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Indianapolis Museum of Art -
Curator of African Art Location: Indiana, United States Institution Type: Nonprofit Position Type: Museum Education Submitted: Monday, September 28th, 2009
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The Indianapolis Museum of Art seeks a Curator of African Art to oversee the IMA’s presentation of a major special exhibition of Ife art and to advise the museum on potential approaches for the review, interpretation, and display of its permanent collection. The successful candidate for this 36-month contract appointment will demonstrate the knowledge, scholarship, and engagement to maximize the potential of the exhibition, to oversee the permanent collection, and to play a leadership role in setting best practices for curating African art in a large, encyclopedic museum. Projects Dynasty and Divinity: Ife Art in Ancient Nigeria is a landmark exhibition devoted to the art of Ife, the ancient city-state of the Yoruba people of West Africa (in present-day southwestern Nigeria). The exhibition will open in Indianapolis in July 2011 and is co-organized by the Fundación Marcelino Botín (Santander, Catabria, Spain), and the Museum for African Art (New York), in collaboration with the Nigerian National Commission for Museums and Monuments. Dynasty and Divinity features more than 100 extraordinary bronze, terra-cotta, and stone sculptures, ranging in date from the ninth to the fifteenth centuries. Many of the works have never been exhibited outside Nigeria. The exhibition reveals the extraordinarily creative range of Ife art through a diversity of objects that includes handsome idealized portrait heads, exquisite miniatures, expressive caricatures of old age, monsters, lively animals, and sculptures showing the impressive regalia worn by Ife’s kings and queens. Together, they illuminate one of the world’s greatest art centers and demonstrate the technological sophistication and rich aesthetic language developed by Ife artists. The curator engaged by the IMA will lead the presentation of the exhibition and play a prominent role in developing programming and interpretive tools. The IMA’s African collection is ranked among the 10 most important in America. Its greatest strength lies in art of West Africa. The Yoruba are the best represented ethnic group, with more than 200 objects, including wood carvings, brass castings, ironwork, ceramics, leather work and textiles. Other Western African groups with substantial holdings are the Dogon, Bamana, Senufo, Dan, Mende, Baule, Asante, Fon, Igbo, Bamileke and Nupe. Most of the 2,000 objects in the collection date from 1850 to 1980. There are, however, notable older items from south of the Sahara such as ceramic (1400-1700) and wooden (1300-1500) figures from the Jenne culture of what is now Mali, and brass and ivory pieces (1400-1897) from the former Benin Kingdom (Nigeria). Each of the major regions of sub-Saharan Africa is represented. Requirements Requirements for applicants include a PhD or equivalent with a specialty in African art, a record of original scholarship, and a minimum of five years of curatorial experience. In addition to scholarly credentials, the selected candidate will possess excellent organizational and communication skills (interpersonal, written, and public speaking in a variety of capacities), and a commitment to supporting broader museum initiatives. Reports to: Director and CEO Deputy Director of Collections and Programs To apply: Please send • cover letter • curriculum vitae • salary requirements • up to two samples of—or links to—previously published curatorial writing by email to hr@imamuseum.org, fax: 317-920-2655 or by mail to Human Resources, Indianapolis Museum of Art – 4000 Michigan Road; Indianapolis, IN 46208. EOE |
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Contact Info: Human Resources The Indianapolis Museum of Art 4000 Michigan Road Indianapolis, IN 46208 317-923-1331 317-920-2655 hr@imamuseum.org Website: http://www.imamuseum.org |
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