Director of the Emilio Ambasz Institute and Curator, Architecture and Design

Mission:  

The mission of the Emilio Ambasz Institute for the Joint Study of the Built and the Natural Environment at The Museum of Modern Art is to promote the exploration and study of creative approaches to design at all scales of the built environment – buildings, cities, landscapes, and objects – with an emphasis on understanding their joint relationship to their natural environment. Through research and a variety of programs, including exhibitions in gallery settings, public lectures, conferences and symposia, publications, and their digital equivalents, the Institute’s objective is to be a globally leading think tank furthering the understanding of the interaction between design and ecology. The Institute’s mission is interdisciplinary, bringing into conversation architects, designers, policy makers, social thinkers, historians and the general public. The Institute will synthesize research and programmatic initiatives with current socio-political issues to help solidify cultural and art institutions’ relevance for today’s diverse audiences.

The Position: 

The Museum seeks a Director of the Emilio Ambasz Institute who will also serve as a Curator, joining the curatorial team in the Museum’s Department of Architecture and Design, and reporting directly to the department’s Phillip Johnson Chief Curator of Architecture and Design.

As the second Director of the Institute, the successful candidate develops, leads, and implements the Institute’s manifold research initiatives through a range of programs, including exhibitions, public lectures, conferences and symposia, seminars, and publications on a variety of platforms.

The Institute intends to address a diverse, global audience through a multitude of digital channels and in-person offerings, and hence the Director should be particularly skilled in developing innovative programs for both the digital and in-person realms.

Specific responsibilities include curatorial leadership of exhibition programs, fiduciary oversight of the Institute, including all annual financial reporting on the Institute’s use of funds; active contribution to the conversation and programs of the Department of Architecture and Design; collaboration and active leadership with Museum departments and initiatives focused on ecology and sustainability; and partnership with external entities dedicated to ecological restoration and justice.

The Director will be supported in their role by a junior staff member. Any additional staffing is contingent upon new initiatives to be developed by the Institute, with input from the Philip Johnson Chief Curator of Architecture and Design. Additionally, in their role as Curator, they will help to develop a strategy for the collection and future acquisitions that deal with environmental architecture.

Major Responsibilities:

• Leads and develops the activities of the Ambasz Institute and ensures broad dissemination of the activities. Coordinates the activities of the Institute’s Advisory Board. Administers the budget, personnel, and operations for the Institute.
• Leads and develops scholarly initiatives in collaboration with the Museum’s curatorial department.
• Participates in pan-institutional committees as required.
• Responsible for organizing digital offerings on a variety of platforms, related in-person and virtual public programs, in-gallery collection-based rotations, and in-gallery temporary exhibitions. In conjunction with the Exhibitions department and the Creative Team is responsible for creating and maintaining the budget for these digital offerings and exhibitions, and for obtaining the loan of objects from other institutions or individuals for temporary exhibitions. Responsible for research of these programs and exhibitions and when appropriate is responsible for producing a catalogue and any written, recorded, and digital materials to accompany the exhibition.
• Works with Communications and Public Affairs, Marketing and Audience Strategy, Graphic Design, External Affairs, and others to promote and support the broad range of programming of the Ambasz Institute.
• Works with the Creative Team and Publications staff to produce exhibition catalogues and budgets for the publication and digital content, including photography. When appropriate solicits essays for publications from other scholars in the field.
• Works with the Learning and Engagement department on programs relevant to the Institute, including public programs tied to exhibitions.
• Works with the Creative Team in developing and implementing a plan for a diverse set of digital programs to support the priorities of the Institute.
• Writes articles for publication in outside professional journals, gives lectures at other institutions, and actively develops digital and in-person