RESIDENTIAL CURATORIAL FELLOWSHIP – The Jeanne and Ralph Graham Collections Fellow

Temporary / Full Time

Description:

Cranbrook Art Museum is accepting applications for a paid, full-time, curatorial assistant in residence as its 2024–2025 Jeanne and Ralph Graham Curatorial Fellow. This is a unique opportunity for an emerging museum curator with a passion for contemporary art, craft, or design to play an important role in the presentation and interpretation of Cranbrook’s diverse collections and exhibitions programs.

The Fellow is a key member of the curatorial team and is actively involved in both research as well as the development and execution of temporary exhibitions. The intimate scale of the institution ensures that Fellows are exposed to all aspects of museum operations. Since its inception in 1998, the Jeanne and Ralph Graham Curatorial Fellowship at Cranbrook Art Museum has attracted talented new curators who have gone on to lead curatorial programs in major museums across the country.

Reporting directly to the Associate Curator of Collections, and working collaboratively with other staff of the Art Museum, as well as staff from other Cranbrook units, the Fellow will assist in the research and development of exhibitions; research the holdings of the Art Museum; and help with the display and interpretation of art.

Responsibilities Include:

  • In collaboration and cooperation with the curatorial and registration staff, helps develop exhibitions, including but not limited to checklist development, loan, and contributor agreements, layout of exhibitions, primary and secondary research of artworks and artists for presentation and publication.
  • Researches the museum’s holdings and potential acquisitions and prepares related texts and presentations for Cranbrook’s acquisition committees.
  • Conducts object research and assists with display and interpretation within the museum’s innovative, open storage Collections Wing.
  • Writes interpretive texts for exhibitions, programs, acquisitions, and projects.
  • Conducts tours of temporary exhibitions and the Collections Wing.
  • Works with the curatorial team to present the exhibition program.
  • Assists in collections-based education programs for students and adults.
  • Attends and participates in Art Museum meetings.
  • Facilitates research requests and inquiries about the exhibitions and collections.
  • Assists with cataloging records and representing the collections on the Art Museum’s website.

Requirements:

The ideal candidate should have an M.A. in art, architectural, craft, or design history, material culture, or a related field (completion of M.A. coursework required), with an emphasis on 20th and 21st-century art with an interest in the craft, architecture, and design of the same period; demonstrated object-based research and interpretation skills; outstanding speaking, writing, and editing skills; attention to detail; strong computer skills (Microsoft Office Suite); and collections database experience (TMS strongly preferred). Previous curatorial experience or internships preferred but not required. Knowledge of aspects of the Adobe Creative Suite (InDesign, Illustrator, Photoshop) are helpful, but not required.

Cranbrook Art Museum is a leading venue for the presentation of twentieth- and twenty-first-century art, craft, architecture, and design. The Art Museum is located in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan, a suburb of metropolitan Detroit, on the beautiful 319-acre historic landmark campus of the Cranbrook Educational Community. The Art Museum’s sister institution is Cranbrook Academy of Art, a renowned graduate school of art, architecture, craft, and design. While the collections of the Art Museum span the 20th and 21st centuries, the permanent collection focus is on the achievements of faculty and students of the Academy of Art and of artists in the Detroit metropolitan area. The Art Museum frequently presents public art programs in the city of Detroit, working with a range of creative collaborators, diverse artists and curators, and various community partners. Each year the Art Museum also presents artworks created by the graduating class of Cranbrook Academy of Art. In 2011, the Art Museum completed a renovation of its original 1942 Art Museum and Art Library building designed by Eliel Saarinen and created a new Collections Wing, a purpose-built, state-of-the-art handling and storage facility for its collections, which allows for a curated and publicly accessible viewing of selections from nearly 7,500 works of art.

Compensation and Residential Housing The 12-month fellowship begins in July 2024 and continues through June 30, 2025. The fellowship is subject to renewal for a second year, based on performance, allowing for the continued development and realization of longer-term projects. This is a full-time (40 hours per week) position with annualized compensation of $37,800, with an apartment on Cranbrook’s campus provided (no pets or smoking permitted). The position is also eligible for Cranbrook’s Blue Cross Blue Shield Simply Blue PPO medical plan.

Applications reviewed until position filled with priority given to applications received by April 4, 2024. Please send a cover letter (including Fellowship and career trajectory and goals), résumé, writing sample, list of three references with contact information (phone, email). Please be sure all documents are uploaded at the time you submit your application.

 

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