Wanted: Curator of Collections and Exhibitions

The Ukrainian Institute of Modern Art, a non-profit museum and exhibition space in Chicago’s Ukrainian Village neighborhood, invites applications for the contracted position of Curator of Collections and Exhibitions, beginning June 1, 2007.

The Curator will be responsible for overseeing the Institute’s permanent collection, which consists of over eight hundred works of art by 20th-century Ukrainian, Ukrainian diaspora, and central and eastern European artists. The collection has particularly strong holdings in postwar art and works on paper. The position will require designing and implementing policies for the cataloging, care, and expansion of the collection; identifying works that require conservation and overseeing the hiring of outside contractors for conservation work; responding to requests for loans and documentation; and maintaining research files on past exhibitors and artists represented in the collection. The Curator will also plan and execute five to six temporary exhibitions each year on the premises of the Institute. He or she will seek out and field potential exhibitors, and will implement and install these exhibitions.

The Curator will report directly to the President, and will oversee student interns who will assist in collection care and exhibition planning. He or she will also have access to the resources and assistance of the Institute’s existing volunteer committees.

The successful candidate will have a strong knowledge of modern and contemporary visual art and culture, with a demonstrated interest in Ukrainian or central and eastern European art.

He or she will have a minimum of two years of experience working in a museum or gallery environment, and direct experience in exhibition planning and collection management. A graduate degree in a related field such as museum or curatorial studies, conservation, art history, library science, or arts administration is preferred, but applicants with equivalent professional experience will be considered. The working language of the Institute is English, but preference will be given to candidates who have knowledge of Ukrainian, or those who have an interest in learning basic Ukrainian language skills. The ideal candidate will have strong relationship building skills and will be required to report on his activities on a frequent basis to the Institute’s Executive Committee and Board of Directors. The annual salary for the position is $32,000 to $40,000, contingent on experience. The application is for a seven-month contract beginning June 1, 2007, renewable for up to two years pending budgetary approval.

Please send a detailed letter of application, curriculum vitae, documentation or samples of recent curatorial or writing projects, and the names of three professional references by March 15, 2007 to: Search Committee, Ukrainian Institute of Modern Art, 2320 West Chicago Avenue, Chicago, IL 60622. No phone calls please.