Assistant Curator of Photography and Media Arts

Job: Full time, Salary, Exempt, Union

Supervisor: Herzfeld Curator of Photography and Media Arts

Union Minimum Rate: $54,272 (increases to $55,764 on 9/6/26) Full time, Salary, Exempt, Union

About the Milwaukee Art Museum:

The Milwaukee Art Museum connects people with art, each other, and the world. From its roots in Milwaukee’s first art gallery in 1888, the Museum has grown to be Wisconsin’s largest art institution. Located on a 24-acre lakeside campus in downtown Milwaukee, it is a vital cultural resource and icon for the city. More than 34,000 artworks from antiquity to today comprise the Museum’s expansive collection. American and European painting, sculpture, and decorative arts; conceptual and minimalist art; prints and drawings; photography and new media; modern and contemporary design; folk and self-taught art; and 20th-century Haitian art count among its strengths. Housed in buildings designed by architects Santiago Calatrava (2001), David Kahler (1975), and Eero Saarinen (1957), the Museum is an essential destination for both art and architecture. At the center of every Milwaukee Art Museum experience is a driving mission to share extraordinary works of art, reveal their compelling stories, and create meaningful experiences that grow and inspire our community 

Photography and Media Arts at MAM:

One of the first museums to collect and display photographs, Milwaukee Art Museum has assembled a collection of over 5,000 works dating from the 19th century to the present, with particular strengths in documentary photography, photojournalism, postwar American landscape, and contemporary practices. It was also one of the earliest institutions to collect media arts, and since 1967 has built a focused holding of around 60 kinetic and light works, new media installations, and videos. In 2015 the photography and media arts collections united through the opening of the Herzfeld Center for Photography and Media Arts, an integrated space for the study, display, and preservation of these art forms.

Position Summary:

Under the direction of the Herzfeld Curator of Photography and Media Arts, the Assistant Curator will participate in a wide range of curatorial activities across exhibitions, acquisitions, research, and collection care.

Key Responsibilities: 

• Under the direction of the Curator, coordinate collection care, including cataloging and conducting research; consulting on conservation treatments and storage; assisting with study room visits; facilitating object photography; and expanding the collection website
• Conceive, plan, and execute collection installations and exhibitions. As needed, serve as site curator for touring exhibitions
• Assist Curator with all aspects of research, planning, organization, and realization of loan exhibitions
• Facilitate departmental administration, including correspondence, preparing presentations, and coordinating interns
• Recommend and facilitate new acquisitions, including writing proposals, giving presentations, and overseeing documentation
• Promote knowledge of the collection through research, writing, and teaching, including lectures, public programs, and gallery talks
• Support the Curator’s management of the Photography Council; cultivate relationships with donors and collectors
• Act as a spokesperson for the program both within and without the Museum, including fostering and maintaining strong relationships with artists, collectors, community members, dealers, donors, and peers in the field. Will require travel.

Education & Experience: 

• Master’s or PhD in Art History required
• Two to three years’ curatorial and/or collections experience
• Photography specialty preferred 

Skills:

• Strong written, verbal, and interpersonal communication skills
• Demonstrated experience working both independently and collaboratively
• Excellent planning, project management, and organizational abilities

Physical Demands

• Remain stationary up to six hours per day
• Move about the museum and offices
• Communicate and exchange information with staff and external constituents
• Operate computer and other office productivity machinery
• Ability to handle original works of art with care

Disclaimer:

The above statements are intended to describe the general nature and level of work being performed by people assigned to this job. They are not intended to be an exhaustive list of all qualifications, responsibilities, duties and skills required.

Milwaukee Art Museum is an EOE/M/W/Vets/Disability Employer.

DEAI Statement:

The Milwaukee Art Museum is an equal opportunity employer. The Museum recruits, employs, trains, compensates, and promotes regardless of race, religion, color, national origin, disability, age, veteran status, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, and other protected status as required by applicable law.

We are committed to recruiting, developing, compensating, and retaining professional staff that reflect our community. We aspire to be a diverse workplace where talented people want to come, stay, and do their best work.

We stand committed to the work ahead, informed by our community, which we will support with our best thinking, our deepest empathy, and the courage to embody the convictions shared in our Strategic Direction.