SALARY: $4,959.00 - $5,084.00 Monthly

DESCRIPTION OF JOB:

THE ORGANIZATION:

History Colorado is celebrating its 143rd year of service to Colorado. A statewide organization that collects, preserves, and educates about the past and present, we help residents and visitors alike understand what it means to be a Coloradan. A State agency within the Department of Higher Education and, at the same time, a charitable nonprofit, History Colorado strives to be a place of belonging for all Coloradans and to serve as a platform for community connection.

THE POSITION:

History Colorado is committed to building a collection that reflects the diverse people who have always called this place home. Focused on enhancing Clothing and Textile holdings, History Colorado is seeking a dynamic museum professional with experience in curation, collaboration and programs that elevate the understanding and appreciation of clothing and textiles as artifacts. This position is also responsible for interpretation methods centered on clothing and textiles holdings, developing unique opportunities for scholarly research and exchange, increased access to and engagement with the collection and the intellectual control of the Clothing and Textiles collection as part of the larger History Colorado Collection.

Composed of clothing, textiles and personal artifacts, the History Colorado Clothing and Textiles collection offers rich and varied insights into Colorado and the West’s people, places and the Colorado Spirit. The sizable collection reflects not only design and fashion trends past and present, but also historic events, social values, economic status, personal stories and more.

The Curator of Clothing and Textiles will join History Colorado at a critical time, as it moves toward proactive engagement with visitors and communities more deeply in its collections, research, and dialogue on contemporary issues. The position offers an opportunity to expand History Colorado’s world-class collection and programs through building community partnerships and collaborations, and by identifying and adding significant contemporary holdings to The Collection while maintaining its historic strengths. History Colorado is seeking a Curator to offer fresh perspectives on the significance and influence of clothing and textiles in today’s world. The successful candidate will build and support initiatives centered on scholarship and research with the aim of making the Clothing and Textiles collection more discoverable and usable, they will create innovative ways of sharing collections and information, and they will help build a program of community partnership, collaboration and engagement.

The primary responsibilities of the Curator of Clothing and Textiles are to:

• Work with communities, including through community advisory groups, community engagement, collecting initiatives, exhibitions, online platforms and public programs.
• Manage the Clothing and Textile collection as part of the larger History Colorado Collection by defining an optimum collection, assessing the needs of the collection, proactive and targeted collecting, assessing incoming donations, making the final determination regarding additions to the collection and deaccessions, and processing and providing care of the collection and associated documentation.
• Conduct original research and collaborative documentation projects to embed multiple voices, perspectives and knowledge across the History Colorado permanent collection, and make the results available to the public through access and outreach initiatives, exhibitions, public programs, and publications.
• Interpret and make the Clothing and Textiles collection and its intellectual content available to patrons (both internally and externally).
• Work to ensure that the Clothing and Textile collection, as well as other History Colorado collections, are interpreted from multiple voices and that stories are inclusive and not told from a single museum perspective.
• Inform or guide other staff regarding the interpretation and use of the Clothing and Textiles holdings in the collection.
• Assume responsibility for the Clothing and Textiles departmental affairs, including the supervision of contract staff, volunteers and interns, project management, reports, budgets and budget expenditures, and reviews and participates in division and organizational strategic planning.
• Serve as a curatorial resource for History Colorado’s historic sites, structures and nine museums across Colorado.
• Promote the goals and mission of History Colorado through cultivating and sustaining relationships with community groups interested in specific collection holdings, exhibits and/or activities.

MAJOR RESPONSIBILITIES AND DUTIES:

• Promoting the mission and goals of History Colorado through cultivating and sustaining relationships with community groups, colleague institutions, partner organizations, educators, and researchers.
• Participating in the exhibit development process by serving as an exhibit developer (helping develop content, drafting labels, writing articles, consulting on design decisions, developing and participating in programs) for upcoming History Colorado exhibits utilizing the Clothing and Textiles holdings.
• Working to build a meaningful collection for the 21st century through the pursuit of a purpose-driven acquisition and deaccessioning program tied to institutional vision and goals and the development and implementation of an updated collection plan in collaboration with other curatorial departments.
• Improving physical and intellectual control of and access to collection resources through processing and documentation in coordination with Collections Management and Registration.
• Using a variety of approaches to outreach, including public presentations, education programs, scholarship, social media, responding to patron and scholarly inquiries, and collaboration with other departments and divisions to realize the collection’s full potential as an interpretive and educational tool and a resource for understanding Colorado history.
• Project development, implementation, and staff supervision. Performing other duties as assigned.
• Works with volunteers and interns.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS, SUBSTITUTIONS, CONDITIONS OF EMPLOYMENT & APPEAL RIGHTS:

• Master’s degree in Art History, Design, Anthropology, History, Museum Studies or other relevant graduate degree is preferred with significant experience in the museum field and a minimum of five years progressive curatorial experience. Candidate must have demonstrated knowledge of fashion, design in historical context, western American history, and a thorough understanding of museum ethics and best practices.

Also Required:

• Good communication skills, both written and oral, including evidence of writing and presenting public programs for a variety of audiences.
• Ability to work both independently with minimal supervision and collaboratively in a team environment.
• A minimum of five years of progressively responsible experience working with artifact collections in a museum or other collecting institution with a public audience.
• Experience working with museum collections including textile arts.
• Experience developing exhibits in a team environment including demonstrated knowledge and experience with serving as a lead developer of content for exhibits.
• Demonstrated knowledge of museum practices working with clothing, textile and personal artifact collections and proven ability in processing, preservation, and digitization of artifact collections.
• Experience with information management techniques and database systems used in museums.
• Oversight for departmental operations including good organizational skills, time management, budget management, facilitating meetings, and professional objectivity.

PREFERRED CANDIDATE CAN SUCCESSFULLY DEMONSTRATE:

• The successful candidate will be a forward-thinking and dynamic individual who possesses a passion for preserving and sharing the past and a belief in the power of original documents/photographs/artifacts and the stories they embody to engage people in making personal connections to history through research, exhibit experiences, and educational programs. A creative imagination, the ability to recognize and deal with sensitive issues and diverse cultures, and a willingness to step outside the traditional curatorial role are highly desirable.

• Ability to work occasional evenings and to travel by car or air, typically for periods of less than one week in duration.
• Ability to lift boxes of up to 40 lbs. from 14 ft. shelves while on a ladder.

Interested applicants are asked to submit the following materials:

• Cover letter expressing interest in this position and outlining relevant experience. A resume or CV of education and employment history.
• Three professional references, including current phone, email addresses and affiliations.

To apply, please visit:

https://www.governmentjobs.com/careers/colorado/jobs/3642096/curator-of-clothing-and-textiles