Museum Curator (Art) (IS-1015-11/12/13/14)

Museum Curator (Art) (IS-1015-11 / 12 / 13 / 14)

Application Deadline : 11 September 2024

Department : National Museum of Asian Art

Employment Type : Full Time

Location : Washington, DC

OPEN DATE : September 6, 2024

CLOSING DATE : September 11, 2024

POSITION TYPE : Trust Fund

APPOINTMENT TYPE : Indefinite

SCHEDULE : Full Time

DUTY LOCATION : Washington, DC

Non-sensitive (NS) / Low Risk

Open to SI Only

What are Trust Fund Positions?

Read on to fully understand what this job requires in terms of skills and experience If you are a good match, make an application.

Trust Fund positions are unique to the Smithsonian. They are paid for from a variety of sources, including the Smithsonian endowment, revenue from our business activities, donations, grants and contracts.

Trust employees are not part of the civil service, nor does trust fund employment lead to Federal status. The salary ranges for trust positions are generally the same as for federal positions and in many cases trust and federal employees work side by side.

Trust employees have their own benefit program and may include Health, Dental & Vision Insurance, Life Insurance, Transit / Commuter Benefits, Accidental Death and Dismemberment Insurance, Annual and Sick Leave, Family Friendly Leave, 403b Retirement Plan, Discounts for Smithsonian Memberships, Museum Stores and Restaurants, Credit Union, Smithsonian Early Enrichment Center (Child Care), Flexible Spending Account (Health & Dependent Care).

Conditions of Employment

• Pass Pre-employment Background Check and Subsequent Background Investigation for position designated as low risk.
• Complete a Probationary Period
• Maintain a Bank Account for Direct Deposit / Electronic Transfer.
• The position is open to all candidates eligible to work in the United States. Proof of eligibility to work in U.S. is not required to apply.
• Applicants must meet all qualification and eligibility requirements within 30 days of the closing date of this announcement.

Overview

The Smithsonian’s National Museum of Asian Art is committed to preserving, exhibiting, researching, and interpreting art in ways that deepen the public and scholarly understandings of Asia and the world.

Currently responsible for some 46,000 objects, the museum stewards one of the world’s most important collections of Asian art, with works dating from antiquity to the present.

The collections include works from China, Japan, Korea, South Asia, Southeast Asia, the pre-Islamic Near East, and the Islamic world (inclusive of Central Asia, the Middle East, and North Africa).

The museum also stewards an important collection of nineteenth and early twentieth-century American art. Its rich holdings bring the arts of Asia into direct dialogue with a focused American collection, providing a compelling platform for creative collaboration and cultural exchange.

The Museum Curator (Art) is a member of the professional staff of the curatorial department performing duties related to the identification, acquisition, preservation, cataloging, provenance research, exhibition, and interpretation of works of art.

The incumbent performs scholarly research in preparation of material for publication and furnishes authoritative information on works in the field of specialization.

The incumbent develops original exhibitions and collaborates with other curators on cross-departmental exhibitions and research initiatives.

An active member of the curatorial team, the incumbent represents the collections and the art and culture of Asia to both general and scholarly audiences.

Duties And Responsibilities

• Creating innovative research projects that contribute to the international understanding and appreciation of Asian and American art and culture.
• Providing leadership in the field of Asian and American art and culture through projects, collaborations, and regular communication with specialists.
• Studying, cataloging, displaying, publishing, and growing the museum’s collections of Asian and American historical and contemporary art.
• Conceiving and proposing highly researched, dynamic exhibitions, including rotation of the permanent collection, as well as temporary installations, ensuring they align with the museum’s strategic goals and mission.
• Developing and maintaining relationships with local and international communities.
• Researching provenance on existing collection objects.
• Working with advancement teams to develop and strengthen donor relationships.

Qualification Requirements

Basic Education Requirement :

• Degree : museum work; or in an applicable subject-matter field.
• Combination of education and experience courses equivalent to a major, as shown in A above, plus appropriate experience (described below) or additional education.
• Four years of experience (described below) that provided knowledge comparable to that normally acquired through the successful completion of the 4-year course of study as shown in A above.

