Clarification from the agency

United States Citizens and Nationals

As the Museum Curator(Art), you will:

Perform advanced scholarly research on art in the permanent collection, on prospective acquisitions, and on objects for examination in studies, scholarly journals, Gallery publications, lectures, symposia and colloquia, or exhibitions. Conduct research and scholarly exchanges in Spanish and one other language relevant to Latinx art such as Portuguese or French.

Write interpretive texts and make presentations on Latinx contemporary art for a diverse public in innovative ways. Collaborate with the National Gallery’s Center for the Advanced Study in the Visual Arts (The Center) to advance scholarly projects tied to Latinx art and specific areas of expertise. Accelerate the museum’s efforts to situate Latinx art as an important facet of US-American art and within broader histories of art.

Work with other members of the department of Modern and Contemporary Art to ensure that objects entering the collection are properly researched and catalogued, that already existing object records are updated as new information becomes available, and that artists’ biographies in the database are accurate and current. Trace and documents provenances. Keep abreast of bibliography, exhibitions, collecting, publishing and other developments in the field of Latinx art. Draft or contributes research to acquisition proposals. Research provenance of proposed gifts and purchases. Notify management of results of potential acquisitions research and works to resolve any issues or problems encountered. 

Support the expansion and deepening of the Gallery’s collections through the acquisition of works of art of the highest quality and relevance to the Gallery’s collecting policies.  Assist with development initiatives to build the modern art collection and support relationships with collectors, scholars, and art dealers in order to attract and secure single objects, collections, funds, or other types of gifts to the Gallery. Cultivate and maintain a donor base and collector and dealer contacts for Latinx art.

Propose, organize, and/or assist with exhibitions or undertake by assignment or on own initiative, in consultation with CMC colleagues and executive leadership.  Coordinate with the departments of Exhibitions, Conservation, Registrar and Design and Installation to meet exhibition production schedule deadlines and budget requirements.

Work with colleagues in the curatorial and education departments to provide accurate and informative responses to inquiries from outside scholars and the public concerning works in the collection or requests for expert opinions. Provide helpful and illuminating leads for further information. Collaborate with other curatorial departments with a vested interest and responsibility to represent Latinx art, especially American and British Paintings (pre-1900), Modern and Contemporary Prints and Drawings, and the Department of Photographs. Accommodate visitors to the galleries and ensures access for outside scholars to storage and curatorial files. Give presentations, lectures, and tours. Support related public programs developed by educators and curatorial colleagues. Cooperate with all National Gallery departments on programs and administration. Serve on Gallery-wide committees. Work closely with the Gallery’s conservation, education, interpretation, brand content, and digital experience teams.

Conditions of employment

• You must be a United States Citizen.
• This employer participates in the e-Verify program.
• Males must abide by Selective Service registration requirements.
• See "Other Information" section regarding Selective Service requirements.

Your resume serves as the basis for qualification determinations and must highlight your most relevant and significant work experience and education (if applicable) as it relates to this job opportunity. Experience refers to paid and unpaid experience, including volunteer work done through National Service programs (e.g., Peace Corps, AmeriCorps) and other organizations (e.g., professional; philanthropic; religious; spiritual; community, student, social). Your resume must include the dates of all qualifying experience (from month/year to month/year) and the number of hours worked/volunteered per week.

Qualifications

Candidates must meet the Qualification Standards Handbook requirements for the NF-1015-12.

For this position, specialized experience is at least one year of experience, equivalent in responsibility to the GS-11 level in the Federal service, curating a collection of Latinx art. Three to five years of experience working as a curator organizing exhibitions and permanent collection displays, public service, and donor cultivation, is expected. May include serving as a curatorial fellow at a peer institution; or serving in a position at a peer institution that grants equivalent exposure to curatorial work. Reading and speaking knowledge of Spanish and one other language relevant to Latinx art such as Portuguese or French.

Your application and resume must demonstrate that you possess the following knowledge, skills and abilities (KSAs). Do not provide a separate narrative written statement. Rather, you must show in your résumé how your past work experience demonstrates that you possess the KSAs identified below. If asked to do so, cite specific examples of employment or experience contained in your resume and describe how this experience has prepared you to successfully perform the duties of this position. DO NOT write "see resume" in your application!

Those applicants who meet the minimum qualification requirements will be evaluated against these factors to determine the best-qualified candidates.

1. Knowledge of Latinx art. Broad knowledge of world art from all periods; specialized knowledge of modern and contemporary art in general and expert knowledge of the history of Latinx art in all media; knowledge of critical histories and theories of race, class, and gender in the production, reception, and institutionalization of art.
2. Ability to conduct scholarly research in Latinx art and write and present findings; ability to interpret works of art for a diverse public in innovative ways, orally and in writing. Ability to contribute to scholarly programs in Latinx art, give lectures, tours, and participate in symposia and panels.
3. Three to five years of progressively responsible, relevant experience as a curator, which includes building permanent collections by gift and purchase, scholarly publishing, organizing exhibitions and permanent collection displays, public service, and donor cultivation. One-year experience equivalent to a grade 11 in federal service is qualifying.
4. Knowledge of art museum collection management practices, cataloguing; materials and conservation issues; art storage; loans.
5. Knowledge of museum exhibition procedures and logistics.
6. Knowledge of collection development methods; ability to write a collection plan that ties into institutional strategic plans; ability to survey the art market and private collections for acquisitions of Latinx art and to make persuasive proposals of works tied to a collection plan; ability to cultivate and maintain a donor base for Latinx art.
7. Ability to communicate effectively, orally and in writing, with fellow staff members, professional colleagues, art collectors, diverse audiences, and other museum contacts, ability to demonstrate strong interpersonal skills and an ability and motivation to collaborate with peers.
8. Ability to read and speak Spanish and one other language relevant to Latinx art such as Portuguese or French.

 "Experience" refers to paid and unpaid experience. Examples of qualifying unpaid experience may include: volunteer work done through National Service programs (such as Peace Corps and AmeriCorps); as well as work for other community-based philanthropic and social organizations. Volunteer work helps build critical competencies, knowledge, and skills; and can provide valuable training and experience that translates directly to paid employment. You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience.

Time-in-Grade: Current Federal employees must meet time-in-grade requirements by the closing date of this announcement to receive consideration under merit promotion procedures.

CTAP/ICTAP candidates: To be considered "well qualified" you must meet all of the requirements as described in this section.

You must meet all qualifications and eligibility requirements by the closing date of this announcement.

How you will be evaluated

You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.

The National Gallery of Art uses an application tracking system to evaluate the responses you provide in the applicant assessment questionnaire to determine if you meet the minimum qualification requirements of this position. Then, the HR Office and/or Subject Matter Expert (SME) will conduct a quality review of your application and supporting documentation to determine if your qualifications meet the criteria for referral to the selecting official.

We will also verify whether you are eligible for merit promotion by reviewing your previous Federal employment to ensure you meet Time-in-Grade requirements. If you are eligible to apply to Merit Promotion announcements based on Veteran or other non-competitive statuses, we will verify your supporting documentation prior to referral.

If your resume is incomplete or does not support the responses you provided in your online questionnaire, or if you fail to submit all required documentation before the vacancy closes, you may be rated 'ineligible', 'not qualified', or your evaluation rating may be adjusted accordingly.