects, establish priorities, and meet deadlines, while maintaining high attention to detail.
  • Enthusiasm for engaging with the public and creating welcoming museum experiences for all.
  • Fluency in Spanish, both written and oral.
  • Bachelor's degree from an accredited university or college in art history, history, studio art, anthropology, Latinx studies, American studies, museum studies, or related field.
  • Two to five years of work experience (including fellowships and internships) in a museum or cultural heritage setting, with experience in exhibitions development.
  • Master's degree from an accredited university or college in art history, history, studio art, anthropology, Latinx studies, American studies, museum studies, or closely related field.
  • Experience integrating technology into exhibitions, programs, and research.
  • A robust network in the global Latinx cultural community, including international research and/or collaborative work experiences abroad.
  • Proficiency in PC or Mac software applications, including Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook.
  • Experience with The Museum Systems (TMS) or other collection databases.
  • Proven grant-writing experience.
  • Knowledge of the American Alliance of Museums and School for Advanced Research best practices for the care and maintenance of collections.
  • Ability to evaluate museum objects as to condition, authenticity, origin, and quality; and to help identify conservation needs.
  • Interest in art of the Ancient Americas and Indigenous cultural material from Mexico, Central, and South America is desired.
  • Facility with dialects of Spanish, early modern Spanish paleography, and Indigenous languages, such as Nahuatl and Mixteco, is potentially valuable to this role.
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