The key duties of the position include:
Reporting to the Senior Curator, Social History and Recreation, this role focuses on individuals and communities who have immigrated to Australia from 1945 to the present. The strategic focus lies with both maintaining our existing relationships and building new connections with immigrant communities. The curatorial role entails research into historical and emerging narratives, to inform the Museum’s exhibitions, publications and digital media experiences. It is also an outreach position that will foster cultural connections across Australia, developing our collaborations and audiences into the future. As such the Curator, Post-war Immigration requires a high degree of ethical, political and cultural competency, particularly during the process of undertaking oral/video histories, acquiring collection items and commissioning artworks and performances.
The main responsibilities will include but not limited to the following:
- Maintain and enrich the Museum’s existing cultural connections with post-war immigrant communities, including participation in discussions, events and acquisitions.
- Identify and establish connections with immigrant communities currently under-represented in the Museum’s collections and activities, including those recently arrived and immigrants residing in regional Australia.
- Undertake ethically and culturally aware negotiations and oral/video histories, to broaden the National Maritime Collection and enhance the Museum’s ability to share post-1945 immigrant stories.
- Research and curate content for in-house and travelling exhibitions, including digital experiences, to broaden representation and foster outreach for post-war immigrant communities in the Museum’s programming.
- Provide research, curatorial, acquisitions and engagement contributions across the wider spectrum of immigration to Australia.
- Research, write and present scholarly and public-facing outputs, including articles, live presentations, and digital and social media content.
- Prepare proposals and advise on submissions for immigration-related accessions into the National Maritime Collection, including both physical and digital materials, in line with the Museum’s Collection Development Policy, priority collection focus areas, and Protection of Cultural Objects on Loan (PCOL) protocols.
- Negotiate and document contracts for the acquisition of materials for programs and the National Maritime Collection, including consent, cultural restrictions and copyright.
- Represent the Museum in public forums, media opportunities, conferences and cultural institutions networks.
- Work collaboratively with all business units and key stakeholders to ensure the Museum’s products, services, exhibitions, collections, events and commercial activities are shared and promoted through inspiring and engaging content, both on site and online.
- Provide authoritative cultural competency advice and protocols for fellow Museum staff in dealing with immigrant
Key Selection Criteria:
- Demonstrated expertise in post-1945 immigration to Australia, including historical and cultural aspects of immigrant, refugee and asylum-seeker experiences up to the present day.
- Experience in working with diverse cultural communities, including first- and subsequent-generation immigrants, preferably including both urban and regional experiences.
- Proven skills in conducting oral/video interviews with culturally diverse informants, including best-practice technical, cultural and ethical standards.
- Practical experience in developing relationships with under-represented immigrant communities, encouraging their engagement with cultural institutions.
- Ability to negotiate political and cultural aspects of the immigration experience, including managing community expectations and balancing cultural perspectives.
- Sound knowledge of digital and social media, with expertise in reaching and engaging new audiences, preferably encompassing languages other than English.
- A track record of storytelling and directing the curation of unique and engaging digital experiences, both online and in-museum.
- A publications record encompassing academic, public and community-targeted content.
- Public engagement skills and experience in media, conferences, presentations and digital outreach.
- Proven experience in meeting project deadlines, operating within budget constraints and working across multiple diverse projects simultaneously.
- Familiarity with collection development policies, PCOL loans, and acquisitions policies and procedures.
- Demonstrated ability in using collection database systems such as TMS.
Eligibility
This position is open to all eligible members of the community and we encourage applications from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, people with a disability and people from every cultural and linguistic background. To be an eligible member of the community, you must be an Australian citizen. Applications may be accepted from Australian permanent residents who are in the process of acquiring Australian citizenship.
Notes
Selection for this position will be made on the basis of relative merit which will be assessed against each item of the selection criteria. Applications that do not address the selection criteria will not be considered for shortlisting by the Selection Committee. As part of the selection process the selection committee may invite candidates to undertake a psychometric test, you should advise the selection committee if you have any special needs. Psychometric tests may be used as the initial short-listing test or later in the selection process. Some tests are very short while others may take one or more hours.
For more information or to apply visit: JobsNSW.
