Curator

Position Summary
The Curator is responsible for shaping and delivering innovative exhibitions, conducting in-depth research, and engaging with the public through public programs and community outreach. The Curator will collaborate closely with cross-functional teams to create compelling exhibition experiences for MoPOP audiences. This role requires a strong understanding of museums, popular culture, and curatorial practices.

Essential Job Duties (other duties as assigned)

Exhibitions:

• Develop (and support post-opening) at least one original exhibition and/or facilitate an external rental exhibition every year.
• Research and support the development of exhibition themes, content, and narratives. 
• Generate exhibition content, including goals, themes, concept documents, presentations, didactic text, and other elements for in-gallery use, interactives, and digital platforms, or oversee curatorial contractors and staff in these roles.
• Lead new artifact process in long-term galleries with the support of the Associate Curator and Curatorial Assistant. 
• Conduct oral history interviews with notable popular culture figures to enrich the museum's narrative. 
• Ensure accessibility and inclusivity in exhibition content.   
   

Research + Scholarship:

• Contribute significant research and content to MoPOP’s programming goals.
• Contribute to scholarly publications, articles, and exhibition materials. 
• Stay current with academic developments in relevant fields.
• Conduct research on artists, artifacts, and topics related to the museum's collections and exhibitions.

Community Outreach, Public Engagement + Programming:

• Build relationships with local communities, artists, and cultural organizations. 
• Engage with media for interviews and press events.
• Develop and deliver public talks, lectures, and tours related to exhibitions. 
• Work in deep collaboration with Programs, Education, Community Partnerships, Advancement, and other departments to develop exhibition-related programming  
• Participate in educational and public programs and workshops for various audiences. 
   

Administration:

• Assist in budget planning and management for curatorial projects. 
• Contribute to policy development and implementation. 
• Assist in the management of project timelines and deadlines. 
• Oversee Curatorial interns, including working directly with MoPOP’s intern and volunteer coordinator, scheduling interviews, providing day-to-day guidance, and scheduling staff to participate in intern education. 
   

MoPOP Community:

• Support our internal culture which inspires and empowers our staff to live our mission to its highest standards.
• Contribute to a consistent customer service standard across all departments.
• Work to ensure customer service is ingrained at the core of the team and is reflected outward to our guests and other staff.
• Commitment to participating in anti-racism work, learning about the ways institutional racism impacts the workplace, and supporting teammates in operationalizing DEIA strategies in the department.
   

Preferred/Desired Qualifications

• Minimum of eight (8) years of curatorial experience in a museum or relevant field (commensurate experience will be considered).  
• Advanced degree in Museum Studies, Curatorial Studies, or related field preferred.  
• Strong collaboration skills with proven ability to implement strategic creative development plans across a diverse team.
• Knowledgeable about multi-modal storytelling in three-dimensional spaces, including exhibition layout, aesthetic direction, and interactive elements.
• Thorough knowledge of professional museum and exhibition standards.
• Strong knowledge of legal and ethical issues in the museum field, including object handling, loans, and exhibition management.
• Proven ability to conduct research, distill information, and build upon a broad base of knowledge using internet, professional journals, and publications.
• Understanding of evaluation methods and best practices for analyzing exhibition effectiveness and visitor engagement.
• Excellent writing, communication, and presentation skills.
• Ability to write exhibition texts (labels, panels, audio guides, etc.) and deliver public talks and lectures.
• Detail-oriented with strong organizational skills to manage a continuous workflow in a high-volume, multi-tasking environment.
• Experience managing project timelines, deadlines, and overseeing the logistics of exhibition installation and deinstallation.
• Ability to work independently and in collaboration with multiple team members and departments, such as Programs, Education, and Advancement.
• Experience in coordinating with external partners, artists, and contractors.
• Proficient in basic MS Office skills; experience with collections management software (e.g., TMS) and design software such as Sketchup and Adobe Creative Suite is preferred.
• Experience contributing to digital content for online collections and using new technologies for exhibition display and interpretation.
• Wide knowledge of popular culture, including music, film, video games, fashion, science fiction, fantasy, horror, and social movements.
• Proven ability to engage with the public, media, and community organizations.
• Proven ability to work with proprietary and confidential information.
• Commitment to anti-racism work and supporting DEIA strategies within the curatorial process.
• Focus on accessibility and inclusivity in exhibition content.
• Strong networking skills with colleagues from other institutions.
• Commitment to ongoing learning and participation in workshops, conferences, and team development.

Benefits

This regular full-time position includes Medical/Vision insurance, Dental insurance, Life/AD&D/LTD insurance, 3.08 hours of accrued Vacation per bi-weekly pay period, Seattle Sick/Safe, 7 Floating Holidays (prorated first year dependent on hire date), 8 Company Holidays paid throughout the year, EAP, 401k plan with vested match schedule once eligible, and subsidized transportation benefits for Orca Pass or parking.

Why MoPOP?

We’re really glad you’re thinking about joining the team at MoPOP! We believe pop culture is a universal language capable of building connections across a range of people, no matter our differences in race, religion, gender, age, sexual orientation, ability, education, socio-economic status, ethnicity, country of origin, or any other characteristic that makes us who we are. For more than twenty years, we have been showcasing how music, film, fashion, video games, sports, and more spark those connections and create a lasting cultural impact.

MoPOP provides both a physical space and an emotional and intellectual opportunity for people from any background to explore, find and build community, and recognize their own creative potential. This applies not only to our guests, but also to our staff — be it in designing an educational program to engage the next generation of creators, trying to reach a new audience with a marketing initiative, preserving an artifact in our collection, or providing excellent customer service to a visitor. If this sounds like something you’d be into, we’d love to hear from you!

MoPOP’s Mission and Commitment to Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility 

Our mission is to activate the world-shaping power of pop culture through participative experiences, discovery, and play. We believe pop culture connects us, and that it is powerful, complex, alive and who we are. MoPOP is actively committed to ongoing learning in the areas of diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility (DEIA). In partnership with our community, we hope to also develop safe spaces for their application. This includes taking steps to continue increasing our awareness of institutional “-isms,” as well as uncovering and undoing the ways they show up in museum culture. We recognize this is a process that requires intentionality, energy, and resources, and we are developing a DEIA framework that can cultivate a work environment and museum experience that is truly welcoming for all.

We are committed to creating an inclusive and equitable workplace, and we are proud to be an equal opportunity employer. We believe that having staff, interns, and volunteers with diverse backgrounds enables us to better meet our mission and encourage BIPOC, women, and LGBTQIA+ individuals to apply. We acknowledge that our work to build safe spaces and better systems for traditionally marginalized groups is ongoing and will require constant vigilance and expect all MoPOP employees to be part of our DEIA journey.

Please email jobs@mopop.org if you need reasonable accommodations during the application or hiring process.