Curator of African Art @ Brooklyn Museum

Curator, African Art

We seek an exceptional communicator and scholar to oversee our curatorial program in the Arts of Africa. The successful candidate will be an engaged curator/scholar with a commitment to our mission and have a proven ability to conceptualize original, canon-expanding, and timely collection and loan exhibitions.

The Curator, African Art plays a key leadership role on our curatorial team and serves as an institutional ambassador, actively engaging with collectors and patrons, professional colleagues, partner institutions, and the Brooklyn community. This is an exceptional and timely opportunity: we are currently in the planning stages to establish a new, permanent gallery dedicated to our renowned collection of African artworks, and have already raised significant support for this project.

The Brooklyn Museum acquired our first works from sub-Saharan Africa in 1900, and today ours is one of the largest collections of African art in the United States, numbering over 6,000 objects and works of art. The core of the collection focuses on the arts of West and Central Africa and was acquired in 1922, and our 1923 display of 1,500 works remains the largest exhibition of African art ever mounted. The collection has since grown to include works spanning more than 2,500 years, with over one hundred different cultures represented.

Requirements:

• Advanced degree in art history or a related discipline such as Africana studies, anthropology, or history, with a strong knowledge of historical material; Ph.D. or commensurate experience preferred
• At least five years of experience at a museum, arts non-profit, or other cultural organization, as well as a record of publication
• Excellent writing and compelling presentation skills
• Collaborative leadership skills, with the ability to work effectively with the entire Museum team    
• Strategic thinking and vision to bring our collections alive and excite others in the process, including Board members, donors, and press
• Deep commitment to engage a wide and diverse audience in innovative and exciting ways

Responsibilities:

• Assess and rethink our extensive holdings of African art to organize an innovative reinstallation of the entire collection for a new gallery space
• Research and interpret the collection and participate in cross-departmental exhibitions, installations, and publications, in collaboration with the full curatorial team
• Conceptualize and produce innovative, canon-expanding exhibitions, both for exhibition at the Brooklyn Museum and for travel to other venues
• Work with the Shelby White and Leon Levy Director and the Deputy Director/Chief Development Officer to raise support for the new galleries and attract major transformational gifts to build the collection
• Collaborate with our social media team to promote new acquisitions and collection-related activities and initiatives, to increase media attention and audience engagement
• Lead scholarly research and writing on the history and interpretation of objects and further research, update, and expand the collection database for online use
• Advocate for public and educational programming to increase visibility of the Arts of Africa collection and generate public interest
• Respond to collection inquiries and loan requests as needed
• Work with the Conservation team to address and remedy specific preservation issues

Start date: Immediately

Department: Arts of Ancient Egypt, Africa, and Asia

Reports to: Director of Collections and Curatorial Affairs

Position type: Full-time

Union status: Non-union

FLSA status: Exempt

Schedule: 35 hours per week, Monday through Friday, 9 am to 5 pm

Apply online