Assistant Curator for Japanese Art (IS-1015-11)

Industry: National Museum of Asian Art

Company: Smithsonian Institution

Assistant Curator for Japanese Art (IS-1015-11)

Application Deadline: 27 September 2024

Department: National Museum of Asian Art

Employment Type: Full Time

Location: Washington, DC

Reporting To: Associate Director for Curatorial Affairs

Compensation: $82,764 – $88,281 / year

Description

OPEN DATE: August 29, 2024

CLOSING DATE: Sept 27, 2024

POSITION TYPE: Trust Fund

APPOINTMENT TYPE: Temporary Not to Exceed Three (3) Years

SCHEDULE: Full Time

DUTY LOCATION: Washington, DCNon-sensitive (NS)/Low Risk

Open to all qualified applicants

What are Trust Fund Positions?

Trust Fund positions are unique to the Smithsonian. They are paid for from a variety of sources, including the Smithsonian endowment, revenue from our business activities, donations, grants and contracts. Trust employees are not part of the civil service, nor does trust fund employment lead to Federal status. The salary ranges for trust positions are generally the same as for federal positions and in many cases trust and federal employees work side by side. Trust employees have their own benefit program and may include Health, Dental & Vision Insurance, Life Insurance, Transit/Commuter Benefits, Accidental Death and Dismemberment Insurance, Annual and Sick Leave, Family Friendly Leave, 403b Retirement Plan, Discounts for Smithsonian Memberships, Museum Stores and Restaurants, Credit Union, Smithsonian Early Enrichment Center (Child Care), Flexible Spending Account (Health & Dependent Care).

Conditions of Employment

• Pass Pre-employment Background Check and Subsequent Background Investigation for position designated as low risk.
• Complete a Probationary Period
• Maintain a Bank Account for Direct Deposit/Electronic Transfer.
• The position is open to all candidates eligible to work in the United States. Proof of eligibility to work in U.S. is not required to apply.
• Applicants must meet all qualification and eligibility requirements within 30 days of the closing date of this announcement.

OVERVIEW

The Smithsonian’s National Museum of Asian Art seeks to recruit an Assistant Curator for Japanese Art.

The Smithsonian’s National Museum of Asian Art is committed to preserving, exhibiting, researching, and interpreting art in ways that deepen the public and scholarly understandings of Asia and the world. Currently responsible for some 46,000 objects, the museum stewards one of the world’s most important collections of Asian art, with works dating from antiquity to the present. The collections include works from China, Japan, Korea, South Asia, Southeast Asia, the pre-Islamic Near East, and the Islamic world (inclusive of Central Asia, the Middle East, and North Africa). The museum also stewards an important collection of nineteenth0and early twentieth-century American art. Its rich holdings bring the arts of Asia into direct dialogue with a focused American collection, providing a compelling platform for creative collaboration and cultural exchange.

Beginning with a 1906 gift that paved the way for the museum’s opening in 1923 as the Freer Gallery of Art-the United States’ first national art museum-the National Museum of Asian Art has long been a national and international resource for visitors, students, and scholars. Located on the National Mall in Washington, DC, its collections, galleries, laboratories, archives, and library form part of the world’s largest museum complex, which attracts tens of millions of visitors annually. The museum is free and open to the public 364 days a year. Its exhibitions, programs, learning opportunities, and digital initiatives are accessible to local, national, and global audiences. Each year, hundreds of students, fellows, interns, scholars, and researchers access the museum’s resources and expertise.

This grant-funded, three-year term position designed for new or early career museum professionals. The role offers essential training opportunities for a curatorial career.

The National Museum of Asian Art’s Japanese collections comprise more than fifteen thousand objects spanning four millennia. The collection is one of the premiere groupings in the United States and is particularly strong in Buddhist paintings, metalwork, sculpture, calligraphy, and lacquer. Recent acquisitions have made the museum a destination for Japanese prints, printed books, and photographs, including modern and contemporary materials. In particular, the Gerhard Pulverer Collection includes over 2,000 objects and is one of the most outstanding and comprehensive collections of Japanese illustrated books outside Japan. Holdings span the 17th-21st centuries.

NMAA celebrates the culture and art of Japan through exhibitions, scholarly and public programming. As the museum enters its second century, it is growing and transforming. The candidate will join the museum at this moment of transition as it expands its engagement with Japanese communities the US and abroad and as it seeks to be a leader in ethical collecting practices.

The Assistant Curator for Japanese Art and Culture will be a member of the curatorial department, shaping the care, identification, acquisition, preservation, cataloging, exhibition, and interpretation of works of art. The candidate will be a national and international leader in the study and presentation of Japanese art and culture. The candidate will perform scholarly research in preparation for publication and will furnish authoritative information on works in their field. They will develop original exhibitions and collaborate with curators on cross-departmental projects and research initiatives. The curator will also shape and implement engaging scholarly and public programs.

DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

Major duties include:

• Creating innovative research projects that contribute to the international understanding and appreciation of Japanese art and culture.
• Providing leadership in the field of Japanese art and culture through projects, collaborations, and regular communication with specialists.
• Studying, cataloging, displaying, publishing, and growing the museum’s collections of Japanese historical and contemporary art.
• Developing and maintaining relationships with local and international communities.
• Researching provenance on existing collection objects.
• Working with advancement teams to develop and strengthen donor relationships.

QUALIFICATION REQUIREMENTS

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet the following requirements:

• PhD, advanced ABD, or equivalent in Japanese art or related field. Preference will be given to candidates with experience in Japanese prints and books from any time period.
• Competence in Japanese language.
• Ability to pursue historical research using primary sources.
• Familiarity with provenance research and collecting standards.
• Strong interpersonal skills and experience interacting with the public.
• Ability to work collaboratively with diverse constituencies, both national and international.
• Outstanding analytical, verbal, written, and overall communication skills, including the ability to express complex ideas in an engaging way to a wide audience.
• Comfort with taking initiative and prioritizing tasks; excellent time-management and problem-solving skills.
• Experience with museum projects and/or programs.

Preferred Experience:

• Familiarity with museum collection databases such as The Museum System (TMS).
• Experience organizing museum-based projects.

Applicants, who wish to qualify based on education completed outside the United States, must be deemed equivalent to higher education programs of U.S. Institutions by an organization that specializes in the interpretation of foreign educational credentials. This documentation is the responsibility of the applicant and should be included as part of your application package.

Any false statement in your application may result in your application being rejected and may also result in termination after employment begins.

The Smithsonian Institution values and seeks a diverse workforce. Join us in “Inspiring Generations through Knowledge and Discovery.”

Resumes should include a description of your paid and non-paid work experience that is related to this job; starting and ending dates of job (month and year); and average number of hours worked per week.

What To Expect Next: Once the vacancy announcement closes, a review of your resume will be compared against the qualification and experience requirements related to this job. After review of applicant resumes is complete, qualified candidates will be referred to the hiring manager.

Relocation expenses are not paid.

Commitment to Diversity, Equity, and InclusionThe Smithsonian Institution provides reasonable accommodation to applicants with disabilities where appropriate. Applicants requiring reasonable accommodation should contact [nmaa-hr@si.edu]. Determinations on requests for reasonable accommodation will be made on a case-by-case basis. To learn more, please review the Smithsonian’s Accommodation Procedures.

The Smithsonian Institution is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We believe that a workforce comprising a variety of educational, cultural, and experiential backgrounds support and enhance our daily work life and contribute to the richness of our exhibitions and programs. See Smithsonian EEO program information: www.si.edu/oeema.