SENIOR DIRECTOR | Abroms-Engel Institute for the Visual Arts (AEIVA)
University of Alabama at Birmingham

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As the chief ambassador for AEIVA, the Senior Director cultivates and maintains relationships with artists, collectors, faculty, students, community stakeholders, and arts organizations at the local, regional, national, and international levels. The position works collaboratively with UAB Center for the Arts leadership, directors, and staff to develop interdisciplinary opportunities and advance a unified vision for the arts at UAB.

About AEIVA

AEIVA is the contemporary art center on the campus of the University of Alabama at Birmingham. Our mission is to provide a cultural gateway that enriches and supports accessible learning, research, and thinking for the UAB community, Birmingham, and beyond, through transformative and challenging exhibitions, engaging programming, and purposeful collecting.

Open to the public since January 2014, AEIVA shows work by contemporary artists of regional, national, and international significance, presenting exhibitions and programs rooted in the culture and history of the Southeast with an eye toward global concerns. Recent highlights include solo exhibitions by Erin Jane Nelson, Virginia L. Montgomery, Kate Meissner, Odili Donald Odita, Amanda Ross-Ho, and others. AEIVA also regularly presents student and faculty work, including our annual graduating BFA exhibition each spring. 

Designed by renowned architect and Frank Gehry associate, Randall Stout, AEIVA’s 26,000 square foot building includes 5,000 square feet of exhibition space and a 95-seat lecture hall that serves as a multi-purpose space for public artist talks, panel discussions, screenings, and performances. In addition, AEIVA houses UAB Department of Art and Art History classrooms and faculty offices, facilitating a dynamic partnership that supports AEIVA’s role as an educational resource for the UAB community and beyond.

Key Duties & Responsibilities

• Oversees all daily operations, budgetary management, staff supervision and overall creative direction of AEIVA. Communicates effectively and systematically with all UAB Arts Departments to further AEIVA initiatives.
• Works closely with AEIVA Curator to conceive, develop and execute AEIVA art exhibitions and related educational programming with national/international visibility and appeal while also engaging a diverse audience of museum donors, university faculty and students and regional/local institutions and communities.
• Serves as the liaison for AEIVA to a variety of stakeholders including UAB faculty and staff, community members, local institutions and organizations, as well as the regional, national and international visual art community.
• Works closely with AEIVA Curator to plan and execute strategic growth of the AEIVA Permanent Collection.
• Works closely with Directors and staff within UAB Arts to identify opportunities for collaboration and implement the broader vision for the Arts at UAB.
• Works closely with UAB Arts Senior Director of Development on donor cultivation and fundraising activities.
• Performs other duties as assigned.

Desired Attributes

• Clear, direct examples of visionary and strategic leadership
• Excellence in contemporary arts programming 
• Collaborative and interdisciplinary mindset
• A Master’s Degree in Art History, Museum Studies, Arts Administration, Fine Arts, Curatorial Practice, or a related field required.

Preferred

• Terminal degree (PhD, MFA or equivalent) in a related field.
• Experience working within a higher education environment. 
• National or international professional network within the contemporary art field. Experience managing or developing institutional art collections.
• Record of curatorial, scholarly, or arts leadership achievement.

Knowledge / Skills / Abilities

• Knowledge of Microsoft Office products
• Leadership skills
• Organizational skills
• Presentation skills
• Prioritization skills
• Process improvement and quality skills
• Written and verbal communication skills

Qualifications

• Master’s degree in Art, Art History, Visual Arts, Communications or a related field and seven (7) years of related experience required.
• Work experience may NOT substitute for education requirement.

Salary Range: $85,600 – $139,100

UAB is an Equal Employment/Equal Educational Opportunity Institution dedicated to providing equal opportunities and equal access to all individuals regardless of race, color, religion, ethnic or national origin, sex (including pregnancy), genetic information, age, disability, and veteran’s status. As required by Title IX, UAB prohibits sex discrimination in any education program or activity that it operates. Individuals may report concerns or questions to UAB’s Assistant Vice President and Senior Title IX Coordinator. The Title IX notice of nondiscrimination is located at uab.edu/titleix.

Primary Location: University

Job Category: Professional & Managerial

Organization: 062000000 AEIVA

Employee Status: Regular

Shift: Rotation / Flexible Staffing / Multiple Shifts

 Work Arrangement: Hybrid Eligible