Job Description

The Portland Art Museum (PAM) seeks a Curator of European & American Art (Curator) to lead the next phase of growth and development of the European and American art programs (pre-1930) as the Museum enters an exciting expansion phase. The Curator is responsible for the care, research, exhibition, and growth of paintings, drawings, and sculpture up to 1930 in European Art and secondary oversight of American art. This role includes stewardship of the European and American collection of ca. 2,000 objects, collection and temporary exhibitions and related programs, research, writing and speaking about European and American art. The Curator will also supervise the presentation of all traveling exhibitions of European and American art pre-1930 as scheduled by the Museum. This is an endowed position thanks to the Richard and Janet Geary Foundation.

PAM’s curatorial department is an exceptional, hardworking team of curators dedicated to presenting the finest experiences in art across the major areas of this encyclopedic museum. The Museum fosters a collegial work environment, teamwork, collaboration, and passion for the objects and the audiences served. The Curator will also play a role in Museum advocacy in the community, collector and donor relations, and audience engagement. These “outward-facing” responsibilities are key to achieving the goals of the European and American art program. The new Curator will join an energized Museum staff looking to the future while honoring its storied past, and will have ample creative and scholarly opportunities while living and working in one of the most beautiful regions of the United States.

This is a multi-tasking senior curatorial position requiring expertise in the field of European art pre-1930, secondary expertise in American art pre-1930, and art history in general. Fostering positive relationships in the field and community, and the ability to connect and advocate while collaborating with a talented team in a fast-paced work environment are essential, as are presenting the highest caliber museum experiences for its diverse audiences. The position requires management and organization skills, and commitment to a team-centered value system built on collaboration and responsibility grounded in trust and respect.

Education, Experience, Training

• PhD in Art History preferred, and a minimum of 10 years of related Museum work experience or equivalent combination of education and experience.
• Expertise in an area/s of European art pre-1930 and wide knowledge of the history of European Art.
• Secondary expertise in an area/s of American art pre-1930 is highly desirable.
• Established record in presenting exhibitions, and publishing scholarly articles and books.
• Familiarity with art techniques, care of works of art, cataloging systems, and collection storage.
• Keen interest in original objects and connoisseurship.
• Knowledge of one European language required, reading two or more preferred.

Required Traits & Skills

• Possesses cultural interest and sensitivity.
• Values diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility (DEIA)
• Demonstrated organizational and time management skills to carry out the responsibilities of the position, including managing multiple projects simultaneously.
• Exceptional interpersonal skills, ability to quickly develop rapport and build and maintain effective long-term relationships with trustees, donors, collectors, colleagues, volunteers, docents, and the Portland art community.
• Strategic perspective to consider the impact of decisions, plans, and programs on the Museum, and make sound recommendations accordingly.
• Analytical and conceptual thinking.
• Displays drive and purpose.
• Demonstrates ethics and integrity.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills and ability to prepare and deliver concise, understandable presentations to a wide audience.
• Skilled working within a complex and fast-paced environment.
• Works both independently and as a collaborative member of the Curatorial team.
• Computer skills in basic word processing and database programs.

Institutional Responsibilities

• Use the equity lens in decision making. Promote equity and inclusion goals and have a “people first” mindset and the values of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Accessibility
• Support the Museum’s mission, vision and core values of creativity, connection, learning, accessibility and accountability.
• Contribute to and support the PAM strategic plan, annual priorities, and institutional initiatives.
• Contribute to a positive organizational culture based on mutual respect, a spirit of collegiality, cooperation, and openness to many perspectives.
• Participate in a culture of ongoing learning, collaboration, innovation, creativity, and community engagement.

Primary Responsibilities

• Conducts ongoing research on the Museum’s pre-1930 European and American collections and in the field in general.
• Makes recommendations for acquisitions and deaccessions to the Director, Chief Curator, and the Collections Committee.
• Develops exhibitions and installations from the Museum’s permanent collection.
• Originates and organizes exhibitions in the field. Conducts research, selects objects, and works with registrars on coordination of loan agreements, packing and shipping, and other exhibition details.
• Writes catalogues, brochures, and other publications; writes exhibition wall labels and extended object labels.
• Serves as curator-in-charge of traveling exhibitions, when appropriate and assigned.
• Works with the Learning and Community Partnership Department to develop programs and activities that relate to or enhance exhibitions and installations. Is open to working with community partners in program and exhibition planning.
• Presents gallery talks, docent lectures, and public lectures on relevant exhibitions and aspects of the permanent collection.
• Cultivates collectors for support and possible donations of art objects.
• Serves as advisor to the European and American Art Council; provides guidance and advice for programming and participates in Council activities.
• Works with the Development Office to develop support for exhibitions, programs and activities.
• Works with the Library in developing research and reference materials related to the curatorial area.
• Travels as necessary and participates in the professional and intellectual discourse related to European and American Art and provides services to the disciplines through participation as an active member of professional organizations such as AAM, AAMC., and FRAME (French American Museum Exchange)
• Is conversant with the art market, maintains contact with dealers, galleries, collectors, fellow professionals, and other constituencies as appropriate.
• Fields inquiries from the public in the areas of responsibility.
• Works with the Director of Collections and Exhibitions to oversee the staff working in European and American art Galleries.
• Performs other related duties as assigned.
• Mentors fellows within the field.
• Oversee internships as needed on a project basis.
• Budget accountability, works with the Director of Collections & Exhibitions to develop and monitor the curatorial department budget.
• Assist with long term planning for curatorial division and strategic planning for the institution.

