Job Description

Job Description

Job Description

Description:

FLSA Status: Full-Time, Exempt

Reports to: Curator of Contemporary Arts

Scope of the position: The Speed Art Museum is looking to hire the inaugural Sam Gilliam Assistant Curator of Artist Programs. This new, full-time, three-year position continues the legacy of Sam Gilliam who was a strong supporter of artist colleagues and continuously nurtured relationships and networks with other creatives. The Gilliam Assistant Curator will work cross-departmentally to lead and manage the new Gilliam Visiting Artist Program. In addition, the Gilliam Assistant Curator will work together with other Speed staff to identify opportunities to include artists in outward-facing community belonging initiatives.

The Gilliam Assistant Curator will be responsible for designing, coordinating, and implementing two artist-led residencies each year. For the time that the visiting artists are in residence at the Speed, they will have the freedom to engage in experiences outside of their normal studio practice. Visiting artists will connect with other local and regional artists, trading ideas and finding new sources of inspiration. Each residency will include an artist talk, performance, or other public program, and will culminate in an installation or exhibition at the Speed.

The visiting artists will be selected by the Curator of Contemporary Art and the Curator of the African and Native American Collections in partnership with the Sam Gilliam Foundation.

The responsibilities of the inaugural Sam Gilliam Assistant Curator of Artist Programs include planning and organizing the visiting artists’ engagement with local artists and community stakeholders, mounting related programs, managing logistics, ensuring the well-being of the artists, and supporting the program’s promotion to the public. The Sam Gilliam Assistant Curator of Artist Programs will work closely with contemporary artists, facilitating their work, and ensuring that the program meets its goals and objectives.

Major responsibilities include:

• Coordinating and scheduling visiting artist itineraries, lodging, and logistics, and
• Building community with local and regional artists and arranging studio visits and other artist-focused gatherings for the Visiting Artist.
• Working with Visiting Artists to plan and execute public programming at the Speed and in the greater Louisville community (e.g. artist talks, workshops, performances, demonstrations).
• Engaging with local and regional colleges and universities, including the University of Louisville Hite Institute of Art and Design in engaging the visiting artists.
• Hosting salons and convenings at the Speed and in other locations to create and nurture networks of local artists, particularly artists of color.
• Working in tandem with Speed Art Museum colleagues to design and present curatorial programming centering Kentucky artists.
• Supporting the promotion of the Gilliam Visiting Artist Program and the work of the resident artists by working closely with the Speed’s Communication and Marketing Department.

Managing and overseeing. Assisting with related curatorial projects, such as the Louisville Black Avant-garde initiative, as needed. Our ideal candidates have a strong understanding of the arts and familiarity with the needs of practicing artists, a love for building community with diverse stakeholders, and experience managing programs or events. They should be a self-starter, eager to embrace new systems and resonate with the mission of the Speed Art Museum, contributing to a positive and collaborative work culture. We seek a team-oriented individual who will not only pilot our overall visiting artist program and build strong relationships with regional artists but also enrich our organizational culture through shared values and commitment to collective success. Ultimately, the role of the Sam Gilliam Assistant Curator of Artist Programs is to create a supportive and inspiring environment for artists to connect, shape communities, and share their work.

The Gilliam VAP and Sam Gilliam Assistant Curator of Artist Programs initiative furthers Sam Gilliam’s legacy in myriad ways, among these:

• A commitment to place, highlighting Louisville and demonstrating a commitment to Sam’s Louisville roots and his support of Louisville and KY artists.
• Connection to the Louisville Workshop and Gallery Enterprises, as this program would run concurrently with the final three years of the Louisville’s Black Avant-Garde exhibition series, culminating in a 2027 group exhibition and catalogue, as well as honoring the spirit of these networks – artists supporting artists in the contemporary art world with intentionality.
• Expressly encouraging experimentation. For the week(s) that the selected artists are in residence at the Speed, they will have the freedom to explore and expand their own practices.

For best alignment with this position, the ideal candidate:

• Brings strong relationship-building skills and ability to engage a wide range of people.
• Has excellent problem-solving skills during stressful moments.
• Has strong oral and written communication, organizational, and leadership skills.
• Loves teamwork and is organized.
• Must have a strong knowledge of basic business operations including comfortable use of the Microsoft Suite.
• Is kind, dependable, flexible, professional, and has a sense of humor.

Work Environment:

• Able to adapt to and work from various locations so the requirements of this position can be fully met.
• Willing, as necessary, to work beyond normal working hours, on weekends, and remain accessible when away from the Museum so the requirements of this position can be fully met.

Physical Requirements:

Ability to complete the following tasks with/without reasonable accommodations so the requirements of this position can be fully met:

• Extensive use of telephone and computer throughout the workday.
• Must be able to remain in a stationary position during the workday. May reach, walk, climb, and lift occasionally.
• Communicates using English language.
• Sees and hears or uses prosthetics that will enable these senses to function adequately so that the requirements of this position can be fully met.
• Ability to access art, materials and supplies as needed.

DISCLAIMER: The above job description is not an exhaustive list of all duties and responsibilities of the position and in no way is to be construed as a contract. As with all positions at the Speed Art Museum employment is “at will” on both the part of the organization and the employee. Employment is not for a set period and may be discontinued by either party for any reason with or without notice.

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