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Senior Curator: Collections and Exhibitions

Cheltenham

The Wilson Art Gallery and Museum is a welcoming social and cultural space where everyone can discover, learn and enjoy as visitors, co-producers, artists and makers. It forms part of The Cheltenham Trust, a dynamic charitable organisation that manages 5 culture and leisure venues with the support of Cheltenham Borough Council. This role offers a unique opportunity to be involved in helping to shape our future direction as a Trust and cultural life in Cheltenham and Gloucestershire. 

We are looking for creative dynamic individual committed to using art and cultural heritage to make people’s lives better. The Senior Curator: Exhibitions and Collections will be joining a small team with a big ambition to develop the Wilson into one of the South West’s most pioneering and ambitious art gallery and museums.

They will have expert knowledge and experience in galleries and museums. They will be familiar with the challenges and opportunities currently facing the sector and will be confident in applying new curatorial approaches to lead The Wilson’s diverse collections and programmes. The person appointed will lead a dynamic curatorial team in the delivery of key organisational objectives including exhibition making, collections development, as well as collaboration and liaison with key partners and stakeholders. They will be a natural storyteller with the creative vision to re-imagine the newly refurbished galleries as an arts and heritage space developed with and for our community.

The Wilson’s Collections are richly diverse from Old Masters to world cultures to a social history collection which tells the story of Cheltenham and the surrounding Cotswolds area from the Bronze Age. A dedicated gallery houses the Arts and Crafts Movement Collection, a Designated Collection of national importance. The Art Collection includes painting and sculpture spanning four centuries, costume and textiles, decorative and applied art.

Our galleries house permanent and temporary display programmes and include one dedicated co-curated space led by a Creative Communities panel to present and develop projects with our local communities in Cheltenham and Gloucestershire. In addition, the Wilson is home to a major catalyst programme for early career artists including 9 studios and a facilitated fellowship programme, innovative learning and events activities based in our Foyle Learning Studio, an Open Archive and Study space and a café which features our art collections, and which is led by our sustainability values, with furniture, materials, makers and craftspeople being drawn from our local area.

The Senior Curator is a critical role within the organisation and will lead our mission of caring for our Collection and making it accessible to diverse audiences through creative and participative programming. The post-holder will drive our temporary exhibition programme working as part of a small strategic team developing an internationally important exhibition programme which priorities contemporary art practice in dialogue with historic art collections.

They will work closely with the Head of Culture and Public Programmes Manager to research, plan and manage a programme of new and existing work and exhibitions in the visual arts, applied arts and social history; ensuring effective communication, financial and resource management is in place.

The Wilson is committed to building an organisation of mutual respect and dignity, promoting a welcoming, diverse and inclusive working and learning environment. We recognise that everyone is different in a variety of visible and non-visible ways, and that those differences are to be recognised, respected, and valued. We aim to provide a place where everyone can thrive, supporting all staff to achieve their full potential. We aspire to remove economic, social and cultural barriers that may otherwise prevent people from succeeding.

We therefore welcome and encourage applications from all communities regardless of culture, background, age, disability, sex, gender identity, ethnicity, religion/belief, or sexual orientation.

Key Responsibilities

Programme Development

Work with the Exhibitions and Public Programmes Manager and Director of Arts & Heritage to develop creative and innovative visitor-focussed exhibitions, commissions and residencies, and with the Curatorial Team, research and develop content liaising with artists, curators, partners and community stakeholders.

Lead on the redisplay of new collections galleries and work closely with the Director of Arts and Heritage to secure further funding for a community engaged project to develop content and interpretation.

Plan and guide the curatorial teams’ delivery of research, content, object lists and interpretation to deliver exhibitions, working together with the Public Engagement team to maximise participation and audience impact.

Develop exhibition texts for gallery interpretation and marketing/press materials, and oversee the editing and production of gallery interpretation.

