Gallery Director – State University of New York at Oswego

The School of Communication, Media and the Arts at the State University of New York at Oswego invites applications to fill a full-time position of Gallery Director.

Posting Date: February 13, 2024

Review Date: Review of applications will begin immediately and will continue until the position is filled. 

Compensation: Minimum salary of $56,000 commensurate with experience plus full New York State benefits package. 

Benefit Information: The State University of New York provides an excellent benefit package.  For more information, visit: https://www.suny.edu/benefits/benefit-summaries/

Date of Appointment: August 15, 2024

Description of Responsibilities: 

•     Provide organizational leadership to the Art Exhibition Advisory Board Chair in aligning exhibitions and gallery programming strategic goals in consultation with the Department of Art and Design, SCMA, and ARTSwego on thematic and school-wide initiatives.

•     Provide engaging outreach and advocacy for the gallery, identify and evaluate risks to the organization, and ensure the gallery complies with current campus, departmental, and NASAD policies.

•     Teaching and providing internship supervision of the Museum Studies program.

•     Oversee the scheduling for Tyler Art Gallery and the Art & Design Visiting Artist Program. Includes the selection of exhibitions and exhibition schedule correlated to campus and art and design department activities.

•     Preparation and installation of exhibitions, including unpacking, dismantling, and repacking of borrowed shows; arranging for shipping and crating of all incoming and outgoing artwork

•     Engage in community outreach as appropriate with programming goals. Includes making arrangements for visiting tours, artists, and scholars. It also includes introducing current exhibitions to faculty members, students, and community organizations.

•     Oversee exhibition and visiting artists’ budgets, complete funding requests, grants, and final reports.

•     Coordinating publicity with on-campus outlets and off-campus media. Includes writing and distributing press releases and images.

•     Supervision of opening receptions and special events. Includes arranging security for gallery and non-gallery events taking place in the gallery.

•     Responsible for oversight, care, and maintenance of SUNY Oswego’s permanent art collection, including outdoor sculptures. This includes maintaining and updating the collection database and implementing a collections care strategy that adheres to professional standards, including policies on conservation, documentation, security, storage, and physical and digital collection access.

Required Qualifications: 

•     Master’s degree in Museum Studies or a Master’s of Fine Arts degree with gallery/museum experience.

•     Experience in the arts, event management, publicity and marketing

•     Experience reviewing artist contracts and/or grant writing

•     Ability to use Google Suite/Microsoft Office suite and other software related to gallery management

•     Basic office skills, including experience using various social media platforms

•     Valid driver’s license

•     Ability to work occasional evenings and weekends as needed

Preferred Qualifications: 

  • Three years of relevant experience in a Museum, Visual Art Center or Gallery
  • Teaching experience 3+ or more at the college level (adjunct or full-time)
  • Ability to promote students’ success in a diverse, multicultural, and global community
  • Experience with teaching in Art History

At SUNY Oswego we value the diversity found in each member of our campus community and strive to create a community where that diversity is embraced and enhanced. Recognizing the strength of diversity, our mission is to foster an environment which respects, embraces, and promotes cultural competence, civil discourse, and active engagement in developing an inclusive and vibrant community of scholars who act as transformational agents of change and responsible citizens of the world. For more information see SUNY Oswego’s Strategic Diversity and Inclusion Plan (https://www.oswego.edu/diversity/).

As a candidate seeking consideration you are asked to submit a separate statement specifically addressing how your commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion has been evidenced in your career experience and professional activity, and/or community service (volunteer work, etc.), and/or professional development. (Please see Application Instructions)

To Apply Submit: 

•     Cover letter addressing qualifications

•     A separate statement describing your commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion in your professional experience or personal life or community engagement 

•     Resume or CV

•     5-10 examples of exhibitions you played a role in selecting, installing, and/or promoting (provide a link to online files)

•     Contact information for three professional references

Electronically To: (Interview Exchange Link)

Candidates are required to submit all application documents listed under “To Apply Submit” be uploaded before you can submit your application for consideration. Your application will only be accessible for consideration once all required documents have been submitted.

•     Official transcripts are required at time of appointment. 

•     Visa sponsorship is available for this position.

•     Files must be complete to be considered.

