Curatorial Assistant

An Introduction to Glenstone Museum

Founded with the mission to seamlessly integrate art, architecture, and nature, Glenstone is a world-class contemporary art museum in Potomac, Maryland. Opened in 2006 and expanded in 2018, the museum welcomes visitors to a unique experience of indoor and outdoor spaces enveloped by 300 acres of organically maintained meadow and woodlands. Admission is always free.

Curatorial Assistant

Associate Curator

$49,000 - $64,000 per year

Reporting to the Associate Curator, the Curatorial Assistant will assist the curatorial team with a variety of projects related to Glenstone’s exhibition program. Primary duties include leading and assisting with the research, organization, planning, and execution of exhibitions and installations; aiding with the development of museum publications and programs, both print and digital; conducting research on artists for special projects; and leading coordination with the Visitor Experience department to execute Glenstone’s internal training program.

Specific projects will require independent coordination and oversight. This position will contribute to a range of scholarly projects and exhibition-related initiatives while providing administrative support that helps advance departmental goals and priorities.

• Provide exhibition support from research and development through realization, including research relevant to the understanding, history, use, loan, display, and care of artworks in the collection.
• Perform independent object research and craft original writing related to exhibitions, including curatorial statements, fact sheets, wall labels, didactics, web text, and more.
• Communicate directly with artists and their representatives to plan and execute installations, including preparing associated checklists, budgets, and instructions.
• Prepare and circulate formal correspondence to lenders, artists, essayists, and other key vendors.
• Provide tours of the museum and grounds to members of the public and support programming and event production, including giving public talks.
• Support publication production by reviewing editorial changes, proofreading interim and final texts, color correcting, and ensuring edits are accurately incorporated and relayed to design.
• Manage publication rights and reproduction requests and tracking, layout and photography coordination, and vendor supervision on-site at the museum.
• Provide the Visitor Experience team with information on relevant artists and artworks, support refresher sessions, and digitize research relevant to works on view. In addition, coordinate staff training dates.
• Prepare Power Points and lead staff training on artists, artwork and content on view, including preparing material to be hosted on Glenstone’s internal training program.
• Support the Communications team by reviewing and approving copy for web, social, and other media.
• Manage vendors including photographers, printers, designers, copy editors, publishers, and distributors.
• Create full and small-scale maquettes as required for exhibition planning.
• Assist with day-to-day financial operations such as processing invoices, reimbursables and other operational needs.
• Address inquiries from the public and scholars as assigned.
• Coordinate department meetings through Microsoft Outlook, prepare minutes, and manage food service when applicable.
• Assist with preparation of presentation materials for internal and external engagements.
• Coordinate mailings and provide administrative support for departmental activities as needed.
• Other duties as assigned.

The ideal candidate will possess strong art historical knowledge with a focus on post-war and contemporary art and artists, exceptional organizational skills, a heightened sense of discretion, and the ability to work quickly under tight deadlines. Strong writing skills and a keen eye for detail are critical for success in this role. The candidate must have the ability to multitask, balance competing deadlines, and exhibit patience and flexibility in the face of evolving goals and deliverables.

A passion for…