Curatorial Research Specialist - Los Angeles, United States - Lucas Museum of Narrative Art

Description

ABOUT THE LUCAS MUSEUM OF NARRATIVE ART

As the first museum to focus exclusively on storytelling through images, the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art believes that visual storytelling can connect us and help shape a more just society.

With a growing collection that encompasses artworks from across cultures, places, times, and mediums, including paintings, sculptures, murals, photography, comic art, book and magazine illustrations, and the arts of filmmaking, the Lucas Museum will explore narrative art's potential to prompt questions, invite opinions, inspire community, and move people to think about the impact of images on our world.

***The Curatorial Research Specialist is a member of the Lucas Museum curatorial team tasked with providing in-depth research and organizational support for collections and exhibition development. This position plays a key role in object research, and related historic analysis and cataloguing of the Lucas Museum collections, as well as assisting with specific project-based curatorial initiatives, including the museum's exhibition and acquisition programs.

***The Curatorial Research Specialist, under the direction of the Lucas Museum Curatorial department, will work independently and collaboratively with Museum staff in the essential activities of a curatorial department. The Curatorial Research Specialist will combine advanced research skills and methodologies with a strong background in writing to write research-based texts on works in the collection that may serve a variety of content purposes, such as object files, materials for the Learning & Engagement division, publications, and forms of gallery interpretation. This role will catalogue all findings utilizing The Museum System (TMS), and will also provide additional departmental administrative support, including the completion of forms, documents, and project budgets.


RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Conducts research for exhibitions, curatorial projects, and publications related to Museum collections
• Exercises judgement and independent discretion while conducting online and inperson archival research with local, national, and international repositories to provide a recommendation to the Curatorial Department
• Uses expertise in art history or related field to perform object research on culture and style, place, object use and context, materials, provenance to provide a recommendation to the Curatorial Department that will influence decision making for exhibitions and potential acquisitions
• Conduct related research to expand artist and object information for research files, including compiling maker biographical information, gathering artwork tombstone details, and developing records regarding date and place of publication (if known)
• Interface with The Museum System (TMS) database to enter compiled research in accordance with standards and guidelines
• Serves as a liaison between the Museum and archivists, advisors, scholars, curators, artists, and artists' designated representatives regarding research on artists' careers and practices, as well as specific works of art
• Drafts researchbased texts on works in the collection as well as loans that may serve a variety of content purposes, such as object files, the Museum's website, materials for the Learning & Engagement division, publications, and forms of gallery interpretation
• Builds and organizes research files to support recommendations for the Curatorial Department
• Contributes in team meetings, as well as multiple working sessions with project advisory committees and interdepartmental Museum working groups based on expertise
• Manages, tracks, and contributes to exhibition development, including exhibition and loan checklists; provides logístical and administrative support for exhibitions
• Contributes to and supports catalogue research and development
• Contributes to and supports Curatorial department planning and initiatives, as assigned
• Works with technical teams at the Museum to realize required Curatorial aspects of the museum's inaugural planning
• May work with specialized consultants and outside scholars on collections related initiatives
• May require some travel as necessary for specific exhibition, project, and collections research
• Special projects and other duties as assigned

CORE COMPETENCIES:

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Adhering to Principles and Values:

• Upholds ethics and values; demonstrates integrity; promotes and defends equal opportunities, builds diverse teams; encourages organizational and individual responsibility towards the organization and community we serve

- **Presenting and Communicating Information**:

• Speaks clearly and fluently; expresses opinions, information and key points of argument clearly; makes presentations and undertakes public speaking with skill and confidence; responds quickly to the needs of an audience and to their reactions and feedback; projects credibility; facility with virtual communication tools i