Curatorial Assistant

Description

*** Please include a resume and cover letter to be considered.

Philbrook Museum of Art’s mission is to make a more creative and connected community through art and gardens. Comprised of a world‑class art museum, a stunning historic home, and 25 breathtaking acres of gardens, Philbrook is a place for people from across Tulsa and beyond to be together. Here visitors can see art spanning 5,000 years and five continents— from around the world and from our own backyard.

They can join in on tours, hands‑on artmaking and nature play, artist talks, special exhibitions, celebrations and social gatherings, films, musical performances, and more. Through this wide range of programs and interpretative activities, Philbrook strives to be welcoming, dynamic, and relevant for visitors every day. The Philbrook Collection features more than 16,000 objects with a focus on modern & contemporary American, Native American, and European art.

Serving over 160,000 visitors annually, Philbrook shines a light on Tulsa’s storied and complex past while building a diverse and creative vision of the city’s future.

Philbrook Museum of Art seeks applicants for a full‑time Curatorial Assistant. Reporting to the Director of Learning and Interpretation, the Curatorial Assistant works closely with the curatorial team and others to support exhibitions and installations, collection development, interpretive projects, publications, and select public programs. A key role for the department, the curatorial assistant excels at writing, editing, and researching, and is an organized self‑starter who can toggle between independent and team‑based work.

They are comfortable working across several short and long‑term projects in various capacities, including providing curatorial support, performing highly detailed administrative and logistic tasks, and communicating relevant information to collaborating departments across the museum and beyond.

• Assist the curatorial team with research and content development for the ongoing exhibition program, including large temporary exhibitions and smaller, focused installations and interpretive projects related to the permanent collection. This may include research tasks, preparing and maintaining checklists, as well as drafting and/or reviewing label copy and other texts
• Curate projects as assigned
• Provide administrative support including scheduling meetings, review and process invoices, track budgets throughout the year, update exhibition database records, maintain departmental files and contact lists, program logistics, and manage correspondence on behalf of the department
• Attend exhibition project meetings and provide exhibition‑related information and material to Development, Communications, Education, Guest Experience, and other departments, as directed
• Prepare PowerPoint presentations and other materials for both internal and external meetings.
• Lead or support special tours and programs as needed
• Work across museum departments and with key partners, fostering communication and collaboration to meet the museum’s mission. Respond to public inquiries.
• Conduct research on collection objects and potential acquisitions, and enter data in the collections database (TMS)
• Coordinate and attend events and programs that originate from the curatorial team
• Field and track art donation and purchase offers

The ideal candidate is action‑oriented, attentive to detail, resourceful, communicative, and brings a focused skill set and professional demeanor to their work each day. Philbrook is a highly creative and collaborative workplace very much driven by our local and regional audience.

• Bachelor’s degree (or equivalent) required; master’s degree preferred in art history or a related field. Extensive knowledge of art and related professional experience may be substituted.
• A passion for visual art, museums, and engaging the public to provide dynamic and meaningful experiences
• A minimum of two years working in a museum art‑related capacity

• Clear and succinct writing and presentation…