Details
Posted: 27-Dec-21
Location: Chicago, Illinois
Type: Full Time
Required Education: Doctorate
Salary: $55,000
Categories:
Jobs Outside Academe
Salary Details:
$55,000 base salary and health benefit offered plus accrued paid time off.
Collection Summary
The Foundation’s Art of the Spanish Americas collection numbers more than 180 works from the seventeenth to nineteenth centuries, principally paintings from South America. The collection includes works on religious themes and portraits from the Viceroyalty of Peru (and the smaller entities such as the Kingdom of Nueva Granada into which it was divided in the eighteenth century), as well as a small selection of portraits from the Spanish Caribbean. Upwards of 50% of the works are on loan to various museums, including the Art Institute of Chicago, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, and Blanton Museum of Art.
Position Description
The Thoma Foundation is accepting applications for a Curatorial Fellow – Art of the Spanish Americas. The scholar will lead all aspects of our Arts of the Spanish Americas (ASA) collection including research, documentation, and promotion of the collection, oversee conservation, plan exhibitions, and work collaboratively with other departments within the Foundation to coordinate loans and advise on grants related to the collection.
The position responsibilities will be broken into two parts. 50% of your time will be devoted to research, documentation, and analysis of the existing ASA collection. The remaining 50% will involve proactive outreach with leading scholars and museums to expand awareness of the Thoma’s ASA collection, to introduce loan opportunities for future exhibitions, and to network with dealers and auction houses to pursue new acquisition opportunities. This is a really wonderful opportunity for an emerging scholar to research and travel, gaining exposure to those who are working internationally in this particular field.
The Curator will utilize excellent interpersonal skills and a dynamic personality to cultivate relationships that lead to new partnerships with art organizations and museums around the world. This includes being a visible and active member of the national and international art community.
Following safety protocols for traveling during the pandemic, international and domestic, will be required to (potentially) Santa Fe, Madrid, and South America to conduct site-specific research, to meet with museums, auction houses, and dealers, and to build relationships with leaders in the field.
The Curator will be offered an office at Orange Door in Chicago, IL where they will work 40 hours weekly, Monday through Friday for a continuous 12-month period, and renewable for a second year if mutually agreed upon. The Thoma Foundation will award a salary with health benefits. It is expected that the scholar is dedicating their time to Art of the Spanish Americas project work assigned by the foundation and must be available for phone calls and to participate in meetings anytime during the 8:30 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. hours of the work week.
Responsibilities
- In collaboration with the collection’s long-time adjunct curator, oversee the research and documentation of Art of the Spanish Americas collection particularly as it relates to research and writing about new acquisitions.
- Conduct pre-acquisition research, including provenance, appraisals, and condition evaluations and, in collaboration with the adjunct curator, recommend works for acquisition.
- Oversee and document conservation work; act as the primary contact for conservators
- Develop a communications plan to increase awareness and to reach new audiences for Spanish American art
- Cultivate relationships with peer institutions and engage external leaders and partners to develop loan relationships and collection-centered exhibitions
- Travel to meet with curators, dealers, and auction houses, domestically and Carl and Marilynn like to do their own traveling, methinks.
- Offer insights and guidance on grants related to the collection including individual awards or fellowships and grants to nonprofit entities
- Organize internal and traveling exhibitions from the collection
- Plan, oversee, and contribute to updated scholarly publication of the The plan is for the collection to be on-line (Argus). It is hoped that accessibility through Argus will invite scholarly comments, additions, corrections, subject to internal review.
Qualifications
- Ph.D. in Art History or related field with graduate work on the history of art of South America, principally colonial Peru; our collection of Andean art is from the period of Spanish colonization, so we do expect extensive knowledge in this area.
- Spanish fluency including conversational, written, and advanced translations
- Superior research, written, and verbal communication skills
- Self-directed and self-motivated with the ability to execute on plans independent of direction
- Strong interpersonal skills, a dynamic personality, and the ability to foster relationships that lead to new partnerships with art organizations and museums
- Creative and confident to propose new ideas
- Is interested in community engagement and inclusion and with a strong sense of ethical practice and empathy
- Must be collaborative, congenial, and kind. This position is required to attend all internal staff meetings. We are a small team and need someone who can work collaboratively across all areas of the Foundation.
Candidates with academic and professional experience in a museum, arts foundation, or other organization focused on the visual arts are encouraged to apply.
Location and Hours
This position is open to candidates nationwide and is located in Chicago. This is a full-time position which requires 40 hours worked weekly, Monday through Friday between 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. We would be open to speaking with international candidates, but the position will not be remote.
Term
This position is a full-time staff position with a one-year term, with an option to renew for a second year if mutually agreed upon.
Compensation
$55,000 base salary and health benefit offered plus accrued paid time off.
To Apply
Applications will be accepted on a rolling basis.
To apply, please send your cover letter, resume or C.V., and a published article or writing sample of no more than 10 pages to jobs@thomafoundation.org.
Further information about the Carl & Marilynn Thoma Foundation can be found at https://thomafoundation.org.
