Associate Curator of Collections

Skirball Cultural Center•Los Angeles, CA

2d•$73,000 - $73,000•Onsite

About The Position

The Skirball Cultural Center seeks an Associate Curator of Collections to join its museum team in a position focused on researching, exhibiting, acquisitions, digitally sharing, and shaping the future of its collections. The Skirball stewards one of the largest collections of Jewish art, ritual objects, and material culture in the world. Ranging from the ancient to the contemporary, the 30,000 objects in the Skirball’s collections reflect Jewish life in different eras and parts of the world and serve as tools for advancing the Skirball’s mission. The Associate Curator of Collections will play an important role in both ongoing and future Skirball museum initiatives. These include launching an online collections catalogue to make our collections objects widely accessible; creating a study collection for educational use; and spotlighting collections objects in a re-envisioned core exhibition on Jewish American culture, scheduled to open in 2029. This individual will assume a leading role in identifying new objects for acquisition that advance the Skirball’s priorities. They will serve as the Museum Department’s content specialist on the collections, liaising with Skirball colleagues across the institution, and engaging with scholars, community members, donors, and other stakeholders locally, nationally, and internationally.

Requirements

Researching, exhibiting, acquisitions, digitally sharing, and shaping the future of its collections.
Experience with collections of Jewish art, ritual objects, and material culture.
Experience with launching an online collections catalogue.
Experience creating a study collection for educational use.
Experience spotlighting collections objects in exhibitions.
Experience identifying new objects for acquisition.
Experience serving as a content specialist on collections.
Experience liaising with colleagues across an institution.
Experience engaging with scholars, community members, donors, and other stakeholders.
Experience with planning and ongoing curatorial work for new core exhibitions.
Experience coordinating with Collections Managers and Registrars.
Experience recommending collections objects for inclusion in exhibitions.
Experience identifying subject areas that require new objects and leading acquisition efforts.
Experience providing support for temporary art commissions.
Experience managing and curating gallery and object rotations.
Experience determining which objects will go live on a database.
Experience selecting objects and writing extended labels.
Experience giving curatorial approval for database records.
Experience conducting research on objects in a collection.
Experience supervising curatorial interns or subject area specialists.
Experience refining acquisitions plans.
Experience identifying potential objects for acquisition and reviewing donations.
Experience researching and presenting objects for committee consideration.
Experience editing acquisitions worksheets.
Experience advising on potential acquisitions and stewarding objects through the process.
Experience creating a study collection of objects.
Experience determining which objects should be considered for deaccessioning.
Experience identifying collections objects for travel to other museums.
Experience curating traveling exhibitions.
Experience responding to outside curatorial requests for information on collections objects.
Experience providing information about collections objects to education staff.
Experience editing educator lesson plans.
Experience training docents and educators on collections objects.
Experience reviewing docent tour scripts.
Experience sharing collections information with interns and teen advisory committees.
Experience answering public questions about collections objects.
Experience giving spotlight talks on collections.
Experience providing images and curatorial text for social media.
Experience serving as a representative for a history collective.
Experience leading donor tours and cultivation events.
Experience supporting engagement around potential new acquisitions.

Responsibilities

Serves as the Collections Specialist on the Core Renewal Team. Coordinates with Collections Manager and Registrars on the deinstallation of the Skirball’s current core exhibition.
Recommends collections objects for inclusion in the new core that align with the exhibition’s Big Idea, Visitor Experience Goals, and Interpretive Plan.
Identifies subject areas that require new objects. Leads efforts to identify and acquire those objects.
Provides support for temporary art commissions inspired by or in dialogue with Skirball collections objects.
Manages and curates scheduled gallery and object rotations in the new core exhibition alongside internal and external collaborators.
Determines which objects will go live on the database in 2027, 2028, and 2029.
Selects objects and writes extended labels for Spotlight Objects.
Gives curatorial approval for all records being published to the public-facing side of the database.
Conducts research on objects in the collection. May supervise curatorial interns or subject area specialists helping to conduct research.
Works with Museum Director to refine acquisitions plan.
Identifies potential objects for acquisition and reviews all proposed object donations. Researches and presents these objects for consideration at Museum Collections Committee meetings.
Edits acquisitions worksheets for each newly acquired object.
Advises the Persian Jewish Art History and Culture Research Fellow on potential Persian Jewish acquisitions and stewards objects through the acquisitions process.
Works with Collections Manager to create a Skirball study collection of objects.
Determines which objects the Museum Collections Committee should consider for deaccessioning before they go to the Museum Director and the Board.
Identifies collections objects for travel to other museums and curates focused, collections-based traveling exhibitions as assigned.
Responds to outside curatorial requests for information on collections objects for potential exhibition loans.
Provides Education Department staff with information about collections objects (on view and in storage) from MuseumPlus and our object files.
Edits educator lesson plans related to Jewish history and holidays that draw from the permanent collection.
Trains Skirball docents and educators on collections objects in the core.
Reviews docent tour scripts about specific objects in the core.
Shares collections information with Skirball interns and Teen Advisory Committee members.
Answers content-specific questions from the public about objects in the Skirball collection.
Gives spotlight talks on the collections during public festivals, openings, and other Skirball events.
Provides images and curatorial text related to collections objects for Communications team to use on social media.
Serves as LAHC (LA History Collective) representative from the Skirball.
In support of the Development team, leads donor tours and cultivation events related to the collection.
Supports Collections Council engagement around potential new Skirball acquisitions.