Windgate Contemporary Craft & Design Fellow

98624BR

Campus: Tempe

Specialist

Job Description

The Arizona State University Art Museum invites applications for the Windgate Contemporary Craft and Design Fellow. This grant-funded curatorial position is a full-time temporary 18-month appointment and contingent on grant funding. Reporting to the Senior Curator, the Windgate Fellow will be exposed to aspects of curatorial operations, including exhibition planning, research and best practices in collection stewardship. This fellowship combines mentorship opportunities with work experience to cultivate and advance the careers of a new generation of curators focused on contemporary craft and design.

The Windgate Fellow will work on three specific projects: assisting with the planning, research, development and execution of a group exhibition focused on the theme of migration, with special attention towards including objects from the Museum’s craft collection; development of an original exhibition culled from Museum’s permanent collection, focusing on contemporary craft; and collections research and writing for the Museum’s craft and design collections to produce evergreen content to be deployed for various applications. 

About us:
Founded in 1950, the ASU Art Museum was named "the single most impressive venue for contemporary art in Arizona" by Art in America. The ASU Art Museum is an integral part of the Herberger Institute for Design and the Arts at Arizona State University. The Museum strives to be more relevant and accessible inspired by the charter of the New American University and to be a meeting point for the exchange of new ideas, perspectives, and experiences among artists, students, and the public through our exhibitions, residencies, collections, and programs.  

ASU Art Museum’s Ceramics Research Center plays a significant role in advancing research and creative activity in contemporary craft through exhibitions, collections, and publications. Our history is in working with ceramics, wood, and fiber and highlights include: 

• “Crafting a Continuum: Rethinking Contemporary Craft” (2013), a traveling exhibition and accompanying publication celebrating our extensive collections. 
• Ceramics Research Center (established in 2002) houses the Museum’s extensive modern and contemporary studio ceramics collection, considered to be the finest in the United States.  
• “Total Collapse: Clay in the Contemporary Past” and “Michael Sherrill Retrospective” (2020) at the ASU Art Museum’s flagship location. 
• Windgate Contemporary Craft Initiative (2016–2018) supported a series of visiting artists and scholars, residencies, exhibitions, new acquisitions and collections conservation, and student research grants. 

Department Name

University Art Museum

Full-Time/Part-Time

Full-Time

Grant Funded Position

This is not a grant funded position and is not contingent on future grant funding.

Salary Range

$42,000 - $43.500 per year; DOE

Close Date

13-February-2024

Essential Duties

• Research and manage contemporary craft collections, exhibitions, and programs in close consultation with the Senior Curator and through collaborations with other museum curators, university faculty, students, community members and committees, and the broader local, national and international ceramic field. 
• In close collaboration with the entire curatorial team, assist in the reinstallation of the Museum’s group collection exhibition, Tierras Reimaginadas: Migration. 
• In close collaboration with the Senior Curator, responsible for the coordination and development of a new permanent collection exhibition with a focus on Contemporary Craft, inclusive of research, writing, and development of didactic content for the works included in the exhibition.
• Together with the registration staff, work on digitization of ASUAM’s collection works, specifically those in the Craft and Design collection, identified for inclusion in the Museum’s Bloomberg Connects, a digital effort to expand the use of the Museum’s collection as outlined by the Strategic Plan. 
• Work with Registration staff, informed by research into the Craft and Design collection, to improve the digital records of key works and subgroups of the collection. 
• Work with Registration staff to arrange photography for works in the collection that need updates, securing usage rights, and appropriate tagging in Bloomberg Connects and in TMS.
• Produce evergreen content of works from the Museum’s Craft and Design collection, including writing extended labels and other didactic materials.
• Assist with and write didactic labels and other copy as needed, including digital content for social media.
• Work closely with the Senior Curator and Curator as curatorial support on other projects on the exhibition calendar. 
• Participate in programs organized by the Museum’s Learning + Co-Creation Department.
• Perform routine office and administrative tasks related to the department.
• Other duties as assigned. 

Minimum Qualifications

Bachelor's degree in a field appropriate to the area of assignment AND three (3) years of related experience; OR, Seven (7) years of related experience; OR, Any equivalent combination of experience and/or education from which comparable knowledge, skills and abilities have been achieved.

