Curator of Learning and Community Engagement – Exempt Madison Museum of Contempor

The Madison Museum of Contemporary Art (MMoCA) seeks candidates for a full-time Curator of Learning and Community Engagement (CLCE). The CLCE is a senior leadership role responsible for shaping and advancing MMoCA’s vision for inclusive, intergenerational, and community-centered engagement with contemporary art. This position leads the development of a dynamic, welcoming environment in which visitors of all backgrounds- whether first-time or deeply engaged- experience the Museum as a place for shared inquiry, dialogue, and self-directed learning.

The CLCE will design and implement strategies that prioritize adult and intergenerational learning, foster meaningful community relationships, and activate the Museum’s galleries and public spaces as sites of connection, creativity, and belonging. The Curator oversees key youth programs including Teen Forum and Art Cart, while expanding the Museum’s approach to engagement beyond traditional education models. This role also supervises the Visitor Engagement Associates (formerly Gallery Attendants), Docents, and the Director of Visitor Engagement, embedding a culture of hospitality, curiosity, and conversation at every point of visitor interaction.

Working in close collaboration with members of the Curatorial Affairs, Communications, and Development departments, this position plays a central role in aligning exhibitions, programs, and visitor experience into a cohesive and welcoming institutional identity. The Madison Museum of Contemporary Art is an independent, nonprofit organization that presents exhibitions by local, regional, national, and international artists. MMoCA exhibits, collects, and preserves modern and contemporary art to provide transformative experiences that educate, reflect, and inspire us as individuals and as a community.

• Develop and implement a forward-thinking institutional strategy for learning and community engagement that prioritizes intergenerational participation, adult learning, and self-directed exploration.
• Position MMoCA as a leading "third space" for community gathering, dialogue, and shared cultural experience.
• Champion a Museum-wide culture of welcome, accessibility, and belonging across all visitor touchpoints.
• Collaborate with senior leadership to align engagement strategies with institutional priorities, exhibitions, and fundraising initiatives.
• Advocate for the role of community engagement as central to the Museum’s mission and future.

• Design and oversee a robust portfolio of public programs that emphasize conversation, participation, and shared discovery, including talks, workshops, performances, and informal in-gallery experiences.
• Reframe gallery spaces as active sites of engagement through innovative interpretive strategies, learning tools, and participatory experiences.
• Expand adult and intergenerational learning opportunities that move beyond traditional lecture-based formats toward dialogue-driven and socially engaged models.
• Build partnerships with local organizations, artists, educators, and community groups to co-create relevant and responsive programming.

• Supervise and lead the Visitor Engagement Associates (formerly Gallery Attendants), establishing a model of visitor engagement rooted in hospitality, curiosity, and conversation.
• Develop training programs that equip staff to facilitate meaningful interactions with visitors, rather than solely monitor galleries.
• Establish standards and practices that ensure a consistently welcoming, inclusive, and engaging visitor experience throughout the Museum.
• Partner with Operations and Curatorial Affairs teams to ensure alignment between exhibitions and front-line visitor engagement.

• Oversee and evolve the Teen Forum program as a flagship leadership and mentorship initiative that connects young people to contemporary art, creative practice, and professional pathways.
• Ensure Teen Forum is integrated into the Museum’s broader community engagement strategy, including opportunities for…