Museum Curator (Art), Hampton Throne Research Associate

Application Deadline: 28 April 2025

Department: Smithsonian American Art Museum

Employment Type: Full Time

Location: Washington, DC

Reporting To: Curator of Folk Art

Compensation: $69,923 / year

Description

OPEN DATE: 04/14/2025                  CLOSING DATE: 04/28/2025 (This job will close once 200 applications are received which may be sooner than the closing date.)POSITION TYPE: Trust FundAPPOINTMENT TYPE: Temporary, Not-To-Exceed 2 years; Renewable SCHEDULE: Full Time DUTY LOCATION: Washington, DC 

Position sensitivity and risk Non-sensitive (NS)/Low Risk

Open to all qualified applicants.

What are Trust Fund Positions?Trust Fund positions are unique to the Smithsonian. They are paid for from a variety of sources, including the Smithsonian endowment, revenue from our business activities, donations, grants and contracts. Trust employees are not part of the civil service, nor does trust fund employment lead to Federal status. The salary ranges for trust positions are generally the same as for federal positions and in many cases trust and federal employees work side by side. Trust employees have their own benefit program, which may include Health, Dental & Vision Insurance, Life Insurance, Transit/Commuter Benefits, Accidental Death and Dismemberment Insurance, Annual and Sick Leave, Family Friendly Leave, 403b Retirement Plan, Discounts for Smithsonian Memberships, Museum Stores and Restaurants, Credit Union, Smithsonian Early Enrichment Center (Child Care), Flexible Spending Account (Health & Dependent Care).  Conditions of Employment

• Pass Pre-employment Background Check and Subsequent Background Investigation for position designated.
• Complete a Probationary Period.
• Maintain a Bank Account for Direct Deposit/Electronic Transfer.
• The position is open to all candidates eligible to work in the United States.  Proof of eligibility to work in U.S. is not required to apply.
• Applicants must meet all qualification and eligibility requirements within 30 days of the closing date of this announcement. 

OVERVIEW

This position is located in the Curatorial Office, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Under Secretary for Museums and Culture, Smithsonian Institution (SI). The purpose of the position is to carry out assigned and approved projects in the four areas of curation: research, exhibits, development & management of collections, and related public service. The incumbent will work amid SAAM’s curatorial team, under the supervision of SAAM’s Curator of Folk and Self-Taught art. The incumbent will be active in collections assessments and in-depth research of a large, interrelated body of artwork and the artist who made it; the incumbent will also be involved with records organization and project administration, as well as writing collaboratively on research findings towards a possible exhibition and book.  Incumbent must have a solid grounding within the broad field of American art history but will specialize in one or more pertinent areas within that field. Ideal specializations include, but are not limited to African American/African Diasporic Religious Studies and/or American Self-Taught, Vernacular, or Visionary Art. This document describes only the overall requirement for knowledge of American art; individual specializations will be noted in each employee’s performance plan.

DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

·        Conducts research on assigned objects from the permanent collection and on assigned artist/s, primarily James Hampton and the collection of his works at SAAM, a large body of vernacular art, primarily sculptural, made as an interrelated, multipiece installation between 1950-1964 in Washington, DC and comprehensively titled The Throne of the Third Heaven of the Nations’ Millennium General Assembly  ·        Develops an in-depth understanding of the relevant collection objects (both individually and as they relate to one another) and related artworks both in and beyond the Museum’s collection. ·        In collaboration with supervising curator, develops themes and theories that will ground an exhibition and catalogue project as well as evergreen collections assets. ·        Works with Head Curator, Supervising Curator, and other senior staff to develop a major exhibition project drawn from the Museum’s collections. ·        Participates in the preparation and staging of project exhibition and related catalog, interpretation