Deputy Director of Curatorial Affairs

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How to Apply

For full consideration please provide a resume with a cover letter, describing how your experience and qualifications relate to the position requirements. Due to system limitations, please submit your cover letter and resume together as one PDF.

Job Summary

We are looking for a Deputy Director of Curatorial Affairs to partner with the Museum Director to develop and lead the creative and curatorial vision of the institution, oversee a dynamic exhibition program, and provide strategic vision and managerial oversight for our collection, including public art, and the curatorial department.

You will work with other senior leaders to set institutional priorities, create new directions, and advance the Museum's mission through bold curatorial projects. Additionally, you will provide strategic leadership across the curatorial division supervising the staff following standard museum practice and guidelines. An essential aspect of this role is building relationships with current and prospective donors.

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You will report to the Museum Director. This is primarily an in-person role, in Ann Arbor, requiring domestic and occasional international travel approximately 25% of the time.

Contact [email protected] for questions or accommodations.

Who We Are

The University of Michigan Museum of Art (UMMA) puts art and ideas at the center of campus and public life. We create experiences that enrich our understanding of one another, foster joy, and build a more just future.

The Museum is engaged with the most relevant social and cultural questions of our time researching its collection to recalibrate past practices with today's ethical standards, activating civic engagement and democracy, challenging conventions of encyclopedism, and acknowledging and confronting historic exclusion. For more information about UMMA and our commitment to the arts and humanities, visit

Why Work at Michigan?

Benefits

In addition to a career filled with purpose and opportunity, The University of Michigan offers a comprehensive benefits package to help you stay well, protect yourself and your family and plan for a secure future. Benefits include:

• Generous time off
• A retirement plan that provides two-for-one matching contributions with immediate vesting
• Many choices for comprehensive health insurance
• Life insurance
• Long-term disability coverage
• Flexible spending accounts for healthcare and dependent care expenses

Responsibilities*

• Collaborate with the Museum Director to conceive and shape a distinctive, compelling exhibition program that advances the Museum's visibility and reputation, and includes exhibitions that travel nationally and internationally.
• Collaborate with the Deputy Director of Public Experience and Learning and Museum Director to shape the artistic program.
• Direct the creative work of the curatorial team to produce well-researched, exciting, and original exhibitions and programs relevant to contemporary culture and issues.
• Provide strategic direction for the collection's long-term growth, including the university's public art collection.
• Collaborate with the Museum Director to support and shape our public art program.
• Contribute to our long-range institutional planning efforts, such as establishing programmatic and collection development priorities and strategic planning.
• Collaborate with our development staff on fundraising, cultivate relationships with existing major and potential donors, foundations, collectors, and alumni; lead the Director's Acquisition Committee (DAC) in partnership with Development staff
• Manage the curatorial staff and Director of Exhibitions and Publications, encouraging their professional growth and collaboration.
• Mentor curators, interns, and students in current curatorial practices, theories and evolving discourse, and in particular works to strengthen exhibitions ideas, writing, and implementation.
• Serve as a member of the senior leadership team.
• Partner with the Deputy Director of Operations on administrative, financial and HR matters.
• Develop a network of professional relationships with artists, curators, gallerists, critics, and other specialists locally, nationally, and globally.
• Contribute to programs, talks, symposia, and electronic media.
• Write and edit exhibition and publication materials that convey sophisticated ideas while appealing to a broad range of visitors and readers.
• When possible, teaches courses and workshops to undergraduate and graduate students.

Required Qualifications*

• PhD in Art History or equivalent experience, with extensive knowledge and emphasis in modern, contemporary, and appreciation for the full range of the field and its global reach.
• 6+ years of curatorial experience in a museum environment.
• 5+ years of proven experience leading and managing museum projects, programs, supervising staff and leading teams, and mentoring others.
• Advanced knowledge of and proven experience in museum curating, research, and collection development.
• Understanding of, and sensitivity to, the breadth of communities served; locally, nationally, and internationally.
• Experience with cultivation and stewardship of donors who are capable of making transformational gifts.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills, including the ability to communicate complex concepts about history, visual arts, and cultural practice to a public that ranges from casual museum-goers to academics.

Modes of Work

Positions that are eligible for hybrid or mobile/remote work mode are at the discretion of the hiring department. Work agreements are reviewed annually at a minimum and are subject to change at any time, and for any reason, throughout the course of employment. Learn more about the work modes.

Additional Information

This position is exempt from the LEO-GLAM bargaining unit. We are unable to sponsor visas at this time.

U-M EEO Statement

The University of Michigan is an equal employment opportunity employer.

Job Opening ID

269663

Working Title

Deputy Director of Curatorial Affairs

Job Title

CURATOR LEO-GLAM

Work Location

Ann Arbor Campus

Ann Arbor, MI

Modes of Work

Hybrid

Full/Part Time

Full-Time

Regular/Temporary

Regular

FLSA Status

Exempt

Organizational Group

Acad & Fac Affairs

Department

UMMA Central Administration

Posting Begin/End Date

10/14/2025 - 11/28/2025

Salary

$145,000.00 - $155,000.00

Career Interest

Libraries & Museums

The Arts