Coordinate the Wilson’s Arts Advisory Panel and Exhibition Programming Group and to review exhibition proposals both externally and internally.

Ensure that interpretation, research and curatorial work embeds equality, diversity and inclusion into practice.

Work across the Wilson Team to develop ideas for talks, symposiums and special events orientated around current debates in contemporary visual cultures, and collaborate with the Public Programmes manager on participatory arts, socially engaged projects and artists’ residencies and commissions.

Participate as a facilitator/speaker or similar in the public programme, and lead gallery tours or facilitate group sessions.

Work with the Communications Team in developing new innovative ways to interpret the collections and deepen the experience and engagement of digital audiences online.

Seek funding and sponsorship opportunities, and prepare funding applications with the support of the senior management team.

Plan, monitor and maintain budgets, obtain estimates and process invoices.

Collections Management

Provide leadership to ensure the Wilson collections are cared for, developed, researched and used to maximise public benefit and long term conservation for future generations.

Be responsible for the overall management and care of collections, including developing and implementing policies and strategies related to research, acquisitions and disposal, storage and documentation, digitisation and access.

Work closely with the Public Programmes team and support the support curatorial team to identify themes, issues, subjects and stories for interpretation and displays.

Lead the development and timely review of all relevant collections policies including Collections Development Policy, Collections Management and Research policies.

Oversee collections acquisitions and disposals aligned with the Trust’s ambition to maintain nationally important collections within storage and other constraints.

Lead on planning for conservation of collections and ensure that collections are well cared for through preventative care, improved storage, ongoing conservation work, environmental monitoring and emergency planning.

Manage the Trust-wide programme of retrospective and ongoing documentation, delivering strategic impact that creates better access to collections.

Ensure that The Wilson retains museum accreditation and that collections are developed, managed and documented to appropriate SPECTRUM standards.

People

Lead, motivate and support a small, talented and knowledgeable curatorial team to deliver an engaging, visitor-focused and popular programme.

• Curator: Social History
• Curator: Visual Art
• Curator: Collections
• Collections Officer
• Volunteer Associates

Continually develop the team to reach their full potential through the annual appraisal process, professional development opportunities, providing regular feedback that recognises success and addresses areas for development.

Promote collaborative working internally with the Learning and Engagement Team, and participatory practice with community partners and audiences.

Work with supervising staff to support curatorial volunteers, ensuring their full integration into the museum

Lead by example to demonstrate and embed the Museum’s values within the Team and the wider Trust.

Skills, Experience, Competencies and Behaviours

A post-graduate degree, a professional qualification related to museums/archives, or equivalent experience.

Experience as a curator in a relevant subject area, with an emphasis on visual cultures.

Extensive knowledge of the Museum/Gallery sector.

Strong people management skills and experience.

A strong communicator able to maintain relationships with colleagues, stakeholders and partners at all levels through effective and consistent communications via different media.

Experience planning, writing and delivering collections policies and strategies.

Strong analytical skills. Ability to analyse, prepare and present reports that provide information, articulate the case and propose deliverable costed and timed plans.

Strong writing skills, with an ability to produce concise, accessible interpretation material and visitor information which convey compelling narratives.

Experience of collections management in museums, galleries or heritage organisations.

Understanding of collections care issues including storage, environmental conditions and conservation challenges.

Experience of digital engagement with collections and an understanding of the potential of digital to enhance collections access.

Experience of project management and delivering major curatorial projects.

Experience as a successful fundraiser, and good budget management skills.
Commitment to equality, diversity and inclusion, and an understanding of how this commitment applies to this role.

Experience planning, writing and delivering collections policies and strategies.

Experience in leading and promoting a safe working environment where the health, safety and wellbeing of visitors, staff, volunteers and contractors come first.

How to apply:

Please send a CV and a covering letter telling us about your experience and your ambition for the role by clicking on Apply Now by 6 May 2024.

Closing date for applications: 6 May 2024

Salary: £39000pa

Hours Per Week: 40

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