Chief Preparator - NYU Abu Dhabi Art Gallery - United Arab Emirates
New York University Abu Dhabi (NYUAD) seeks to appoint a Chief Preparator to join the NYUAD Art Gallery. The Gallery is fast-growing in its reputation as among the most important non-commercial exhibition venues in the UAE, and its exhibitions to date have been covered internationally.
The Art Gallery at NYUAD presents an ambitious program of museum-quality exhibitions of art from contemporary and historical periods from around the world. It is a non-commercial, academic museum, with 690 square meters (7,000 square feet) of exhibition space. The department also manages the campus fine art collection, and the Project Space, an experimental exhibition gallery in the Arts Center. The Chief Preparator will execute all aspects of art handling, preparation, and installation of fine art for each exhibition, as well as campus wide installations, adhering to museum-standard practices. Critical to this role is experience using the relevant tools associated with installing fine art, and advanced skill in doing so in a manner that is both secure and archival. The areas of installation include the Main Gallery, the Project Space, campus collection installation, and major site-specific commissions. The position is first that of a preparator and art technician. However, the position’s duties will also overlap with the duties of exhibition producer, and requires liaison with a range of departments, including Facilities, Procurement, Compliance, and EHS (Environmental Health and Safety) as they pertain to the needs of each install. The position oversees functioning of fine-art storage and art handling technology within the gallery, in collaboration with the Registrar. In addition to the Main Gallery exhibitions, the Preparator will handle and install all art in the campus collections, and install or supervise installations the Project Space Gallery in the Art Center and other art installations as needed, such as the annual Christo Award.
In addition to installing exhibitions, the Chief Preparator is responsible for generating the exhibition production schedule and budget together with the Registrar. They will supervise the design, fabrication, construction, and installation of all aspects of exhibitions, including preparation of gallery space for exhibitions; and preparation of objects to be exhibited. The Chief Preparator’s art handling and installation expertise will allow for safe and timely presentation of exhibitions and care of fine art collections on the NYU Abu Dhabi Art Gallery, conforming to industry best-practice standards for risk management.