Curatorial Fellow for Photography – Cantor Arts Center, Stanford University, CA

The link to the job is on Stanford’s careers website: https://careersearch.stanford.edu/jobs/capital-group-foundation-curatorial-fellow-for-photography-25209?et=2imtcHzp7
The job posting is, as follows:

3 year fixed-term (Sep 2024 – Aug 2027)
Stanford University is one of the world’s premier academic and research institutions, devoting tremendous intellectual and physical resources toward the betterment of humanity. As a major Silicon Valley employer, Stanford seeks people committed to excellence and to improving our world. In turn, the university is committed to supporting its employees as they develop their careers and enrich their lives. We believe Stanford’s future success will be shaped by the diverse perspectives, unique experiences, and inclusive culture of its community.

Serving the Stanford University campus, the Bay Area community, and visitors from around the world, the Cantor Arts Center provides an outstanding cultural experience for visitors of all ages and a growing online audience of scholars. The Cantor’s encyclopedic collection spans 5,000 years and includes more than 40,000 works of art from around the globe. An established resource for teaching and research on campus, the Cantor offers free admission and programs year-round. It is consistently one of the most visited university museums in the U.S.

It is an exciting time to join the expanding team at the Cantor Arts Center—a loyal community of donors and members, and bold curatorial initiatives that will shape a broader understanding of our collective art histories. Join us as we build capacity to achieve the museum’s goals within an equitable, collaborative, and creative work environment.

The Cantor Arts Center seeks a curatorial fellow to work with its collection of photography, reporting to the Assistant Curator of Photography and New Media. The fellow will be expected to participate in scholarly museum production, including cataloging, research, exhibition planning and implementation, related program development, and collection care. The primary goal of the fellowship is to produce new and innovative research on the Capital Group Foundation Photography Collection, a pillar of the collection’s strength in twentieth-century photography of the United States, and propose a focused, single-gallery exhibition. The Cantor seeks a candidate who has the interest and skills to use the CGF Collection as the basis for scholarship that narrates new stories of photography and centers a wider range of perspectives within the twentieth-century American experience and its historical and global contexts. The fellow should be committed to fostering dialogue around historical and contemporary issues of interpretation, representation, and other relevant concerns.

In this role, you will:

  • Collaborate with other team members in some aspects of a major exhibition. May manage all aspects of a smaller exhibition.
  • Contribute to the development of related programming including lectures, symposia, and other educational programs.
  • Participate in the development of rotations of a collection for display in permanent collection galleries.
  • Facilitate required registration records and review didactic and collection materials.
  • Support collaborative projects with curatorial staff and faculty.
  • May assist in preparing/administering educational materials.
  • Ensure appropriate care of collections.
  • * – Other duties may also be assigned

Please note that this position will be based on the Stanford campus and will be considered hybrid with the expectation to be on campus 3-4 days per week depending on events. In addition, this position may require working evenings and weekends as needed. Some travel may be required. You may work in areas with exposure to dust, paint, chemicals, and other toxins.

In order to be successful,  you will bring:

  • Master’s degree and two years of related experience or a combination of education and relevant experience. PhD Preferred.
  • Demonstrated commitment to promoting and supporting an environment of diversity and inclusion.
  • Good interpersonal skills and professionalism to interact with a wide range of people at various levels of an organization.
  • Expertise in the history of photography, including its materials and processes, and familiarity with issues relevant to 20th century art and photography of the United States. Additional knowledge of 19th century and/or international photography a plus.
  • Ability to conduct thorough, original research across the history of photography.
  • Interest in organizing and implementing innovative museum installations and/or special exhibitions.
  • Sensitivity to historical and contemporary issues around museums and other cultural institutions.
  • Ability to write for and speak effectively with a wide range of audiences, from the general public to scholars.
  • Ability and willingness to work collaboratively with colleagues within the museum and across the Stanford University campus. Ability and willingness to collaborate with other local universities and public museums.
  • Demonstrated verbal and written communication, demonstrated presentation skills.
  • Proven ability to manage multiple priorities effectively and efficiently, with competing deadlines.
  • Ability to work independently and as part of a team.
  • Proficiency working with computer programs including Microsoft Office and art management software.
     

Don’t meet every single requirement? At the Vice Presidency for the Arts and Cantor Arts Center, we are dedicated to building a diverse, inclusive, and authentic workplace, so if you’re excited about this role but your experience doesn’t align perfectly with every qualification in the job description, we encourage you to apply anyways. Let us know in your cover letter how your experience makes you a good fit for us. You may be just the right candidate for this or other roles!

The expected pay range for this position is $77,000 – 82,000 per annum.

Categories: Job Postings