Supervisory Museum Curator; Art

Summary

The Smithsonian Institution is the world’s largest museum, education, and research complex, with 21 museums and the National Zoo. This position is located in the Curatorial department of the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden (HMSG). The Hirshhorn is a leading voice for contemporary art and culture and provides a national platform for the art and artists of our time.

The Supervisory Museum Curator (Art) participates in the administration of the Museum’s curatorial programs and staff relating to painting, sculpture, graphic arts, and photography, as well as performance, digital media, video, and technology.

In this position, you will:

• Supervise departmental staff, interns, and fellows by assigning projects, providing guidance and counseling, completing performance plans and evaluations, and recommending appropriate personnel actions.
• Initiate, develop, and manage major research projects of significant scope in collaboration with HMSG professionals, colleagues at other museums, artists’ foundations, and external scholars.
• Work with the Director and relevant staff to recommend objects for acquisition through purchase or gift and participate in the review of collection objects for potential deaccession.
• Plan and develop concepts for large-scale, complex exhibitions involving loans from museums and private collections, as well as smaller, focused exhibitions, and serve as coordinator for traveling exhibitions.

• Pass Pre-employment Background Investigation
• May need to complete a Probationary Period
• Maintain a Bank Account for Direct Deposit/Electronic Transfer
• Males born after 12/31/59 must be registered with Selective Service.

Qualification requirements must be met by the closing date of the announcement.

For information on qualification requirements, see Qualification Standards Handbook for General Schedule Positions on OPM website.

Basic Qualifications:

Degree: museum work; or in an applicable subject-matter field.

OR

Combination of education and experience -- courses equivalent to a major, as shown in A above, plus appropriate experience or additional education.

OR

Four years of experience that provided knowledge comparable to that normally acquired through the successful completion of the 4-year course of study as shown in A above.

In addition to the basic qualification requirement above:

Experience:

You qualify for this position if you have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the GS-13 level in the Federal Service. For this position, specialized experience is defined as experience managing the curatorial functions of a modern and contemporary art museum or similar cultural organization including research, exhibitions, and collections development; proposing acquisitions for permanent collections; and conducting scholarly research and producing publications and/or exhibitions related to modern and contemporary art.

Your resume must be no more than two (2) pages and should clearly demonstrate how your experience aligns with the responsibilities and specialized experience required for this position. Do not copy language directly from the vacancy announcement, as you will be deemed ineligible for consideration. Instead, provide detailed, descriptive information about your actual experience.

Experience refers to paid and unpaid experience, including volunteer work done through National Service programs (e.g., Peace Corps, Ameri Corps) and other organizations (e.g., professional; philanthropic; religious; spiritual; community, student, social). Volunteer work helps build critical competencies, knowledge, and skills and can provide valuable training and experience that translates directly to paid employment. You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience.

Part-time and/or unpaid experience related to this position will be considered to determine the total number of years and months of experience. Be sure to note the number of paid or unpaid hours worked each week.

This position has basic education requirements.