Curator Abu Dhabi Public Art JOB

Job Purpose

The Curator will play a key role in the conception, development and implementation of Public Art Abu Dhabi projects and programmes. Part of the curatorial team, the Curator will work closely with artists, artist studios, galleries, production team, operations, public programmes in the development of Public Art Abu Dhabi projects. The Curator reports to the Senior Curator.

Key Accountabilities

• Assist in formulating new editions of Manar Abu Dhabi and Public Art Abu Dhabi Biennial
• Research, write, present artists and commission proposals
• Assist, write, proof read and copy edit for all Public Art Abu Dhabi publications
• Collaborate with artists and the production team during the commission phase
• Propose commissions that further engage with the publics in Abu Dhabi
• Manage the department timelines
• Generate concise and understandable content for varied support such as signages, labels, website, phone applications, educational materials, leaflets, etc.
• Assist the Public Art production team with commission budgets when necessary
• Maintain an organized folder with artists and commission proposalss
• Respond to external project inquiries
• Contribute to the development of Public Art Abu Dhabi public programmes
• Generate presentations for colleagues, other departments in DCT, committees, external stakeholders, partners, sponsors.
• Prepare and draft Acquisition Proposals
• Maintain an important involvement in the art communities of Abu Dhabi and foster key relationships with artists, galleries, curators other cultural institutions in the region and internationaly.
• Document and register information on the Collection Management System (CMS) for all artworks.
• Organise and take artists on site visits
• Prepare briefs for artists about sites and routes
• Assist artists when visiting Abu Dhabi

Content Development

• Collaborate with other functions on the development of content (text and multimedia) for museum exhibition galleries and online platforms.
• Provide support for the development of descriptive content for artworks and assist the team in preparing clear and accurate interpretation.
• Provide curatorial support or information as required for acquisitions, loans, policies and strategic planning.

Database and Reports

• Regularly maintain the Collection Management System, ensuring that the database is updated.
• Maintain any project specific databases and research reports, providing up to date information for the development of exhibitions.

Relationships and Audience Engagement

• Work with the team, researchers, and consultants to provide accurate descriptions/interpretations, as required.
• Provide support in achieving the objective of encouraging visitors to eagerly explore the history of the region.

Qualification (e.g. Academic Qualification, Certifications, Licenses)

• Bachelor’s degree in Anthropology, Archaeology, or Museum Studies.

Experience

• Minimum of 5 years experience of relevant curatorial experience
• Experience of undertaking research on archaeology, history or material culture of the Middle East, preferably with some knowledge of the history of the UAE.
• Preferably experience of working in a museum, a training placement in a museum, or some experience of exhibition development and writing text for exhibitions.

Critical Skills

• Demonstrate to work collaboratively and creatively with colleagues
• Ability to undertake academic research
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills; attention to detail; ability to prepare and write curatorial text and to prepare oral presentations
• Problem-solving skills: ability to analyse problems, identify alternative solutions, anticipate consequences, and provide recommendations
• Technical IT skills: ability to be trained for the collection dabatase, ability to use efficiently MS Office.
• Effective organising and planning skills: ability to create and keep deadlines; set and meet golads and think strategically.