Art Curator (up to 0.5fte and 12 months fixed term contract)

Job Title: Art Curator (12 months fixed term contract)
Hours: Up to 0.5fte (18.5hrs per week)
Salary range: Up to scp 28 £34,980 pro rata depending on experience
Department: Bursary

Responsible to: The Principal and The Bursar

JOB FUNCTION/PURPOSE:

Homerton College was founded in 1768 but gained its Royal Charter and membership of the University of Cambridge in 2010.  With over 1,400 students covering all undergraduate and most postgraduate courses, we are one of the largest, youngest and most dynamic colleges in the University.

The College especially prides itself on its values. These emphasize diversity and inclusivity, both in reaching out to potential students from the widest range of backgrounds and ensuring that students from every background feel a sense of belonging at Homerton.  We are, above all, a friendly place which celebrates people and character.

We have recently set out our Values, Vision and Mission and are preparing to publish Homerton’s strategy for the next five years. We measure our success in terms of the diversity of our student base, the academic results they obtain, the experience which our students have while at Homerton and our growing ability to form partnerships with external bodies.

Homerton College is fortunate to reside in a beautiful, landscaped campus and the heritage of our built environment includes a listed Arts and Crafts movement building, extensive Victorian accommodation, and a contemporary award-winning new dining hall.

We would now like for the College’s art collection to be a visual and strong reflection of our values.  Our buildings and our campus form the heart of the college and the art collection has the potential to play a considerable role in articulating our commitment to diversity, inclusivity and friendship as well as directly inspiring and comforting students and visitors.

At present, the art collection is an eclectic mix of different styles which the College has assembled over many decades. The purpose of this role will be to review the current collection, arrange for sale or transfer of items which do not reflect the College’s purpose and values, and to establish and display a coherent and thought-provoking collection of new works which fully reflect the College's unique approach.

There are several options for the way in which the successful candidate might wish to complete these tasks.  The college has a modest budget available to either commission or purchase new art.  Alternatively, we are open to exploring collaborative arrangements with external partners.

Examples of themed approaches to College art collections include Girton College’s partnership with the Royal Society of Portrait Painters for their series entitled ‘Peoples Portraits’ .  Murray Edwards College has established its ‘Women’s Art Collection’ which is Europe’s largest collection of art by women.  It challenges the under representation of women artists in museums and galleries and is therefore a bold statement in support of the College’s mission to welcome outstanding young women of potential, no matter what their background, to the University of Cambridge. The Homerton art collection may wish to embrace themes like diversity, inclusivity, and friendship, or others in line with values and mission. 

MAIN DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

This is a half time role available for a one-year period.  Reporting directly to Homerton’s Principal (Lord Woolley) and its Bursar (Dr Brockington), and working closely with the Art Committee and College archivist, you will:

• Review Homerton’s current art collection.  We hold a photographic catalogue of all pieces, and many are available to view directly either as they are on display in the College or housed in the archive;
• Provide a valuation for all items;
• Develop a plan for the art collection and placement which will allow Homerton to use paintings and other art forms to state its commitment to its values and provide an immersive experience for students and visitors to share these values;
• Gain support for the approach from the College’s Art Committee;
• Acquire and display the works according to the agreed approach; and
• Arrange for appropriate sale or transfer of surplus pieces, in accordance with their value and subject to any over-riding requirements to retain in the College archive for historical reasons.

PERSON SPECIFICATION

We are searching for someone who can understand and interpret our values and deliver an art collection which articulates those values.  The following factors are essential:

• Previous experience in assembling and delivering art collections which transmit a message, ideally in an organisational setting;
• Either qualifications, capability or experience in curating art collections;
• Ability to work collaboratively with members of the College’s Art Committee and to navigate differing points of view; and
• Ability to work alongside the College’s Fundraising and Development office so as to maximise sponsorship opportunities for the new art collection.

You can view and download the job description here

TO APPLY:

Please provide a CV and covering letter indicating how you will fulfil the brief set out above to the HR Department, Homerton College, Hills Road, Cambridge, CB2 8PH or [email protected]

Applications for this position will close on Sunday 14 January 2024 and interviews will be held between 29 January 2024 and 9 February 2024.

Start date is negotiable with the successful candidate, but the College would like to see this work completed by summer 2025.

Please note that we can only consider applications from candidates who have the right to work in the UK.

Homerton College is an equal opportunities employer and strives to meet its commitment to equality and diversity.  This includes not discriminating under the Equality Act 2010 and building an accurate picture of the make-up of the workforce in encouraging equality and diversity. The organisation needs your help and co-operation to enable it to do this, by filling in the anonymous Equality and Diversity Monitoring Form, which is voluntary.