Experience

Candidates for grade 11 must possess minimum of one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the grade 9 in the normal line of progression for this occupation.

For this position, specialized experience is defined as experience in the identification, acquisition, preservation, cataloging, provenance research, exhibition, and interpretation of works of art.

Experience performing scholarly research in preparation of material for publication and furnishing authoritative information on works in the field of specialization.

Experience developing original exhibitions and collaborating with other curators on cross-departmental exhibitions and research initiatives.

Candidates for grade 12 must possess minimum of one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the grade 11 in the normal line of progression for this occupation.

For this position, specialized experience is defined as experience in the identification, acquisition, preservation, cataloging, provenance research, exhibition, and interpretation of works of art.

Experience performing scholarly research in preparation of material for publication and furnishing authoritative information on works in the field of specialization.

Experience developing original exhibitions and collaborating with other curators on cross-departmental exhibitions and research initiatives.

At this level, researchers receiving such assignments are expected to be fully independent professionals and to assume responsibility for the thoroughness and adequacy of the planning and for the completion of the work.

Candidates for grade 13 must possess minimum of one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the grade 12 in the normal line of progression for this occupation.

For this position, specialized experience is defined as experience in the identification, acquisition, preservation, cataloging, provenance research, exhibition, and interpretation of works of art.

Experience performing scholarly research in preparation of material for publication and furnishing authoritative information on works in the field of specialization.

Experience developing original exhibitions and collaborating with other curators on cross-departmental exhibitions and research initiatives.

At this level the curator is expected to conduct complete and conceptually related studies that typically result in publicly engaged scholarship, exhibitions, public programs, digital outputs, and other works that may be definitive of a specific topic area.

Additionally, responsibility for the development of exhibit plans and other products, and for review and technical approval of exhibit designs is limited only by administrative controls such as time schedules and budgets, and by agency policy.

Those at this grade have established a reputation as a recognized expert in their field of study.

Candidates for grade 14 must possess minimum of one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the grade 13 in the normal line of progression for this occupation.

For this position, specialized experience is defined as experience in the identification, acquisition, preservation, cataloging, provenance research, exhibition, and interpretation of works of art.

Experience performing scholarly research in preparation of material for publication and furnishing authoritative information on works in the field of specialization.

Experience developing original exhibitions and collaborating with other curators on cross-departmental exhibitions and research initiatives.

Scholarship at this level frequently involves the formulation of new principles or major adjustments in existing concepts.

Programs and publications elevate scholarship across disciplines and stand as models of innovative methodologies. Plays a leadership role in professional organizations.

Applicants, who wish to qualify based on education completed outside the United States, must be deemed equivalent to higher education programs of U.

S. Institutions by an organization that specializes in the interpretation of foreign educational credentials. This documentation is the responsibility of the applicant and should be included as part of your application package.

Any false statement in your application may result in your application being rejected and may also result in termination after employment begins.

The Smithsonian Institution values and seeks a diverse workforce. Join us in "Inspiring Generations through Knowledge and Discovery."

Resumes should include a description of your paid and non-paid work experience that is related to this job; starting and ending dates of job (month and year);

and average number of hours worked per week.

What To Expect Next : Once the vacancy announcement closes, a review of your resume will be compared against the qualification and experience requirements related to this job.

After review of applicant resumes is complete, qualified candidates will be referred to the hiring manager.

Relocation expenses are not paid.

Commitment to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

The Smithsonian Institution provides reasonable accommodation to applicants with disabilities where appropriate. Applicants requiring reasonable accommodation should contact nmaa-hr@si.

edu . Determinations on requests for reasonable accommodation will be made on a case-by-case basis. To learn more, please review the Smithsonian’s Accommodation Procedures.

The Smithsonian Institution is an Equal Opportunity Employer . We believe that a workforce comprising a variety of educational, cultural, and experiential backgrounds support and enhance our daily work life and contribute to the richness of our exhibitions and programs.

See Smithsonian EEO program information : www.si.edu / oeema.

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