Director of Exhibitions, Collections & Research

Employment Opportunity:
Director of Exhibitions, Collections & Research
About the Museum
The Rubin Museum of Art is a dynamic environment that stimulates learning,
promotes understanding, and inspires personal connections to the ideas, cultures,
and art of Himalayan Asia.
Now in its second decade, the Rubin welcomes over 175,000 visitors annually and
has a growing membership of more than 4,000 households. Contained within five
floors of galleries are several long-term rotating installations drawn from the
permanent collection as well as frequent short-term loan exhibitions that are more
broadly conceived in concept, art, geography, medium, and time. The Museum
presents over 250 films, performances, and on-stage conversations annually as well
as a robust roster of other educational initiatives. The ground floor is free-to-all and is
a lively nexus for conversation, shopping, and refreshment.
The Museum’s collection includes over 3,000 objects spanning more than 1,500
years up to the present day. Renowned for its quality and depth, the collection
focuses on art from the Tibetan Plateau and is broadened by a significant number of
important examples from surrounding regions, including Nepal, Bhutan, India,
Pakistan, Afghanistan, China, and Mongolia.
About this Position
Reporting to the Executive Director, the Director of Exhibitions, Collections &
Research is a key member of the Executive Management Team, which is charged
with advancing the mission of the Museum and developing, implementing, and
monitoring its goals and strategies through a staff of more than eighty people and an
annual budget of over $15 million.
This is the senior-most curatorial position and the incumbent is responsible for
leadership and management of the Curatorial Department, comprising ten staff
members and several consultants ($1.3 million annual budget). In addition,
exhibition budgets typically exceed $1.4 million annually, for a total department
budget of $2.7 million. While acquisitions frequently are through gift, there is a
modest budget for art acquisitions.
The incumbent sets both the tone and substance of the exhibition program broadly
by creatively utilizing the collection to engage, educate, and expand participation.
S/he works collaboratively, both internally and externally, with the overall goals of
enlivening the institution and broadly growing its reputation.
Collectively the curatorial department focuses on advancing the Museum’s mission
through
 the development of an engaging and diverse exhibition program
 selective building and creative use of the collection
 collections-based research and its wide dissemination as a means to
advance the field of art and cultural history
 active commitment for developing new communities of engagement and
support and for expanding existing ones
Major Responsibilities (including those partially delegated to subordinate staff):
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Contributes to a values-based culture by providing leadership and
demonstrating and requiring adherence to the highest ethical standards.
Supervises, mentors, counsels, assigns work to, and evaluates curatorial staff
and consultants.
Leads the development of ongoing exhibitions in collaboration with other
curators and the Executive Director.
Works collaboratively and as a supervisor with individual curators to
strengthen exhibition concepts; monitors the evolution of each exhibition to
maximize public impact.
Convenes, organizes, and reports on the work and decisions of the Internal
Exhibitions Committee.
Manages high-level aspects of the exhibition schedule, including assuring an
appropriate and engaging balance of exhibitions.
Assures that the exhibition themes and ideas set forth are presented
professionally, with attention to both quality and detail, in a timely and
efficient manner and within budget parameters.
Approves exhibition object selection, presentation details, and interpretive
direction.
Occasionally serves as exhibition curator.
Works closely with the Executive Director, other executive staff, and trustees
in the development of the mission and goals of the Museum and in the
creation, implementation, and monitoring of resulting actions.
Regularly reports to the Executive Director, trustees, Museum staff, and
others on curatorial matters including exhibitions, research, and acquisitions.
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Keeps trustees and trustee committees fully informed on exhibition plans,
schedules, and budgets.
Proposes collection acquisition/deaccession policies, especially those
concerning provenance.
Coordinates curatorial advice and recommendations related to collection
acquisition/deaccessioning.
Approves objects to be presented to trustees for acquisition and/or
deaccessioning.
Develops the traveling exhibition and loan programs.
Approves outgoing loans and incoming loans from other museums,
collections, and collectors.
Gives private and public presentations and widely represents the curatorial
interests of the Museum, internally and externally.
Reviews and approves all factual and other curatorial content used on the
Museum website or in other public forums.
Develops and monitors departmental and exhibition budgets, contracts,
agreements, and other administrative documents.
Approves all conservation measures.
Manages the publication program and activities.
Recruits, hires, and trains staff as necessary.
Remains current on appropriate curatorial and related research topics.
Qualifications:
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Previous senior-level museum experience expected
Advanced degree in relevant field and extensive curatorial experience
Appropriate level of management experience
Demonstrated experience in developing and executing imaginative and
innovative exhibitions on complex subjects designed to appeal to broad
audiences
Flexibility and proven ability to manage multiple projects
Strong writing and speaking skills – required
Strong interpersonal communication skills
Creative and inspiring leadership
Comfort in social and public forums
Strong working knowledge of the wide variety of Museum activities and
responsibilities
Experience and success in raising program support and funding
Working knowledge of and comfort with Microsoft Office Suite applications
(Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook)
Salary:
 Commensurate with experience
 Competitive and attractive benefits package
Please provide the following as part of your confidential application:
 Complete resume.
 A cover letter addressing both your interest in the Rubin Museum and your
qualifications for this position.
Applications:
 Indicate Director of Exhibitions, Collections & Research in the subject line
of your email or in the body of your cover letter.
 Applications in electronic format preferred and confidentially accepted at
[email protected]
 Mailed applications:
Manager, Human Resources
Rubin Museum of Art
150 West 17th Street
New York, New York 10011