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  • Curator of Indigenous Heritage and Culture, History Colorado

Curator of Indigenous Heritage and Culture, History Colorado

  • 22 Jul 2022 1:40 PM
    Message # 12857891

    SALARY: $4.959.00 - $5,084.00 Monthly

    DESCRIPTION OF JOB:

    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 Indigenous Heritage and Culture holdings, History Colorado is seeking a dynamic museum professional with experience in curation and community centered projects to build a significantly more robust Indigenous presence within the permanent collection. The position is also responsible for the intellectual control of the collection, increased access to and engagement with the collection, fostering community partnerships and serving on the History Colorado NAGPRA team.

    The History Colorado collection of Indigenous Heritage and Culture is significant within Colorado and the West, featuring nearly twenty thousand cultural items (archeological and ethnographic) and works of art from diverse lands and cultures. The archeological holdings focus on the Four Corners, Great Plains, and Great Basin cultures and include pottery, baskets, sandals, stone and bone tools, agricultural instruments, clothing, and personal adornments used by indigenous peoples. Approximately one half of the artifacts in the archeology collection are from the Mesa Verde region in particular. The ethnographic holdings consist of around 5,500 artifacts from historic and contemporary American Indian, Hispanic, and world cultures. It includes pottery, basketry, beadwork, leatherwork, and textiles used by historic and contemporary American Indians, Hispanics, and other ethnic groups. The majority of the American Indian artifacts are from the forty- eight tribes identified as having ancestral ties to Colorado.

    The Curator of Indigenous Heritage and Culture 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 contemporary Indigenous Heritage and Culture community collaborations and collections, while maintaining its historic strengths. History Colorado is seeking a Curator to offer fresh perspectives on the influence of Indigenous heritage and cultures in today’s world. The successful candidate will help shape the institution’s commitment to Indigenous Heritage and Culture, create innovative ways of sharing collections and information, help build a program of community engagement, and promote an inclusive relationship in partnership with Indigenous communities.

    The primary responsibilities of the Curator of Indigenous Heritage and Culture are to:

    • Work with communities, including community advisory groups, tribal consultations, in community engagement, collecting initiatives, exhibitions, and public programs.
    • Manage the Indigenous Heritage and Culture collection (including the ethnography and archaeology holdings) as part of the larger History Colorado Collection. This work includes defining an optimum collection, assessing the needs of the collection, proactive and targeted collaboration and 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 indigenous perspectives and knowledge across the History Colorado permanent collection, and make the results available to the Indigenous community and others through access and outreach initiatives, exhibitions, public programs, and publications.
    • Interpret and make the Indigenous Heritage and Culture collection and its intellectual content available to patrons (both internally and externally).
    • Work to ensure that the Indigenous Heritage and Culture 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 Indigenous Heritage and Culture holdings in the collection.
    • Assume responsibility for the Indigenous Heritage and Culture 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.
    • Consult with the Office of Archeology and Historic Preservation regarding the NAGPRA program and the state owned collections as appropriate
    • 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 (help develop content, draft labels, writes articles, consult on design decisions, develop and participate in programs) for upcoming History Colorado exhibits utilizing the Indigenous Heritage and Culture 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.

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

    • Master’s degree in Anthropology, History, Museum Studies, Art History or other relevant graduate degree is preferred with significant experience in the museum field and a minimum of three years progressive curatorial experience. Candidate must have demonstrated knowledge of western American Indian history, cross-cultural sensitivity, knowledge of American Indian cultures, 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 three years of progressively responsible experience working with artifact collections in a museum or other collecting institution with a public audience.
    • 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 Archaeological and Ethnographic 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.

    Additional requirements for this position:

    • 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

    To apply, please visit:

    https://www.governmentjobs.com/careers/colorado/jobs/3642889/curator-of-indigenous-heritage-and-culture


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