Desired Qualifications

• Evidence of a Master’s degree in Fine Arts, Art History or related field with two years of museum experience preferred. 
• Experience in developing relationships with donors, artists, faculty, students, and others who will further the Museum’s artistic and financial goals. 
• Experience in working with a broad range of university and community audiences, student interns, and volunteers. 
• Evidence of effective communication skills. 
• Evidence of effective communication on behalf of this Museum, its mission, collection, and relevance today and in the future. 
• Experience in working collaboratively with the Museum’s curatorial team and within the larger context of a contemporary art museum and university. 
• Experience in working effectively in stressful situations involving changing priorities and tight timelines.
• Demonstrated interest in professional and best practices in museums and the ability to implement them.
• Evidence of original research, curatorial work, or publication in the field of contemporary ceramics and/or craft. 
• Demonstrated knowledge of professional museum practice.

Working Environment

• Work from home options available & dependent on program/exhibition schedules and supervisor approval
• Activities are performed in multiple environmentally-controlled buildings subject to extended periods of sitting, standing and walking.
• Walking moderate distances between site locations.
• Exposure to dust and other airborne materials.
• Regular activities require the ability to quickly change priorities which may include and/or are subject to resolution of conflicts.
• Clear communication to perform essential functions.
• Regular use of standard office equipment including, but not limited to: computer workstation/laptop (keyboard, monitor, mouse), printer, fax, scanner copier, calculator, telephone, and associated computer/technology peripherals.
• Receives managerial review of assignments for adherence to established objectives and goals. Provides a regular review of work activities to volunteers to ensure compliance with established standards.

Department Statement

The Herberger Institute comprises the School of Art; School of Arts, Media and Engineering; The Sidney Poitier New American Film School; School of Music, Dance and Theatre; The Design School; and the ASU Art Museum. With 130 degree and certificate options, and programs ranked top 20 in art, design, music, theatre, digital culture, film, dance and more, plus a top university art museum, a leading immersive media facility, and national and international partnerships, the Herberger Institute is a powerhouse of art, culture and design. 

Our mission is to position designers, artists, scholars and educators at the center of public life and prepare them to use their creative capacities to advance culture, build community and imaginatively address today’s most pressing challenges.

The vision of the Herberger Institute is to advance the New American University by embedding designers, artists and arts-based inquiry at its core and throughout the communities it serves locally, nationally and internationally. With 7,000+ students, mare than 700 faculty members, and 130 program options, the Herberger Institute is committed to redefining the 21st-century design and arts school.

As part of Arizona State University, the most innovative university in the nation, the Herberger Institute seeks to drive and scale new ways for arts and design to have impact in our world. We invite you to join our work.

Values:

• Creativity as a core 21st-century competency
• Design and the arts as critical resources for transforming our society
• Innovation, enterprise and entrepreneurship
• Interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary collaboration and research
• Social embeddedness
• Projecting all voices
• Excellence

https://herbergerinstitute.asu.edu/

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Total compensation at ASU is defined as more than the salary paid for the valuable work performed to support the success of our ASU students. It includes:

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•             Alternative work schedules can include four, 10-hour workdays in a workweek; a nine-day, 80-hour schedule over two workweeks for exempt employees only; and staggered start and stop times.
•             Hybrid work is an arrangement where employees spend a minimum of 60% of their regular workweek at their primary ASU work location. Dean or vice president-level approval is required.

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ASU conducts pre-employment screening for all positions which includes a criminal background check, verification of work history, academic credentials, licenses, and certifications. Employment is contingent upon successful passing of the background check.

Instructions to Apply

Application deadline is 3:00PM Arizona time on the date indicated.

Please include all employment information in month/year format (e.g., 6/88 to 8/94), job title, job duties and name of employer for each position.

Resume should clearly illustrate how prior knowledge and experience meets the Minimum and Desired qualifications of this position.

ASU does not pay for travel expenses associated with interviews, unless otherwise indicated.

Only electronic applications are accepted for this position.

IMPORTANT NOTE: What is the meaning of “equivalent combination” in the minimum qualifications? It means one year of higher education or 24 credit hours, is equal to one year of experience. For example, a four year Bachelor’s degree is equal to four years of experience.