Assistant Curator of Latin American Art and Culture.

Gilcrease Museum, which houses an interdisciplinary collection representing the diverse heritage of the Americas, seeks an intellectually curious, creative, and self-motivated individual to be its inaugural Assistant Curator of Latin American Art and Culture.

The Assistant Curator of Latin American Art and Culture will lead exhibitions, acquisitions, research, and interpretation within Gilcrease’s broad visual culture and archival collections. These include fine art from the 16th through 20th centuries from throughout the Americas, ranging from Spanish colonial retablos and work by Juan Correa to paintings, drawings, and prints by Diego Rivera, Miguel Covarrubias, José Clemente Orozco, Maria Izquierdo, and Rufino Tamayo, as well as recent work by Mexican folk and self-taught artists. In addition, Gilcrease holds one of the most significant collections in the United States of manuscripts, documents, and rare books pertaining to European settlement and conflicts across New Spain, from the Caribbean and present-day Mexico to South America, dating from the 16th to 19th centuries. These objects’ stories are intricately intertwined with other museum holdings, notably collections of cultural material spanning more than 2,000 years, including works by Incan, Moche, Mayan, Panamanian (Gran Coclé), Mixtec, Aztec, Zapotec, Toltec, and West Mexican (Occidentale) creators. Furthermore, Gilcrease has nearly encyclopedic representation of Taos School artists and broad artistic and historical collections pertaining to the American Southwest within its holdings of Indigenous and non-Indigenous objects from the present-day United States.

The Assistant Curator of Latin American Art and Culture will participate on a seven-member curatorial team and collaborate with other museum departments, reporting to the Director of Curatorial Affairs. Primary duties include researching and cataloguing the collection; developing dynamic long-term, temporary, and traveling exhibitions; identifying and bringing traveling exhibitions to Gilcrease; and raising national and international visibility for Gilcrease’s work and for its collections. This role will also promote equity and inclusion of the Latinx community around all Gilcrease exhibitions and programs, and it will build and maintain community relationships to collaboratively celebrate and advocate for Latin American art and culture for a variety of audiences and constituents.

Key Opportunities

The Assistant Curator of Latin American Art and Culture will join Gilcrease as the museum prepares for its public reopening in early 2027 in a new 83,500-square-foot building. With this watershed moment Gilcrease is also embracing an intersectional approach to managing and displaying its 200,000+ objects. This includes interdisciplinary galleries that juxtapose objects from different times, places, and cultures, as well as increased attention to Indigenous histories and makers. Recognition for the breadth and quality of the Latin American collections is integral to this interpretative plan, and as the inaugural team member in this role, the Assistant Curator of Latin American Art and Culture will shape and magnify the visibility of these works and their adjacent histories. Key opportunities include:
• Strategic Leadership: Contribute leadership to the reimagining of the Gilcrease brand, visitor experience, and curatorial department structure.
• Museum Transformation: Participate in the installation and reopening programs for Gilcrease’s new museum building.
• Collection Visibility: Help catalogue, exhibit, publish, and promote previously under-utilized portions of the collection, in conversation with staff, conservators, visiting researchers, and other experts, including community members (locally, nationally, and abroad).
• Exhibitions Excellence: Organize and curate exhibitions for Gilcrease’s expanded galleries and traveling exhibitions program.
• Academic Profile: Engage with students, faculty, and library resources at the University of Tulsa, a top 100 private research university.
• Scholarly Growth: Initiate and lead projects on both historical and contemporary topics, steered by the curator’s expertise and curiosity.

Essential Functions (Responsibilities):

Exhibitions
• Curates and presents temporary, long-term, and traveling museum exhibitions, utilizing Gilcrease collections and loans.
• Supports the implementation and public unveiling of Gilcrease’s new Interpretive Plan, contributing to the presentation of interdisciplinary narratives in the new museum building.

Collections
• Collaborates with collections stewards, conservators and other staff to support access and care of Gilcrease’s collections of Latin American art and material culture and related works.
• Creates and implements a collections development plan for Latin American art and cultural materials, including leadership of acquisitions through gift and purchase.
• Assists the curators of Indigenous art, collections stewards, and other staff in conducting consultations regarding Indigenous collection items, particularly from communities in Central and South America and present-day Mexico.
• Contributes to an interdepartmental team to develop collections policies, museum operations, and programming that build and strengthen Gilcrease’s relationships with the communities throughout the Americas from which its collections originate.

Research
• Conducts scholarly research on the Gilcrease collection for exhibitions and publications, including digital and online resources.
• Investigates connections between contemporary Latinx art and culture and historical narratives, and across geographic, political, linguistic, and other lines.
• Fosters and maintains positive working relationships with museum colleagues across the U.S. and beyond, as well as with scholars, gallerists, collectors, living artists, and a diverse array of community advisors.
• Promotes Gilcrease nationally and internationally through publishing and presenting at conferences, universities, and other external venues.

Service
• Collaborates with the Associate Curator of Contemporary Culture and Community on community-driven curatorial projects, including exhibitions, performances, installations, and visiting artist collaborations.
• Develops on-site public and educational programming in coordination with the Learning & Community Engagement Department, including public lectures, symposia, media programs, and museum tours.
• Liaises with and builds strong, ongoing relationships with outside stakeholders, including museum supporters, citizens of Tulsa, regional artists and arts organizations, and national and international communities with ties to Gilcrease’s collections and mission.
• Facilitates research by visiting scholars and responds to public and professional inquiries relating to the Latin American collections and areas of expertise.
• Supervises or co-supervises curatorial department interns and volunteers.
• Conducts staff and docent training.
• Serves on Gilcrease interdepartmental teams to enhance operations, communication, and staff culture across the museum.

