*NEW* POSITION OPENING: CURATOR OF AMERICAN GLASS CORNING MUSEUM OF GLASS CORNING, NEW YORK Submissions of C.V. + cover letter should be made to the retained search consultants: Opportunity Resources Inc. New York, NY [log in to unmask] BACKGROUND The Corning Museum of Glass, located in the Southern Tier of New York State, is a 225,000 square foot complex dedicated to the art, science, crafting and scholarship of glass. It is the repository for the world's largest collection of glass, 45,000 objects representing an encyclopedic 3,500-year history of the art and science of glass. The collection contains over 10,000 American glass objects. The 167,000 square foot museum is one of the three buildings in the Corning Museum complex, which also includes the Rakow Research Library and The Studio. From its modest beginnings in 1951, CMoG has grown exponentially. Additions in 1980 and in 1996 included a complete renovation of glass collection galleries and added 70,000 square feet for the permanent galleries and for special exhibitions. New construction begun in 2012 with a scheduled completion date of 2014 will re-imagine the site of the former Steuben Glass building and address the need for more space to showcase the growing collection of contemporary glass and increase the capabilities of glassblowing demonstrations. The Corning collection includes glass objects from antiquity to the present day, representing every country and historical period in which glassmaking was practiced. The comprehensive American glass on exhibit represents the history of glass making from Colonial times to the present. The Curator of American Glass will be responsible for the American collection to the 1920s. The collection overseen by the Curator of American Glass encompasses rare early 17th century hand-blown glass and objects from Caspar Wistar's factory, the first successful manufacturer of glass in the American colonies. The Crystal City Gallery is devoted to glass made in Corning, New York dating from 1868, when the Brooklyn Flint Glass Works moved to Corning and changed its name to Corning Flint Glass Works. By 1905, Corning had been nicknamed "The Crystal City" due to the city's concentration of cut glass manufacturers including Steuben Glass Works, which opened in 1903 and pioneered the production of colored glass. The Jerome and Lucille Strauss Study Gallery is the gift of Museum benefactors who donated a collection of 2400 drinking glasses dating from ancient to modern times. The gallery serves as an open storage area, designed so that students and collectors can examine a wide range of objects from all periods arranged by subject areas and place of origin. The Museum mounts up to five special exhibits annually. The 2012-2013 schedule includes several exhibitions in an on-going series exploring the major artists of the Studio Glass movement in both Europe and the United States. Recent exhibitions focusing on American glass include "Mt. Washington and Pairpoint: American Glass from the Gilded Age to the Roaring Twenties" and "Drawings for American Stained Glass Design." Currently there are approximately 100 objects on loan from the collection to other institutions. Eight of these are from the American collection. The Museum's famous Conservation Department oversees the condition and preservation of every glass object in the collection or loaned for exhibit. It is a state-of-the-art facility with equipment created specifically for the examination and treatment of glass objects. The lab is regularly called upon for particularly difficult conservation problems of objects owned by other institutions. The collection continues to expand through gifts and acquisitions. 337 American glass objects were added in 2010 and 2011. The Ennion Society, the Museum's patron group, provides funds for acquisitions. The Society members and other donors have also been a generous source of gifts to the collection. Among the treasures added to the American collection recently was a Royal Flemish vase (circa 1888-1895) from the Mt. Washington Glass Company and an early American blue creamer with a coin in its knop made in the Philadelphia area. The Rakow Research Library, since 2001 housed in a free-standing building, is considered the world's library of record on glass and contains the finest collection of research materials related to the art, history and technology of glass. Designed to state-of-the-art standards, the library holds hundreds of thousands of research items in more than 40 languages, ranging from a 12th Century manuscript to the latest articles and books on contemporary glass artists. The library regularly presents exhibitions of its holdings curated by library and curatorial staff. The extraordinary resources of the library provide a foundation for scholarly and technical articles produced by the curatorial, collections and conservation staffs just as collections and exhibitions provide a unique teaching opportunity for the Education Department, which creates a wide variety of programs year-round for children and adults. The Corning Museum of Glass operates with a budget of more than $40 million and has a full-time staff of 140. The acquisition budget provides ample funds annually for significant additions to the collections and an array of important publications for the library. POSITION Reporting/Working Relationships The Curator of American Glass reports to the Executive Director and is a member of the Executive Director's senior staff. S/he works closely with the curatorial, collections, conservation and education department staffs including the Curators of European Glass, Modern Glass and Glass Science; the Chief Conservator; the Collections and Exhibition Manager; and the Director of Education and The Studio. The Curator of American Glass is responsible for the acquisition, exhibition, cataloguing and research of CMoG's American glass collection. The Curator of American Glass's primary responsibilities are to provide leadership and vision for the Department's continued curatorial excellence; make recommendations for acquisitions; represent the Museum at professional meetings and take an active role in development. The Curator of American Glass will begin immediately to familiarize her/himself with the American Glass collection and to develop ideas for future exhibitions. S/he will also establish rapport with the curatorial staff and become familiar with the entire Museum and staff. Ongoing Responsibilities * Overseeing the exhibition areas in the galleries pertaining to American glass, including displays and copy for labels * Developing and implementing special exhibitions of American glass * Recommending acquisitions of glass and glass-related material such as books, periodicals and photographs of American glass * Consulting with private collectors for loans or gifts to the Museum * Cataloging the collection of American glass * Assisting in periodic surveys or inventories of the collection * Lecturing at the annual Seminar as it relates to American glass and to other museum groups, as appropriate * Responding to all inquiries about American glass * Pursuing original research in the field, writing catalogs, articles and other materials for CMoG and other publications * Making recommendations regarding loans to and from the Corning Museum of Glass and working with the Registrarial and Conservation Departments to ensure the appropriateness, safety and condition of all loans Qualifications and Characteristics The successful candidate will have at least 5 years of curatorial and collections experience in senior positions at an art museum with a significant collection and strong curatorial program in American art. S/he must have a Master's degree in art history or a related field (PhD preferred) and a publications record is desirable. In addition s/he will have: * In-depth knowledge of American decorative arts required; glass knowledge desired * Outstanding verbal and written communication skills; ability to speak to groups of all sizes * Ability to represent the Museum in a professional manner * Excellent research skills * Demonstrated ability to work as part of a team * Excellent interpersonal skills * Ability to cultivate important collectors and tactfully solicit gifts for the collection * Ability to plan strategically and long-range for the exhibition schedule * A passion for art and the curatorial process * An appreciation of the interrelatedness of art and education * The personality to enjoy social and community interaction * High energy, strong motivation and a hands-on work ethic LOCATION Corning is a small historic and artistic city in Steuben County, in the geographic region of New York State known as the Southern Tier. Most famous for its glassmaking past and present, the town of Corning welcomes more than half a million people every year from all over the world. Visitors to Corning enjoy its rich culture and history, and the beauty of its surroundings in the Finger Lakes wine-making region. Address all inquiries and recommendations in confidence, to the retained search consultants (e-mails are preferred). Please do not send printed catalogues or material. Freda Mindlin or Nancy Kaufman Opportunity Resources Inc. 196 East 75th Street, Suite 14H New York, NY 10021 Voice (212) 744-4409 [log in to unmask] www.opportunityresources.net Opportunity Resources has specialized for over thirty years in providing search services to non-profit cultural institutions nationwide. ========================================================= Important Subscriber Information: The Museum-L FAQ file is located at http://www.finalchapter.com/museum-l-faq/ . 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