About Denver Botanic Gardens: Green inside and out, Denver Botanic Gardens was founded in 1951 and is considered one of the top botanical gardens in the United States and a pioneer in water conservation. Accredited by the American Alliance of Museums, The Gardens has a robust living plant collection, natural history collection and art collection along with temporary art exhibitions. The Gardens is a dynamic, 24-acre urban oasis in the heart of the city, offering unforgettable opportunities to flourish with unique garden experiences for the whole family – as well as world-class exhibitions, education, and plant conservation research programs. 

For more information, visit us online at www.botanicgardens.org.

Along with the mission of bringing plants to people, our Core Values are a fundamental driver of the Gardens culture. They are:

Sustainability. We are devoted to an institutional, environmental and human sustainability.

Diversity. We champion inclusion, diversity, equity and accessibility for all we encounter, and also support programmatic, ecological and plant diversity.

Transformation. We believe ever-evolving public gardens change the world and lead to positive transformation of human spirit and knowledge. 

Denver Botanic Gardens is currently seeking a Full Time Assistant Curator of Exhibitions in our Exhibitions Department! Read below to see if the requirements might be a good fit for you:

Position Summary

This role develops, identifies, and implements curatorial projects, including exhibitions, artist residencies, and related programming to advance Denver Botanic Gardens’ visitor and community engagement priorities. It conducts research, writes exhibition labels, oversees related marketing copy, and coordinates related image licensing and reproductions. 

The role contributes to exhibition planning and development from concept to execution, with keen attention to visitor experience, inclusion, diversity, equity, and access, in consistency with the Gardens’ values and mission, and quality and accuracy of content. 

This position supports both short- and long-term curatorial activities within a fast-paced, multidisciplinary, and creative environment as part of a team that strives for best practices in all aspects of exhibitions and programming. This position also leads and develops staff.

General Duties and Responsibilities

• Conducts and oversees curatorial research to develop exhibitions, including development of themes, assessment of artistic merit, consistency with institutional goals and values, opportunities and challenges, and identifying possible loan requests. 
• Develops and manages relationships with artists, lenders, potential lenders, and other members of the arts community.
• Develops exhibition checklists, working collaboratively with other team members.
• Writes visitor-centered in-gallery text and other related interpretive resources.
• Edits and proofs exhibition-related copy and design, as well as other departmental content as needed. Oversees the copyediting and proofing workflow.
• Resources and supports curatorial direction for the development of traveling exhibitions. 
• Manages exhibition content deadlines and supports related exhibition planning and scheduling.
• Supervises, manages and develops the Curatorial Assistant role, as well as interns and volunteers.
• Oversees the development of copy for marketing purposes, including web, member magazine, and press release content.
• Contributes ideas for programming opportunities to support, enrich and enhance exhibitions. 
• Develops and researches themes for collections-based exhibitions.
• Proactively assess opportunities and solutions for enhanced accessibility within exhibitions and gallery experiences. 
• Oversees management and coordination of the artist residency program(s).
• Coordinates image licensing and other intellectual property rights for exhibitions and collections (publication, web, other print materials).
• Develops and leads select training for docents and staff.
• Develops and leads tours of exhibitions; give public presentations.
• When relevant, manage creation of exhibition-related publications and related materials. 
• Staffs events and programming as needed, including artist talks, receptions, etc.
• Assists with exhibition installation if needed.
• Supports the day-to-day operations of the curatorial team.
• Regular attendance at the worksite may be required. As with all positions at Denver Botanic Gardens, the incumbent must be in good performance standing to be eligible for remote work. Remote work is at the discretion of management at all times.
• All Gardens employees must be committed to the mission of connecting people with plants, especially plants from the Rocky Mountain region and similar regions around the world, providing delight and enlightenment to everyone.

Position Qualifications: Knowledge, Skills and Abilities

• Spanish fluency is desirable but not required.
• Impeccable writing, editing, and communication skills are essential. 
• Superior organization and project management skills; attention to detail is critical. 
• Ability to navigate and prioritize complex projects with overlapping timelines and move quickly between different kinds of activities and projects. 
• Must have proven excellent customer service, interpersonal, and communication skills in dealing with the public.
• Ability to maintain stability under pressure and able to deal well with stressful situations.
• Ability to be flexible and willing to modify plans when necessary, throughout the day.
• Ability to work a flexible schedule, including evenings, weekends and/or holidays.
• Knowledge of Microsoft Suite products, specifically Word, Excel and Outlook and Teams.  
• Ability to work overtime as necessary.
• Must be a positive representative of the Gardens both internally and externally at all times.
• Must work with respect and cooperation at all times with fellow employees and the public.
• Must be committed to working safely at all times.

Experience/Education:

• Bachelors degree in art, art history, museum studies, arts administration, or related field from four-year college or university and/or combination of education and equivalent experience, is required. Master’s degree preferred.
• Minimum of 2 years of full-time curatorial experience in an art museum or other museum/gallery environment is required.

Travel:

Up to 10% travel required. Requires the ability to travel to remote locations (or other Garden locations) where environment may vary significantly.  

Denver Botanic Gardens has an incredible benefits package for eligible employees!

Our major benefits include a choice of Medical Plans, a Dental and Vision Plan and Life Insurance Plan. We have a Flexible Spending Account (FSA) and a Healthcare Spending Account (HSA).

The Gardens offers a generous Retirement Savings Plan with Company contribution of 6% after one year of service for eligible participants.

The Gardens also offers paid holidays, vacation, sick time, and access to personal lines of insurance. Additional benefits include short-term and long-term disability coverage, an Employee Assistance Program (EAP) and an RTD ECO pass.

For eligible employees, The Gardens employment also includes a complimentary Denver Botanic Gardens Membership, access to Gardens education classes and summer concert tickets.  

Come work for a place that offers you SO much more than just a paycheck!