Development
• Assists in preparing and writing applications and reports for grants supporting exhibitions and the care and interpretation of the collection.
• Interacts with donors, board members, The University of Tulsa staff, and volunteers; conducts VIP tours as requested.

Performs other duties as assigned.

Working Environment

The Gilcrease workweek is Monday – Friday, 8 hours a day, 40 hours per week. Curatorial staff currently have a hybrid work schedule, pending establishment of a new curatorial research center for on-site work in offices inside the historic Thomas Gilcrease House (1913), anticipated for completion in fall 2025. Occasionally, working evenings or weekends due to special events may be required, and occasional overnight travel may occur.

Required Qualifications:

Knowledge/Skill/Ability
• Recognized scholarly expertise in any area of Latin American and/or Latino art and culture, including Spanish Colonial, Chicano, or Caribbean studies, demonstrated through publications and conference participation
• Excellent communication skills: writing, public speaking, and interpretation for both scholarly and general audiences
• Ability to creatively interpret and present interdisciplinary museum collections
• Demonstrated ability to collaborate as a team member with staff and volunteers
• Cultural sensitivity and ability to reach out and work with diverse communities, including communities of cultures associated with Gilcrease collections, and constituents served by Gilcrease Museum
• Demonstrated ability to manage concurrent projects, establish priorities, and meet deadlines, while maintaining high attention to detail
• Enthusiasm for engaging with the public and creating welcoming museum experiences for all
• Fluency in Spanish, both written and oral

Equivalent Education/Experience
• Master’s degree from an accredited university or college in art history, history, studio art, anthropology, Latinx studies, American studies, museum studies, or related field (PhD preferred)
• Two to five years of work experience (including fellowships and internships) in a museum or cultural heritage setting, with experience in exhibitions development

Preferred Qualifications
• Experience integrating technology into exhibitions, programs, and research
• A robust network in the global Latinx cultural community, including international research and/or collaborative work experiences abroad
• Proficiency in PC or Mac software applications, including Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook
• Experience with The Museum Systems (TMS) or other collection databases
• Proven grant-writing experience
• Knowledge of the American Alliance of Museums and School for Advanced Research best practices for the care and maintenance of collections
• Ability to evaluate museum objects as to condition, authenticity, origin, and quality; and to help identity conservation needs
• Additional scholarly scope: Interest in art of the Ancient Americas and Indigenous cultural material from Mexico, Central, and South America is desired
• Additional language skills: Facility with dialects of Spanish, early modern Spanish paleography, and Indigenous languages, such as Nahuatl and Mixteco, is potentially valuable to this role. Gilcrease will support the curator’s professional development in such areas.

Physical Demands
Physical dexterity is required sufficient for using a keyboard and telephone; and for carrying, pushing, and pulling up to 50 pounds. The position may be subject to extended periods of walking, standing, sitting, reaching, balancing, bending, kneeling, handling, climbing, and twisting. The curator must have visual acuity to closely examine small objects, and speech and hearing sufficient to interact with co-workers and to communicate well with professional and general audiences. Responsibilities require working with highly sensitive or confidential information.

Note: Research shows that women and individuals from underrepresented backgrounds often apply to jobs only if they meet 100% of the qualifications. We recognize that a successful candidate may meet many, but not 100%, of the requirements listed on this job description. Therefore, if much of this job description describes you, then please apply for this role.

Benefits: The benefits package includes medical, dental, and vision plan options, 401(k), paid time off, and a range of other benefits and privileges available to all University of Tulsa employees.

The annual starting salary range for this position is $44,500 – $47,500. This is a full-time, salaried (exempt) position.

Application Materials: cover letter and résumé

SUBMIT APPLICATION MATERIALS HERE:
https://universitytulsa.peopleadmin.com/postings/11074

About Gilcrease Museum

Mission Statement:
Gilcrease Museum, through its collections, is dedicated to bringing art, history, and people together to research, discover, enjoy and understand the diverse heritage of the Americas.

The Thomas Gilcrease Institute of American History and Art, known as Gilcrease Museum, houses a comprehensive collection of the art, culture and history of North America. Thomas Gilcrease, a citizen of the Muscogee Creek Nation, established Gilcrease Museum in 1949 in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Today the interdisciplinary collection contains more than 350,000 items. The museum represents hundreds of Indigenous cultures from across North and South America, with material culture and archaeology ranging from 12,000 BCE to the 21st century. The collection includes more than 350 years of American paintings, sculptures and works on paper, including the largest public holdings of art of the American West.

Adjacent to the museum, the Helmerich Center for American Research houses the Gilcrease Library and Archive. The collection is comprised of manuscripts, photographs, maps, rare books, print portfolios and broadsides related to the history of the North American continent from the 15th – 20th centuries.

Beautiful gardens and grounds extend beyond the Gilcrease collections and exhibitions. Themed gardens are developed on 23 of the museum’s 460 acres, often using the Gilcrease collections as a guide.

The museum is owned by the City of Tulsa, which has partnered with The University of Tulsa to steward the museum.