Director of Exhibitions

Fotografiska | New York

Located at 281 Park Avenue South, the six-floor, 45,000 sq ft. historic landmark is home to an unexpected mix of world-class art, vibrant cultural programming, and exceptional dining experiences including Vēronika and Chapel Bar. Our New York location has featured work from David LaChapelle, Andy Warhol, Sarah Moon, Adi Nes, Hassan Hajjaj, Andres Serrano, Pixy Liao, Adrienne Raquel and Miles Aldridge, and several group exhibitions.

The Role

The Director of Exhibitions at Fotografiska New York manages the planning, development, curation and implementation of the exhibition programme with emphasis on the development of local exhibitions, and the local interpretation of touring exhibitions, in conversation with the global exhibitions team. They lead the Exhibitions department for the New York property, with responsibility for creating and managing budgets, proposing artists and ideas to the monthly International exhibitions committee, managing relationships with exhibiting artists or agents, designers, suppliers, shippers and operations, to realise these projects. Managing all practicalities with their team regarding shipping, printing, framing, installation, design, communication and programming around the exhibition in an efficient and professional way. They are a spokesperson for the exhibitions department both within the FGNY team – collaborating with the Marketing, Programming and Retail teams and reporting to weekly Leadership meetings – and externally for PR and Press related to the exhibitions schedule.

This role reports to the Executive Director of Fotografiska New York and to the Global VP of Exhibitions, who is based in Stockholm. It requires a confident communicator, creative storyteller, meticulous project manager and collaborative team player who can juggle complex exhibition projects from idea through to implementation, source external curators or exhibitions from the US market when required or reinterpret existing touring exhibitions for the Fotografiska New York exhibition spaces. They must have a strong US network of photographers, artists, writers, curators, publishers and thinkers about photography and art.

Responsibilities & Requirements

• Work closely and strategically with the Executive Director and Global VP of Exhibitions curating and/or executing fine art, photography and/or mixed media exhibitions.
• Oversee the Fotografiska New York exhibitions schedule, in discussion with both the Executive Director and Global VP of Exhibitions, to best utilize the building and insure a good balance of pop cultural and artistic content.
• Submit proposals on new exhibitions, artists, or broad programming initiatives in alignment with Fotografiska’s brand, values and business, and participate in monthly phone calls and quarterly meetings to review in-person/digitally as required.
• Identify and select, in collaboration with their team, all local exhibitions to be presented at Fotografiska New York and be able to make these choices strategically with a high understanding of the local audience to ensure strong local relevance alongside of an understanding of the potential to tour into the Americas and potential partner institutions.
• Work with the Fotografiska New York leadership to create and maintain relationships with the US cultural community, ensuring a strong brand presence around Fotografiska for photographers, artists, collectors, galleries, brands and relevant non-profits, etc.:
• Serve as Fotografiska brand steward, spokesperson and ambassador by giving tours to artists, VIPs, investors, brands, and press as required.
• Manage, guide and work hand-in-hand with the exhibition team to ensure production of Exhibitions is on target, on budget, demonstrates a best-in-class experience and serve as a learning opportunity for the team.
• Maintain protocols for exhibitions-work flow, existing checklists, timelines, punch lists, etc.
• Oversee the receipt and implementation of the international exhibitions in accordance with the instructions provided by the international exhibitions team.
• Personally plan and execute exhibition installations “A to Z” including creating layouts, being hands-on during all installations, being in dialogue with Artists, installers, technicians, shippers, producers and others.
• Collaborate with Marketing and Brand team on all marketing and PR materials pertinent to exhibitions, locking in a clearly aligned marketing strategy for the exhibition concept and vision:
• Oversee approval of all artwork for all exhibition specific marketing and PR material
• Oversee the Exhibition Managers collaboration with Marketing & Brand team to ensure they have assets required for successful campaigns.
• Work with marketing to ensure exhibition interpretation (exhibition graphics, texts, and public facing exhibition materials) is in keeping with Fotografiska’s value of inclusivity.
• Ensure a cadence of programming exists for each exhibition and work with the Director of Programming to establish this schedule.
• Oversee the process of creating annual budgets for all exhibitions in discussion with the Global VP of Exhibitions
• Be entrepreneurial in the seeking of opportunities around the exhibitions schedule. Be mindful of costs, seeking in-kind production partners when appropriate and of good quality, looking to leverage the investment of time and money into exhibitions for the benefit of the brand and audience development, through support of press and marketing initiatives and through research of venue partners for touring.
• Willingness to work a variable schedule, including weekends and evenings.
• Providing support to other business units and Exhibition departmental members when needed.

Requirements

Qualifications & Experience

• Fotografiska is open to a wide range of educational and training backgrounds in consideration of the Exhibition Director role, but will seek a comparable level experience to a Master’s Degree in modern/contemporary art, photography, museum studies or art history.
• At least 10 years management experience in a creative business or non-profit with clear KPIs.
• A proven track record of curating photography exhibitions with contemporary artists and/or photographers and experience of both writing and speaking in a public forum about the work.
• Experience working with and or partnering with cultural institutions, galleries, auction houses and with artists is critical, while direct experience in traditional museums and nonprofit organisations is not required.
• Our goal is to represent the diverse photography scene of New York, thus it is an irreplaceable necessity to hold a deep and throughout understanding of the rich and diverse New York photography scene.
• Strong and active network of relevant contacts.
• Proven track record of managing budgets and thinking entrepreneurially about creative projects in terms of audience development.

Benefits

• Health Care Plan (Medical, Dental & Vision)
• Retirement Plan (401k, IRA)
• Paid Time Off
• Life Insurance (Basic, Voluntary & AD&D)
• Family & Caregiver Leave
• Short Term & Long-Term Disability
• Training & Development
• Wellness Resources
• Yearly Salary: $120K - $130K USD (not eligible for bonus)