Benefits

The anticipated salary range is $96,460 to $115,752 annually, commensurate with experience, plus a benefits package including health care, dental, vision, paid time off including sick and vacation, 401k retirement plan with employer match, flexible spending accounts, transportation assistance, and relocation expenses. Applicants must be eligible to work in the United States and successfully pass background checks.

Application Process for Curator of European & American Art

In order to be considered eligible, submissions require a resume, cover letter, four references, and all application questions answered. Incomplete applications will not be considered.

Closing Date: Monday, June 12, 2023, 5:00PM PST

Company Description

Equal Opportunity & Accessibility

The Museum is deeply committed to diversity, equity, and inclusion, both in our hiring practices and in our Museum employee experiences. We strive to foster a mindful and respectful environment in which everyone can be their authentic selves at work and experience a culture free of harassment, racism, and discrimination.

The Museum is an equal opportunity employer, committed to a policy of non-discrimination in employment on any basis including age, sex, color, race, creed, national origin, religion, marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity, political belief, disability or any other legally protected status. We are committed to the full inclusion of all qualified individuals. This commitment ensures that persons with disabilities are provided reasonable accommodations to participate in the application, interview, and hiring process. Alternative formats of this application are available upon request. If reasonable accommodation or an alternative form of this application is needed to participate in the job application or interview process, perform essential job functions, and/or receive other benefits and privileges of employment, please contact Human Resources at hr@pam.org or 503.276.4358.

About the Museum and European and American Art Collections

PAM was founded in 1892 and today is one of the leading art museums on the Pacific coast with over 50,000 objects in its collection including works of European, American, Pacific Northwest, Asian, Native American, contemporary art, photography, graphic arts, and decorative arts. The Museum occupies 300,000 square feet of space with 150,000 square feet of galleries and temporary exhibition space over 4 buildings and additions added over the decades. PAM is now in the final stage of preparation for its long anticipated 80,000 square foot expansion and gallery renovations set for completion in 2025. This $145 million project, including endowment, improves accessibility, reorients the visitor experience by greatly enhancing connectivity among the buildings and sets the stage for an anticipated next phase reinstallation of the permanent collection in the years ahead.

The European and American art collections are pivotal to the Museum’s collection and since the Museum’s founding, European art has been at the core of the permanent collection when PAM’s founder Henry Corbett gave funds to purchase the first acquisitions. Several important paintings were acquired in the early decades of the 20th century, but it was through two significant bequests, the 1935 Winslow B. Ayer bequest and the 1943 C.F. Adams bequest, that the Museum acquire the French 19th-century Impressionist paintings at the core of the European collection.

In 1961, the collection expanded to include the Renaissance and Baroque paintings and sculptures, gifted by the Samuel H. Kress Foundation, which anchors the representation of the stylistic evolution of European painting from the 14th through 18th centuries.

Today the Museum’s European art collection occupies over 13,500 square feet in a sequence of galleries on the Main Building’s second floor allowing visitors to follow the works from the 17th century back to Classical Antiquity or forward to the 19th century. A gallery of classical antiquities displays a selection of Greek, Roman, and Etruscan objects, including red- and black-figure vases, small bronzes, and glass drawn from the Sally Lewis Collection donated to the Museum in 1926.

Gifts from generous supporters and select acquisitions continue to expand the scope and quality of the collection. Major additions of Baroque art include Portrait of Cardinal Domenico Rivarola by Anthony Van Dyck, Volumnia Before Coriolanus by Rembrandt’s student and friend, Gerbrand van den Eeckhout, and Spirit of the Dance by Jean-Baptiste Carpeaux. The French holdings from the collection’s beginning have been supplemented by recent purchases of French masters, including paintings by Philippe de Champaigne, Michel Corneille, Jacques Stella, Jean-François de Troy, Jean-Baptiste Greuze, Jean-Honoré Fragonard, Gustave Courbet, and Camille Corot.

The Museum has also amassed a significant collection of American paintings and sculptures. Located on the second level of the Main Building, the collection has grown primarily through gifts and key purchases of works by artists of national acclaim. Arranged chronologically, the American collection occupies 5,000 square feet of galleries and provides an overview of the history of American art. Early portraits by Gilbert Stuart and Erastus Salisbury Field join acknowledged late 19th-century masterworks such as the magnificent Mount Hood by Albert Bierstadt, The Sculptor and the King by George de Forest Brush, and Thomas Moran’s The Grand Canal, Venice. The collection also features paintings by the great 19th-century landscape painter, George Inness.

The collection is rich in works by American Impressionists Childe Hassam and J. Alden Weir, including paintings created during their visits to Portland in the early 1900s and Weir’s portrait of Museum founder C.E.S. Wood. Other works from the first half of the 20th century include paintings by artists ranging from Modernists Milton Avery and Marsden Hartley to John Sloan, George Luks, and other members of the Eight, a group of American artists that united to oppose academism. Read more about the history of PAM here and more about the collection here.