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  • Employer: Tennessee State Museum, Nashville, TN
  • Salary: $38,472.00 per year
  • Posting Closes: December 07, 2021

This curator’s work will primarily focus on the cataloging, preservation, and interpretation of textiles in the museum’s collection, including presenting a variety of programming related to Tennessee costumes and textiles for museum guests and other audiences.  This individual will be a key team member in work related to documenting and packing textiles for a planned collections storage facility move. This individual will also serve as a member of a variety of exhibit teams; responsible for researching subjects for exhibits and for the care of a collection.

Analyzing Data or Information:
  1. Plans exhibits, publications, and other types of programs on general topics by identifying relevant intellectual themes to be communicated to the general public or specific audiences and selecting artifacts and images that will facilitate understanding of these ideas.

Interpreting the Meaning of Information for Others:

  1. Writes justifications for artifacts acquisitions that clearly convey why items are appropriate for the museum collections.
  2. Writes exhibit labels that communicate effectively with museum visitors.
  3. Writes other types of texts for a variety of museum publications.
  4. Writes narratives and other documents for grant proposals and reports.

Evaluating Information to Determine Compliance with Standards:

  1. Acquires artifacts for the museum’s collections in accordance with standards set forth in the Collections Department Manual.
  2. Adheres to ethical standards set forth in the Collections Department Manual and other state publications in performance of job duties such as interactions with donors, vendors, museum employees and volunteers, other state officials, and representatives of other institutions.

Getting Information:

  1. Performs research about artifacts for purposes of evaluating potential acquisitions, cataloging, exhibit, development, program development, or writing.
  2. Performs research about topics concerning Tennessee history, art, and culture as appropriate for museum projects.
  3. Performs research on matters concerning the preservation and conservation of museum artifacts.

Handling and Moving Objects:

  1. Handles and moves different types of artifacts within the museum according to appropriate museum practices and exercising good judgment to ensure the safety of artifacts and personnel performs research about topics concerning Tennessee history, art, and culture as appropriate for museum projects.
  2. Stores artifacts according to appropriate museum practices using archival packing materials.
  3. Handles and moves a variety of exhibit furniture and casework, related to both in-house and traveling exhibits.
  4. Transports artifacts to locations outside of the facility according to museum standards for safety and security.

Interacting With Computers:

  1. Performs routine office work, such as email and word processing using computers.
  2. Uses museum collections database program, including activities such as creating artifacts records, entering data for catalog records, using the database to perform research for exhibits, and generating basic reports such as shelf lists.
  3. Uses a variety of state systems such as Edison to submit travel and expense claims and other information.

Thinking Creatively:

  1. Proposes ideas for new exhibits, publications, and other types of programs and performs routine office work, such as email and word processing using computers.
  2. Consults with other museum staff members on designs for exhibits and publications.
  3. Develops and gives presentations for the general public and community groups on a variety of topics.

Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events:

  1. Identifies and describes physical characteristics of artifacts, such as condition, materials, etc.
  2. Identifies and describes physical characteristics of artifacts such as relations to historical events and time periods, artistic movements, material culture styles, etc.

Documenting/Recording Information:

  1. Documents museum artifacts through cataloging, photographing, condition reporting, and other methods.
  2. Reports on work activities as instructed through the creation of reports to be submitted to supervisor.

Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work:

  1. Accomplishes tasks according to departmental and institutional priorities.
  2. Performs both ongoing recurring activities such as artifact cataloging and episodic tasks such as installing artifacts in an exhibit or collecting artifacts for a donation.
  3. Recommends artifacts for conservation treatment, prioritizing requests according to urgency of problem, plans for display of artifacts, etc., and prepares appropriate related paperwork.

Communicating with Persons Outside Organization:

  1. Answers inquiries from other persons within state government concerning the museum’s collections, technical museum issues, and Tennessee history and art.
  2. Answers inquiries from individuals at other institutions concerning technical museum questions and items in museum collections.
  3. Assists with the evaluation of and completion of potential artifact loans to other institutions, with prior approval of the Director of Collections Department or Museum Director.
  4. Requests loans of museum artifacts from other institutions for use in Tennessee State Museum exhibits, with prior approval of the Director of Collections Department or Museum Director.

Performing for or Working Directly with the Public:

  1. Responds to inquiries from the public concerning museum artifacts and other questions.
  2. Presents a variety of programs for museum visitors and community groups.

When applying, reference the job listing for: MUSEUM CURATOR – 11172021 – 24635

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