Curator of Native American and Indigenous Art

Job Posting Location:

Claremont, CA

Job Posting Title:

Curator of Native American and Indigenous Art

Job Description:

ABOUT POMONA COLLEGE:  Located near Los Angeles, California, Pomona College is widely regarded as one of the nation's premier liberal arts colleges. Established in 1887, Pomona College is known for small classes, a challenging curriculum, close relationships between students and faculty, and a range of student research and leadership opportunities. Pomona is a member of The Claremont Colleges.

JOB PURPOSE: Serve as primary caretaker and steward for traditional and contemporary Native American and Indigenous items in the Benton’s holdings. Conduct and oversee research; develop and realize exhibition projects; and publish in popular as well as scholarly contexts to enrich collective understanding of Native and Indigenous items in the care of the Benton Museum of Art as well as in a broader contemporary context.

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS: Reporting directly to the Director of the Museum of Art, the Curator of Native American and Indigenous Art works independently and collaboratively to perform the following essential duties and responsibilities:

1. Collection Care

• Conduct research to help with proper identification and culturally sensitive understanding of items in the Benton’s care.
• Oversee the care and preservation of the collection by ensuring proper and responsible handling, storage, and installation of objects and by recommending objects for conservation treatment. Participate in the museum’s efforts to secure funding for conservation initiatives.
• Direct the museum’s efforts to uphold NAGPRA and CAL-NAGPRA regulations. Identify specific opportunities related to NAGPRA regulations and design projects for related research.
• Identify opportunities for collection development, including return and acquisition, where relevant. Review the museum collections of Native American art for potential deaccessions. Maintain a current knowledge of the art market and professional relations with art dealers.

2. Interpretation

• Propose and carry out regular exhibitions as lead curator or in collaboration with guests, including tribal partners.
• Develop and mount larger scale special exhibitions, with accompanying publications when possible, that add to the field of knowledge about Native American art.
• Interpret the museum’s collections of Native American and Indigenous art for publication on the museum’s collection web kiosk and print materials.
• Speak publicly about the museum’s collections in programs organized by the Benton as well as off-site in other public, scholarly, and community-facing settings.

3. Pedagogy

• Receive undergraduate and graduate-level classes to engage with Native American and Indigenous works. Teach undergraduate classes on occasion as mutually agreed by related academic departments. 
• Guide the museum’s efforts to engage K-12 audiences. Collaborate with K-12 educational outreach specialists and undergraduate interns so that they can accurately and knowledgeably represent the collection.
• Develop regular academic and public programs to raise visibility and more nuanced understanding of Native American and Indigenous art and culture.

4. General

• Active pursuit of established and evolving Native American cultural protocols to foster and maintain relationships with tribal partners.
• Attendance and participation, where appropriate, in tribal cultural events, conferences, art fairs, and workshops.
• Interaction with Pomona trustees, collectors, potential donors, and the general public, including community outreach initiatives.
• Active participation in broader museum initiatives through specially formed teams.

QUALIFICATIONS:

• Education: Master’s degree in the field of Art History or a related discipline with specialization in Native American art and culture. Ph.D. desirable.

• Experience: Minimum of 3 years previous employment in a collection-based curatorial department or collection-based institution with direct experience in the area of Native American art, including a proven record of organizing exhibitions and generating original text for varied audiences (general museum audiences and scholarly audiences). Significant demonstrated art historical research skills and experience.

REQUIRED KNOWLEDGE AND CRITICAL SKILLS: This position must possess the knowledge, skills, and abilities to be able to successfully perform the essential functions of the job or must be able to demonstrate how the essential functions will be performed (with or without reasonable accommodation) using other knowledge, skills, and abilities not listed below.

1. Deploy professional skills and knowledge of art and contemporary art, in collaboration with colleagues, to best promote the College’s strategic interests.

2. Demonstrated lived experience working with Indigenous groups and/or communities.

3. Demonstrated orientation to culturally grounded scholarship and collaborative methodologies.

4. Proficiency in applicable languages.

5. Demonstrated ability to write interpretive material for different audiences.

6. Significant demonstrated art historical research skills and experience.

7. Ability to travel to visit tribal communities, attend art exhibitions and art fairs, and conduct research.

8. Demonstrate effective, accurate and clear communication with excellent verbal, written, interpersonal, reading, phone, customer service and leadership skills to supervise, facilitate, motivate and inspire a highly diverse group of student employees and interns.  Follow all written and verbal instructions, asking questions as needed for clarification of projects/tasks/duties/assignments.

9. Handle all activities and highly confidential information with patience, discretion, good judgment, courtesy, and tact while working with people from a wide variety of backgrounds.

10. Prioritize and perform multiple projects/tasks, meet deadlines/timelines, respond to others in a timely manner, and work both independently and as a collaborative member of the College with a high standard of integrity and ethics, in support of the College’s strategic vision and the Museum of Art’s annual goals.

11. Use exceptional organizational, time management, and proofreading skills to complete work with accuracy and a keen attention to detail.

To apply, please upload the materials below: 

• CV 
• Letter of interest/cover letter
• 3 references with contact information (not letters of rec)
• Work sample (2 pieces of writing oriented to 2 different audiences)

REQUIRED HOURS: The regular hours for this full-time position are 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Monday – Friday.  Holiday, weekend, and evening work hours will be required.  Travel will be required.  Regular hours may vary due to needs of the College or division.

ADDITIONAL POSITION DETAILS: This is a regular, full-time, exempt position. The rate for this role is between $70,304 - $90,000 with a competitive benefits package. The specific factors that the College will consider when offering a salary to an individual will include, but not be limited to: education, training, relevant prior experience, and performance in prior roles. All staff positions are ineligible for visa or permanent resident card sponsorship. As a California employer, Pomona College requires all employees to be residents of California.

ADA/OSHA: This job description defines the essential job duties of this position.  The College expects that employees hired for this position can perform the essential functions of this job without imposing risk of substantial harm to the health or safety of themselves or others.  It may also include marginal functions, generally defined within Title I of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA).

DISCLAIMER: This job description has been designed to indicate the general nature and level of work performed by employees within this classification.  It is not designed to contain or be interpreted as a comprehensive inventory of all duties, responsibilities and qualifications required of employees assigned to this position.  When duties and responsibilities change and develop, the College will review this job description and make changes of business necessity.