Job Description
Application Deadline: 28 April 2025
Department: Smithsonian American Art Museum
Employment Type: Full Time
Location: Washington, DC
Reporting To: Curator of Folk Art
Compensation: $69,923 / year
Description
OPEN DATE: 04/14/2025
CLOSING DATE: 04/28/2025 (This job will close once 200 applications are received which may be sooner than the closing date.)
POSITION TYPE: Trust Fund
APPOINTMENT TYPE: Temporary, Not-To-Exceed 2 years; Renewable
SCHEDULE: Full Time
DUTY LOCATION: Washington, DC
Position sensitivity and risk: Non-sensitive (NS)/Low Risk
Open to all qualified applicants.
What are Trust Fund Positions?
Trust Fund positions are unique to the Smithsonian. They are paid for from a variety of sources, including the Smithsonian endowment, revenue from our business activities, donations, grants and contracts. Trust employees are not part of the civil service, nor does trust fund employment lead to Federal status. The salary ranges for trust positions are generally the same as for federal positions and in many cases trust and federal employees work side by side. Trust employees have their own benefit program, which may include Health, Dental & Vision Insurance, Life Insurance, Transit/Commuter Benefits, Accidental Death and Dismemberment Insurance, Annual and Sick Leave, Family Friendly Leave, 403b Retirement Plan, Discounts for Smithsonian Memberships, Museum Stores and Restaurants, Credit Union, Smithsonian Early Enrichment Center (Child Care), Flexible Spending Account (Health & Dependent Care).
Conditions of Employment
Pass Pre-employment Background Check and Subsequent Background Investigation for position designated.
Complete a Probationary Period.
Maintain a Bank Account for Direct Deposit/Electronic Transfer.
The position is open to all candidates eligible to work in the United States. Proof of eligibility to work in U.S. is not required to apply.
Applicants must meet all qualification and eligibility requirements within 30 days of the closing date of this announcement.
Overview
This position is located in the Curatorial Office, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Under Secretary for Museums and Culture, Smithsonian Institution (SI). The purpose of the position is to carry out assigned and approved projects in the four areas of curation: research, exhibits, development & management of collections, and related public service. The incumbent will work amid SAAM’s curatorial team, under the supervision of SAAM’s Curator of Folk and Self-Taught art. The incumbent will be active in collections assessments and in-depth research of a large, interrelated body of artwork and the artist who made it; the incumbent will also be involved with records organization and project administration, as well as writing collaboratively on research findings towards a possible exhibition and book.
Incumbent must have a solid grounding within the broad field of American art history but will specialize in one or more pertinent areas within that field. Ideal specializations include, but are not limited to African American/African Diasporic Religious Studies and/or American Self-Taught, Vernacular, or Visionary Art. This document describes only the overall requirement for knowledge of American art; individual specializations will be noted in each employee’s performance plan.
Duties And Responsibilities
Conducts research on assigned objects from the permanent collection and on assigned artist/s, primarily James Hampton and the collection of his works at SAAM, a large body of vernacular art, primarily sculptural, made as an interrelated, multipiece installation between 1950-1964 in Washington, DC and comprehensively titled The Throne of the Third Heaven of the Nations’ Millennium General Assembly.
Develops an in-depth understanding of the relevant collection objects (both individually and as they relate to one another) and related artworks both in and beyond the Museum’s collection.
In collaboration with supervising curator, develops themes and theories that will ground an exhibition and catalogue project as well as evergreen collections assets.
Works with Head Curator, Supervising Curator, and other senior staff to develop a major exhibition project drawn from the Museum’s collections.
Participates in the preparation and staging of project exhibition and related catalog, interpretation, and programming.
Independently directs all aspects of the project under direct supervision of Curator of Folk and Self-Taught Art.
Responsible for completeness and accuracy of exhibition graphics and wall text.
Becomes knowledgeable on the conservation and registration status of objects encompassed within a major collection-based project that includes but is not limited to an exhibition project.
Helps plan and execute components of a collection-based project that will live beyond the ephemeral limits of an exhibition project and become an ongoing collection resource for scholars and the general public.
Liaises with Museum staff and related contractors or collaborators for all work related to conservation, registration, photography, and digital assets for specified collections and serves as primary coordinator for all interdepartmental aspects of collections management related to said project.
Helps plan programming and education related to the museum’s James Hampton collection.
Responds to routine inquiries from the public.
Qualification Requirements
Education (if positive education is required) and Experience: To qualify for this position, applicants must possess a degree in American art history or in an applicable subject-matter field; combination of education and experience -- courses equivalent to a major, as shown in above, plus appropriate experience or additional education; or four years of experience that provided knowledge comparable to that normally acquired through the successful completion of the 4-year course of study as shown above.
Experience Required For This Position Is As Follows
Knowledgeable in the field of American art history and its non-American sources and will further specialize in one or more pertinent areas of expertise within that field.
Knowledge with the principles and methods of art historical research and the organization and preparation of exhibitions and publications.
Knowledge of collections, museum activities, and procedures.
Knowledge of the basics of museum practice and understand the interrelationships between museum offices and responsibilities.
Ability to write clearly and effectively convey complex ideas to a general audience.
Skill with grammar, spelling, punctuation and sentence structure.
Skill to grasp of conceptual ideas.
Education completed outside the United States must be deemed equivalent to higher education programs of U.S. Institutions by an organization that specializes in the interpretation of foreign educational credentials. This documentation is the responsibility of the applicant and should be included as part of your application package.
Any false statement in your application may result in rejection of your application and may also result in termination after employment begins.
Join us in "Inspiring Generations through Knowledge and Discovery."
Resumes should include a description of your paid and non-paid work experience that is related to this job; starting and ending dates of job (month and year); and average number of hours worked per week.
What To Expect Next: Once the vacancy announcement closes, a review of your resume will be compared against the qualification and experience requirements related to this job. After review of applicant resumes is complete, qualified candidates will be referred to the hiring manager.
Relocation expenses are not paid.
The Smithsonian Institution provides reasonable accommodation to applicants with disabilities where appropriate. Applicants requiring reasonable accommodation should contact weinwurmd@si.edu. Determinations on requests for reasonable accommodation will be made on a case-by-case basis. To learn more, please review the Smithsonian’s Accommodation Procedures.
The Smithsonian Institution is an Equal Opportunity Employer . We believe that a workforce comprising a variety of educational, cultural, and experiential backgrounds support and enhance our daily work life and contribute to the richness of our exhibitions and programs. See Smithsonian EEO program information:
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Job Tags
Permanent employment, Full time, Temporary work, For contractors, Work experience placement, Relocation, Flexible hours,