AMP: Artists' Meeting Place and Resource Collective

from Franklin Furnace

Director and Curator of the Suzanne Lemberg Usdan Gallery

Bennington College

Position Announcement

November 2016

Bennington College seeks a dynamic and visionary curator to expand the College’s exhibition and public programs through a newly created position. The new Director and Curator of the Usdan Gallery will have the opportunity to develop a creative and multidisciplinary program at one of the country’s most forward-thinking liberal arts colleges.

With equal emphasis on curation as both a practice and a concept, the Director and Curator will:

a. curate exhibitions that facilitate interdisciplinary collaborations among faculty, students, and visiting artists across the spectrum of the liberal arts;

b. promote the participation of students with a broad range of interests through teaching, research opportunities, and on-site curatorial activity that involves both artists and the College’s rich collection of art;

c. teach practical and theoretical courses on contemporary curatorial practice; and

d. foster meaningful partnerships with regional art institutions to better position the College within the northern Berkshires/southern Vermont cultural corridor.

The successful candidate will work with Bennington’s advancement staff to actively identify and seek funding to develop a visionary program while working closely and collaboratively with the Visual Arts faculty and Usdan Gallery Committee.

The Director and Curator is a year-round staff position, with teaching responsibilities determined year to year. Preference will be given to candidates who have a minimum of a master’s degree or equivalent plus at least 5 years of curatorial or exhibition experience an arts organization. We welcome applicants from both inside and outside the museum field; the Director and Curator must have a commitment to collaborative and innovative curatorial approaches, have experience organizing exhibitions and developing education/outreach programs, and be an entrepreneurial, hands-on, and open-minded leader and colleague.

Bennington College is a small, residential liberal arts college in southern Vermont, long distinguished for its progressive approach to higher education. The College was founded in 1932 on the principle of active engagement in learning, which is manifest in individualized plans of study developed by students together with faculty. We aim to educate students towards self-fulfillment and constructive social purposes, and we believe that equity, diversity, and inclusivity—in community and in curriculum—are vital to achieving those aims. Bennington College encourages candidates from underrepresented groups to apply.

Candidates should apply online to https://bennington.recruiterbox.com/jobs/fk069up by submitting: a) letter of interest sharing your vision for the opportunity; b) curriculum vitae; and c) contact information for three references. Review of applications will begin immediately.

For more information about Bennington College and the visual arts program, click https://docs.google.com/document/d/1Q8HHBQR-9M9M5EjbLthMgON1q1LIjgmc1vXn...