Organizer Information
The Indianapolis Museum of Art (IMA) was founded in 1883 as the Art Association of Indianapolis, making it the ninth oldest and eighth largest encyclopedic art museum in the United States, with a permanent collection comprising over 54,000 works spanning African, American, Asian, and European holdings. The institution traces its founding to November 7, 1883, when an exhibition of 453 works by 137 artists opened at the English Hotel in downtown Indianapolis, organized by a group of art-minded citizens led by suffragette May Wright Sewall.
In 2017, the campus and organization were renamed Newfields, with "Indianapolis Museum of Art" now referring specifically to the main art museum building, which serves as the cornerstone of the broader campus and remains the legal name of the organization doing business as Newfields. Today, as the source confirms, Newfields is a 152-acre cultural campus bringing together the IMA Galleries, The Gardens, historic properties, landscape, performance, and public programming, and is led by President and CEO Le Monte G. Booker, Sr., with Belinda Tate serving as The Melvin & Bren Simon Director of the Indianapolis Museum of Art at Newfields, overseeing the Museum's curatorial, collections, exhibitions, and learning functions.
Title & Description
Curator of Fashion and Textile Arts
Newfields is seeking a Curator of Fashion and Textile Arts to advance the Indianapolis Museum of Art's commitment to textiles, fashion, fiber, dress, and related material culture. The role will guide the study, care, growth, interpretation, and presentation of more than 7,000 works in the fashion and textile arts collection, spanning cultures, materials, techniques, and time periods, with notable holdings including the archives of Stephen Sprouse, contemporary Japanese, historic American, and European fashion, and African textiles.
The position is built around collection stewardship, scholarship, exhibitions, acquisitions, publications, digital interpretation, and public access, with an emphasis on connecting object-based research to meaningful interpretation. The curator will work within a 4,000-square-foot dedicated gallery with approximately three rotations a year, primarily drawn from the permanent collection, while also engaging donor relations, departmental financial planning, and cross-campus collaboration across the Newfields site.
The Role Overview
- Position Type: Full-time, Exempt
- Contract Type: Not specified in the source (no end date or term given)
- Salary: $105,000–$140,000, commensurate with experience
- Reports To: Belinda Tate, The Melvin & Bren Simon Director, Indianapolis Museum of Art at Newfields
- Department/Programme: Curatorial — Fashion and Textile Arts
- Location Type: On-site role, Indianapolis, Indiana
Position & Tasks
- Curatorial Leadership & Collection Stewardship — Oversee care and conservation planning, research, documentation (including coordination of photography and data cleanup), day-to-day maintenance, and assessment of quality, strengths, and future direction for the fashion and textile arts collection
- Curatorial Leadership & Collection Stewardship — Recognize condition and signs of ongoing deterioration in fashion and textile materials, and recommend acquisitions, gifts, bequests, and deaccessions
- Curatorial Leadership & Collection Stewardship — Collaborate closely with a dedicated full-time conservator and colleagues in registration, collections management, installation, and design
- Exhibitions, Research & Scholarship — Propose and develop exhibitions and installations to expand Newfields' profile in fashion and textile arts, participating in all phases of exhibition development
- Exhibitions, Research & Scholarship — Produce research and publications, including exhibition catalogs, scholarly essays, articles, didactic materials, labels, lectures, and public talks
- Exhibitions, Research & Scholarship — Maintain ongoing study of the collection, acquisitions, loans, and potential gifts; maintain contact with scholars, visit public and private collections, attend conferences, and represent Newfields professionally
- Collaboration & Education — Partner with colleagues, students, designers, scholars, and community partners to create meaningful visitor experiences
- Collaboration & Education — Extend curatorial work beyond the Museum through installations, lectures, gallery talks, tours, docent training, and educational programs
- Collaboration & Education — Contribute to website content and serve as an advocate for fashion and textiles awareness in Indianapolis and beyond
- Advancement — Lead donor cultivation, solicitation, and discussions about gifts, bequests, and donations in collaboration with the development department
- Advancement — Serve as Newfields' lead curatorial liaison to a dedicated group of supporters, docents, and donors interested in fashion and textiles
- Department Leadership, Financial Planning & Resources — Manage annual budgeting, expense monitoring, projection adjustments, and long-range direction for the fashion and textile arts area
- Department Leadership, Financial Planning & Resources — Prepare documents related to future planning, grant applications, procedures, policies, and programs
- Department Leadership, Financial Planning & Resources — Provide oversight and mentorship to a shared curatorial assistant, interns, paid scholars, fellows, and project-based contributors, as assigned; collaborate with a full-time textile conservator who reports to the head of conservation
Categories
- Curatorial Practice
- Fashion and Textile Arts
- Museum Studies
- Material Culture
- Collection Management
- Exhibition Making
- Arts Administration
Eligibility
- Master of Arts or Master of Fine Arts required, in fashion and textile studies, art history, design history, material culture, or a related field; PhD preferred
- Minimum of five years total museum curatorial experience at the assistant curator, associate curator, or equivalent level
- Strong record of leadership demonstrated through collection management, acquisitions, and cross-departmental collaboration
- Sustained scholarly point of view developed through exhibitions, publications, and original research, with active participation in professional networks and scholarly communities
- Knowledge of catalog publishing, exhibition and installation design processes, graphics, databases, office software, conservation issues, art handling, installation techniques, and art market sources
- Relevant experience working within museum systems and engaging the public
- Excellent writing and public speaking skills
- Preferred but not mandatory: reading or speaking ability in relevant foreign languages
- No nationality or geographic restriction stated in the source; role is on-site in Indianapolis
Program Benefits
- Salary: $105,000–$140,000, commensurate with experience
- Health insurance (eligibility and policy terms apply)
- Dental insurance (eligibility and policy terms apply)
- Vision insurance (eligibility and policy terms apply)
- Retirement plan options
- Paid time off
- Holidays
- Professional development support
- Museum-related privileges, subject to eligibility and policy
Application Fee
None
Application Requirements
- Letter of interest
- Resume
- Responses to short questions in the online application form
How to Apply?
Online Application
Key Dates
- Application Deadline: 20 July 2026
Location
Indianapolis, Indiana, United States
Additional Details
- The search is being exclusively led by Judith Pineiro Consulting, an external search firm retained by Newfields for this position.
- The role requires work in office, gallery, exhibition, storage, and museum environments, with occasional travel.
- Physical requirements include the ability to sit, stand, walk, use hands to handle objects or tools, reach, climb stairs, balance, stoop, kneel, crouch, talk, hear, and occasionally lift or move objects up to 25 pounds; reasonable accommodations may be made for individuals with disabilities.
- All staff are expected to follow institutional policies, ethical standards, and professional practices, including maintaining confidentiality and avoiding conflicts of interest.
- The position description notes it outlines the general nature of the role and is not an exhaustive list of responsibilities.