Curator

Curator & Head of Academic Initiatives

Requisition ID: 2022-5916
# of Openings: 1
Location: US-UT-Logan
Category: Other
Position Type: Benefited Full-Time
Job Classification: Exempt
College: Executive Vice President
Department: Art Museum
Advertised Salary: $66,500 plus excellent benefits

Overview
The Curator and Head of Academic initiatives is a scholar, an educator, and a relationship builder with expertise in modern and contemporary American Art, ideally with an emphasis on art of the western United States. This position will have a faculty affiliation (contingent upon applicant qualifications) with an academic department and will work with the museum collection and curatorial team for their own research purposes as well as with faculty and students across campus to develop a variety of curriculum resources that enhance student learning outcomes utilizing the collection.

As Curator, this person will use the Museum's collection to develop and expand their research/scholarship. This may result in exhibitions, books, lectures, and/or teaching or co-teaching courses that provide new learning opportunities and connections to the Museum as a site for formal and informal learning. Research/scholarship outcomes that promote cross-disciplinary learning and dialogue are encouraged.

As Head of Academic Initiatives, this person will be responsible for the development and implementation of meaningful connections with USU students and faculty, as well as community partners, by spearheading engaging academic and informal educational programming and initiatives centered on the Museum's collection and exhibitions. This includes working with the Museum's curatorial team to perform outreach to faculty, including but not limited to: educating faculty on teaching strategies that enrich their curriculum and pedagogy, planning exhibitions relevant to university teaching, and leading class discussions or workshops in the Museum for courses in departments across campus. They will work closely with the Museum's curators, staff, and USU faculty across many disciplines to meet teaching objectives through innovative collections-based curriculum.


Responsibilities
Research/Scholarship:

• Use the Museum's collection, database, files, and staff as resources for learning about the Museum's collection and exhibitions with the goal of formulating new research/scholarship.

Program Development & Planning:

• Work with faculty to develop new courses, research projects, class discussions, and small or large exhibitions/displays using the Museum's collection, especially in the Museum's Object Study Center, making objects available for display and assisting with use of the Museum's collection database for research and assignments.
• Teach or co-teach cross-disciplinary courses in the Museum in conjunction with an exhibition and/or relevant to the collection.
• Develop workshops for faculty across disciplines on object-based teaching.
• Encourage the use of the museum's resources by departments not traditionally understood as museum clients.
• Conduct university-wide research on class offerings before each semester and contact faculty of relevant classes to encourage use of specific exhibitions and collections.
• Coordinate exhibition-related programming, including visits by outside scholars and speakers, that engage students and faculty.
• Serve as a resource to undergraduate and graduate students and interns as needed.
• Coordinate and facilitate the activities of other museum staff with the work of Academic Programs.
• Develop and implement evaluation strategies and statistics on use, impact, and effectiveness of academic programs.
• Seek sources of funding and work with museum and university collaborators to develop proposals and grants.

Teaching:

Both Research and Program Development/Planning Percentages would shift accordingly when teaching occurs.

• Develop new courses or co-teach and adapt existing courses utilizing the Museum's resources.

Qualifications
Minimum Requirements:

• Terminal degree in field relevant to the Museum’s mission and purpose.
• A demonstrated interest in and commitment to interdisciplinary fields of inquiry.
• Expertise in object-based teaching and learning.
• Record of college-level teaching and academic research/scholarship.
• Demonstrated evidence of clear, scholarly writing.
• Proficiency with computers in standardized word processing, spreadsheet programs, and ability to learn the Museum's Collection Management Software for use with faculty, students and personal research/scholarship.

Important Attributes:

• Demonstrated commitment to diversity, community outreach, and public engagement.
• Excellent interpersonal, public-speaking, and written communication skills.
• Demonstrated ability to supervise and work well with a team.
• Ability to interface effectively and diplomatically with internal and external constituents.
• Ability to move projects forward, working both independently and collaboratively.
• Demonstrated commitment to research, educational collaborations and scholarly content.

Required Documents
Along with the online application, please attach:

1. Resume/CV to be uploaded at the beginning of your application in the Candidate Profile under “Resume/CV”
2. Cover Letter to be typed/pasted at the end of your application
3. Writing Sample(s) to be typed/pasted at the end of your application

**Document size may not exceed 10 MB.**


Advertised Salary
$66,500 plus excellent benefits

ADA
Employees typically work indoors and are protected from weather and/or contaminants, but not, necessarily, occasional temperature changes.


