Position Summary
Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art recognizes the colonial history of American art and American museums. As a cultural institution, we have a responsibility to engage with dismantling historical and systemic invisibility of Indigenous peoples past, present, and future. We intentionally hold ourselves accountable to appropriate conversations, representations, connections, and education to facilitate measureable change.
To assist in this important and long-term work supported by the institution, Crystal Bridges seeks a Curator of Native American Art to guide the evolving vision and strategic planning for Native American Art at the museum in dialogue with American Art. Building on the museum’s collaborations with Indigenous communities, exhibitions such as Art for a New Understanding: Native Voices 1950s to Now, collaborations with the University of Arkansas, and collections, including recent acquisitions by Native American artists, and the holdings of the University of Arkansas, the Curator will continue to meaningfully develop the Native American art collection and program. A sustained commitment to this challenging work is key to this position.
As Crystal Bridges expands and grows, the Curator must help to build and sustain relationships with tribal leaders and Indigenous communities regionally and nationally as well as with Native consultants and advisors, professional organizations, area museums—including the Museum of Native American History located in Bentonville, and the academic community, including the expanding School of Art and graduate program in art history at the University of Arkansas. With support from the Chief Curator, the Curator of American Art and Director of Fellowships and Research and the curatorial team more broadly, the curator will position Native American art as vital to American art and history and central to expanding the field. The Curator will engage with a wide range of Native American and Indigenous art from what is now known as the United States, consulting and guiding conversations about ancient, historic, modern and contemporary art. The Curator will seize opportunities to be creative and experimental as well as flexible, innovative and collaborative to help develop new methodologies for interpretation and exhibition of Native American art at Crystal Bridges. The Curator will form a collection assessment and development plan for Native American art, cultivate and steward donors, supporters and stakeholders, and help foster broad public engagement with Native and American art