  • Background checks will be conducted for finalists

If you have any questions about the position, please e-mail: 

Lisa Seppi, Search Chair at lisa.seppi@oswego.edu

Description of the Gallery: 

Tyler Art Gallery’s exhibits are interdisciplinary in nature, so the gallery’s programs are relevant to a wide range of campus and community interests. Emphasis is placed on representing a wide range of artistic voices and points of view. In addition, Tyler Art Gallery serves as a teaching gallery to provide opportunities for students and community members to have direct encounters with professional works of art. The gallery also houses a permanent collection of European, African, and American drawings, prints, paintings, ceramics, and sculptures from the 18th century to the present. The Grant Arnold Collection of Fine Prints contains over 500 prints by prominent American printmakers of the first half of the 20th century.

Description of Department:

The SUNY Oswego Department of Art and Design aims to provide serious art students with the tools needed to create foundations for the future. The department seeks ambitious students who wish to gain knowledge through hands-on experiences, combining art and design history and contemporary developments within the field to understand the past and speculate upon the future. The State University of New York at Oswego is accredited by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education (MSCHE) and is an institutional member of the National Association of Schools of Art and Design (NASAD).

Description of School:

The School of Communication, Media and the Arts (SCMA) is one of four colleges/schools at SUNY Oswego. In addition to ARTSwego, it houses the academic departments of Art and Design, Communication Studies, Cinema and Screen Studies, Music, and Theatre. All departments have an outward-facing mission for the greater community in the form of concerts, exhibitions, recitals, plays, film festivals, and other arts events each year.

Description of SUNY Oswego:

Founded in 1861, SUNY Oswego is a public comprehensive university located in Central New York on the beautiful shores of Lake Ontario, 45 minutes from Syracuse. One of 13 comprehensive colleges and universities in the 64-campus State University of New York (SUNY) system, SUNY Oswego is recognized nationally for its academic quality, focus on student success outcomes, and the growing diversity of its student body. Ranked among the top public master’s-level universities in the 2023 “Top Regional Universities in the North” by U.S. News and World Report, SUNY Oswego is also recognized among Princeton Review’s Best Regional Colleges in the Northeast – an honor bestowed on the SUNY Oswego every year since 2003.

Inspired by a shared commitment to excellence and the desire to transcend traditional higher education boundaries, SUNY Oswego provides a transformative experience to about 7,000 undergraduate and graduate students. The university offers preeminent academic programs in the arts and sciences, business, communications, and teacher education, and its success is built on providing students outstanding educational experiences with attention to a liberal arts and sciences foundation, practical applications, interdisciplinary approaches, independent scholarly and creative work, and skills for living in multicultural and global communities.

Additional information about SUNY Oswego can be found at www.oswego.edu.

Oswego is committed to enhancing its diversity. SUNY Oswego is an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Employer and is actively engaged in recruiting, supporting, and fostering a diverse community of outstanding faculty, staff and students. We encourage applications from qualified applicants regardless of race, color, national origin, religion, creed, age, disability, sex, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, familial status, pregnancy, predisposing genetic characteristics, military status, domestic violence victim SUNY status, or criminal conviction. Please see our full non-discrimination policy https://www.oswego.edu/human-resources/non discrimination-policy

In accordance with USCIS regulations, successful applicants must be legally able to work in the United States per the Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986. 

Requests for reasonable accommodations of a disability during the application and/or interview process should be made to the Human Resources Office by calling 315-312-2230 or emailing hr@oswego.edu.  

For Campus Safety information, please see the Annual Security and Fire Report (Clery):  https://www.oswego.edu/police/annual-report.

SUNY Oswego is a smoke free/tobacco/e-cigarette free campus. Further policy details, including education and cessation resources, can be found at: https://www.oswego.edu/human-resources/sites/human resources/files/tobacco_smoke_free_policy_final.pdf.

Pursuant to Executive Order 161, no State entity, as defined by the Executive Order, is permitted to ask, or mandate, in any form, that an applicant for employment provide his or her current compensation, or any prior compensation history, until such time as the applicant is extended a conditional offer of employment with compensation. If such information has been requested from you before such time, please contact the Office of Employee Relations at (518) 474-6988 or via email at info@oer.ny.gov.

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