University Highlights
Museum Highlights:
The Nora Eccles Harrison Museum of Art (NEHMA) at Utah State University provides exhibitions and programs that deeply enrich people’s lives, improves their sense of well-being, helps them learn, and encourages respect amongst differences of people through experiencing creativity through visual art. NEHMA is an accredited art museum through the American Alliance of Museums and is also a Certified Utah Museum. It has an exceptional collection of modern and contemporary American Art with an emphasis on art from the western United States and stewards 5,500 objects. NEHMA always offers some collection-based exhibitions in its galleries alongside complementary exhibitions sourced from outside of the museum’s collection. NEHMA’s Object Study Center houses over one-hundred glass-topped drawers and a number of display niches, which allow staff to pull objects for classes and exhibit more work from the collection. Additionally, NEHMA houses a library with books related to the collection and computer access to our Collection Database so that students and community members can have access to additional support for research. Exhibitions always have interpretative labels in English and Spanish and can be accessed virtually the website. NEHMA continues to grow its collection through gifts and purchases, and regularly conserves artworks using professional conservators.

NEHMA’s core mission is centered around learning and accessibility. This mission is achieved by organizing temporary exhibitions, public events, and extensive humanities-based programming—all free of charge—to provide educational opportunities for USU students and scholars, K-12 groups, and the community at large. The Museum continues to expand its programming to promote its collection to a wider range of audiences and to increase community engagement. The NEHMA Mobile Art Truck travels statewide to schools and other venues, providing an opportunity for local and out-of-area constituents of all ages to engage in activities that connect art with other disciplines.

NEHMA is planning a new Art Research & Education facility, located adjacent to the current museum, that will expand opportunities for engagement with art in ways that are both unique and complementary to the museum’s current offerings while also providing accessible, visible collection storage for current and future growth. This facility will be a place where scholars, USU students, K-12 classes and the community can be welcomed to interface with artworks and collections in a more intimate, focused and accessible learning environment. Construction is planned to begin in 2023.

Utah State University (USU) was founded in 1888 and is Utah’s land-grant and space-grant university. USU is one of only 146 research institutions in the U.S. classified as R1 “very high research activity” by the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education. As one of the two premier research institutions in Utah, USU provides a high-quality education at an affordable price. With its main campus in Logan, the university serves approximately 27,500 students, including 24,255 undergraduates and 3,171 graduate students. USU Online has served students from all 50 states and 55 countries for 25 years.

USU’s statewide system features three residential campuses, 30 total campus locations, and 23 Extension education centers. The university employs 903 full-time faculty members, 124 executive administrators, and 1,649 full-time support staff. USU offers 115 undergraduate majors, as well as 91 master’s and 42 doctoral degrees. Learn more about USU.

A core characteristic of USU is engagement with communities and people in economic development, improvements to quality of life, and human capital. Through the practical application of knowledge, the University and its faculty engage and share expertise with the state, nation, and world, preserving the historical land-grant tradition of partnering with communities to address critical societal issues in the interest of the public good.

The USU main campus is located in beautiful Logan, Utah, a city of about 50,000 situated in a picturesque mountain valley about 80 miles north of Salt Lake City. Outstanding recreational opportunities abound in the nearby mountains and proximate region.

USU is sensitive to the needs of dual career couples and provides a Dual Career Assistance program to support careers for partners who are also seeking employment.

USU endeavors to provide reasonable accommodations to ensure equal access in all aspects of employment to qualified persons with disabilities. To request a reasonable accommodation for a disability, please contact the university’s ADA Coordinator in the Human Resource office at 435-797-0122 or submit a request at hr@usu.edu.



USU Land Acknowledgment

Please visit our website to learn about Utah State’s land acknowledgment of the eight tribes of Utah.

Notice of Non-discrimination

In its programs and activities, including in admissions and employment, Utah State University does not discriminate or tolerate discrimination, including harassment, based on race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, genetic information, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, disability, status as a protected veteran, or any other status protected by University policy, Title IX, or any other federal, state, or local law.

The following individuals have been designated to handle inquiries regarding the application of Title IX and its implementing regulations and/or USU’s non-discrimination policies:

Executive Director of the Office of Equity Matthew Pinner, discrimination@usu.edu, Distance Education Rm. 401, 435-797-1266

Title IX Coordinator Matthew Pinner, titleix@usu.edu, Distance Education Rm. 404, 435-797-1266

Mailing address: 5100 Old Main Hill, Logan, Ut 84322

For further information regarding non-discrimination, please visit https://equity.usu.edu/, or contact:

U.S. Department of Education, Office of Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights, 800-421-3481, OCR@ed.gov

U.S. Department of Education, Denver Regional Office, 303-844-5695, OCR.Denver@ed.gov

*updated 11/2022


To apply, visit https://careers-usu.icims.com/jobs/5916/curator-%26-head-of-academic-initiatives/job?in_iframe=1
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