Organizer Information
Bethlem Gallery is a visual arts organisation based at Bethlem Royal Hospital in South London. Founded in 1997, the Gallery supports artists and socially engaged artistic practices, working across arts, health, hospital and community settings. Its programme includes exhibitions, commissions, creative projects and collaborations. The organisation works with a wide range of artists and partners and has developed a collection of approximately 200 artworks by artists with experience of mental health services.
Title & Description
Collections Curator Job at Bethlem Gallery
Collections Curator – Bethlem Gallery is a fixed-term, part-time professional opportunity for an experienced curator or collections professional. The successful candidate will manage the Bethlem Gallery Collection and co-curate displays across hospital and community locations in South London over a 15-month period.
The role combines collections management, project management and participatory/co-curatorial practice. Working with service users, staff, carers and local community members, the curator will help develop, interpret and install collection displays. The project aims to bring a substantial proportion of the Gallery's collection into public and community-facing displays.
The Role Overview
- Position: Collections Curator
- Salary: £35,000 FTE
- Hours: 30 hours per week, four days (Tuesday–Friday)
- Contract: Fixed-term, funded for 15 months
- Reports to: Director, Bethlem Gallery
- Direct reports: None
- Start: As soon as available, and no later than January 2027
- Working pattern: Some evenings and one Saturday per month, with additional time reclaimed as Time Off in Lieu
- Location: Bethlem Gallery, Bethlem Royal Hospital, BR3 3BX, plus other hospital and community sites.
Position & Tasks
The Collections Curator will manage artworks in storage and on display, maintain collection records through the eHive collections management system, oversee loan agreements and documentation, and support preventive conservation procedures.
The role also involves facilitating collections advisory activity and helping ensure that collection policies and documentation are suitable for future accreditation. The curator will co-curate displays with service users, healthcare staff, carers and community members; oversee transportation, framing and installation; conduct condition checks; and coordinate with technicians and venue staff on conservation and health and safety requirements.
Additional responsibilities include managing project schedules and budgets, liaising with partner organisations, monitoring sustainability, contributing to evaluation and reporting, and producing content for the Gallery website, eHive and social media.
Categories
- Visual Art
- Curating
- Collections Management
- Museum & Gallery Practice
- Exhibition Management
- Arts & Health
- Participatory Art.
Eligibility
The opportunity is aimed at experienced curators and/or collections professionals. Applicants should have at least three years of relevant experience, including experience in exhibition curation, installation and artwork handling, collections documentation, collections-management databases, participatory/co-curatorial projects and budget management.
Experience working in a mental health setting or with people with varied access needs is also sought. Applicants must be eligible to work in the UK and will be required to provide satisfactory references and complete a DBS check.
Bethlem Gallery particularly welcomes applications from candidates from the Global Majority, who are currently underrepresented within its team.
Program Benefits
This is a paid professional position, with a salary of £35,000 FTE. The role also offers a 5% employer pension contribution, 25 days of annual leave FTE plus bank holidays, flexible working where reasonably possible, reflective-practice sessions and access to NHS and cultural-sector training opportunities. Additional evening and Saturday work can be reclaimed through Time Off in Lieu.
Application Fee
None
How to Apply?
Application email: jobs@bethlemgallery.com
Key Dates
- Application Deadline: 12 October 2026
- Interviews: Week commencing 2 November 2026
- Start date: As soon as available, latest January 2027
- Contract duration: Up to 15 months
- Q&A session: 23 September 2026
Location
London, United Kingdom
Additional Details
This is a professional employment opportunity rather than an artist residency or exhibition open call. The role is particularly suited to candidates with established experience in collections care, curatorial practice, participatory working and exhibition delivery. The successful candidate will contribute to a major project bringing artworks from the Bethlem Gallery Collection into longer-term displays across hospital and community environments.