Department description

The main purpose of this position/job is to:

This professional services position will suit an individual committed to a career in museum management and a passion for the role of university art museums in society. Requirements include excellent organizational abilities; the ability to work well with multiple interest groups to deliver programming, manage museum operations, deliver collection, exhibition, education and event programming; and the ability to develop strategic collaborative partnerships with individuals, institutions, and organisations.

Brief description

Key responsibilities include the following:

• Manage team members consistent with different curatorial departments
• Oversees acquisition and care of collections in line with best practice and university policies
• Advance information systems to enhance research access to museum resources
• Devise diverse exhibition programmes to attract a range of audiences
• Interact with the museum’s holdings to curate relevant and appropriate exhibitions
• Develop the museum’s fundraising and strategic direction
• Create and publicise programme of museum events
• Conduct research and writing on the collection across different platforms

Requirements

• Matric
• Honours degree in Fine Art, Art History or Heritage Studies
• Minimum of 5 years work-related experience in / with museums or galleries

The position involves responsibilities in collections management and growth, storeroom maintenance and preventative conservation, database management, research, facilitation of research access, and the ability to generate income streams for the museum.

The position requires the incumbent to familiarize themselves closely with Wits Art Museum’s extensive holdings and curate exhibitions that interact with the diversity of the permanent collections to impact on and educate a broad range of audiences and to write interpretive texts for exhibitions.

Excellent verbal and written communications skills; networking skills; a willingness and capacity to work both collaboratively and independently and within the constraints of an institutional bureaucracy are required. The incumbent should be motivated, energetic, creative, resilient, professional, detail orientated with a methodical, meticulous approach.

The WAM team is very small so applicants should also be willing to participate in practical mundane museum activities such as setting out furniture, packing workshop equipment, cleaning glass etc with a positive, can-do attitude.

Desirable
MA (Art History, Fine Arts, Curatorial, Archive Studies); Post-graduate certificate in curatorial or museum studies

Time commitment:

This is a full-time permanent post with a year’s probation. This position is in Johannesburg, Gauteng. As a committed member of the team the successful candidate will also be expected to participate in after-hours programming at the museum.

For enquiries about the job content, please email Julia Charlton at Julia.Charlton@wits.ac.za Please do not submit applications via this contact.