Assistant Curator Photography

The Virginia Museum of Fine Arts is currently seeking an Assistant Curator for Photography. This is a dynamic opportunity for an innovative, detail-oriented, and collaborative professional interested in advancing their curatorial career in photography. This new position comes at an exciting time for the Photography Department, which was established in 2021. VMFA is currently preparing for a major expansion project that includes a 5,500-square-foot suite of photography galleries, slated to open in late 2027, and the 12,500-square-foot Raysor Center for Works on Paper, a state-of-the-art facility for conservation, research, public accessibility, and storage of photographs and works on paper, slated to open in Spring 2029.

Under the direction of the Aaron Siskind Curator of Photography and Director of the Raysor Center, the successful candidate will propose and organize exhibitions of photography, including traveling exhibitions with publications; research, develop, and expand the collection through targeted acquisitions; support and expand the museum’s educational objectives through talks, lectures, and publications; develop and expand the museum’s professional, community, and donor networks.

This position also supports the Aaron Siskind Curator on all activities related to the Photography Department, including acquisition administration, donor and artist correspondence, object research, and updating cataloguing records. The assistant curator will also work closely with VMFA’s Paper Conservation Lab staff to evaluate conservation treatments and object preparation for display and loan and the Raysor Center’s collection managers to provide support and subject‑matter expertise in cataloguing and collection management.

• Successfully develop and implement curatorial responsibilities for photography exhibition projects, including collection-based exhibitions and large-scale, scholarly, loan-based exhibitions. Serve as needed as in-house curator for traveling exhibitions. Contribute to major traveling loan exhibitions of international significance.
• Conduct research on and review collection objects to update catalogue information; research, prepare, and present possible acquisitions; catalogue new acquisitions as needed and assist Collection Manager for Works on Paper with collection-related inquiries and study room visits as needed.
• Produce and contribute to publications, including exhibition catalogues, articles, reviews, and website texts.
• Assist the Aaron Siskind Curator of Photography with a range of departmental duties and activities, including acquisition administration, correspondence with artists, donors, collectors and gallerists, preparing presentation materials, assisting with research and organization for major exhibitions and managing interns as needed.
• Represent VMFA at national and international conferences, symposia and other events, including art fairs, gallery openings, and other professional gatherings. Sustain and develop relationships with artists, gallerists, collectors and donors to the collection. Promote engagement with VMFA and the Photography Department through tours, talks, and visits to artist, donors, and collectors; participate in national and international trips designed to cultivate and educate VMFA donors.

• Knowledge, skills, abilities and competencies typically obtained through the completion of a Master’s Level academic curriculum in Art History with a concentration in the History of Photography or equivalent level of practical experience and/or training.
• Thorough knowledge of photographic history, technologies and processes acquired through a combination of education and/or work experience.
• Curatorial experience, preferably in an art museum setting, with a focus on photography.
• A demonstrated track record of supporting or organizing photography exhibitions and producing research and scholarship on the history of photography as evidenced by publications and presentations.
• Fluency with a collection management system (preferably The Museum System).
• Experience handling and cataloguing photographs in a curatorial or collections-based…