The Museum am Rothenbaum promotes the appreciation of world cultures and arts. It is concerned with contemporary social debates centered on issues such as colonial heritage, living together in a globalized society and opening museums to a broader public. As a museum with world-encompassing collections and related archives, it is currently developing an innovative program of exhibitions or events, and focusing its research on the intertwined histories and transcultural forms of creativity represented by the collections.

The Museum am Rothenbaum is hiring a Full-time Curator for the Africa Collections
Two years contract (with the possibility of a permanent contract thereafter) from April 1, 2024
compensated in accordance with the city’s wage labor agreement E 13 TV-AVH

The MARKK is currently undergoing a process of reorientation. An architectural modernization will transform the museum into a future-oriented and audience-friendly museum of cultures and arts of the 21st century. Crucial tasks for the next few years will be the planning and redesigning of the permanent exhibition and the creation of new collection storage facilities. Provenance research, digitisation and online presentation of the collection are further priorities of the curatorial work. A special emphasis for the position lies on collaboration and exchange with colleagues, experts from descendant societies and their diasporas of the respective regions and the consideration of contemporary art perspectives. The position reports directly to the curatorial head and works closely with the Director of the MARKK.

• scholarly care, systematic cataloguing, documentation, digitisation and expansion of the Africa collections
• conception and implementation of sections of the new permanent exhibition
• curatorial support for the relocation of the collections and the establishment of the object storage
• conception and realization of own exhibition projects or collaboration in exhibition teams within the framework of museum operations
• own research activities and development of scholarly projects on African material culture and art in the collection
• collaboration with African colleagues, experts and contemporary artists
• answering scientific enquiries
• supervision of trainees and interns
• contribution to museum events and education programmes
• representation of the collection locally, nationally and internationally
• curatorial supervision of loan transactions
• publishing and editing research publications and exhibition catalogues
• fundraising and own grant applications

• University degree (preferably PhD, minimum a master degree) in cultural and social anthropology, African art history or African studies with a focus on material culture and art as well as knowledge of postcolonial theories and current scholarly debates.
• several years of work experience in museums and curation of exhibitions
• ideally independent curatorial practice in larger exhibition projects
• object expertise/connoisseurship
• scholarly publications in the above-mentioned subject area as well as experience in the final editing of catalogues
• research and/or collaboration experience in Africa and the African diaspora
• international professional network
• ability to work in a team, excellent communicative and organizational skills
• excellent written and spoken German and English; knowledge of an African language would be an advantage
• good command of modern office communication (MS Office package)
• experience in working with databases and in object documentation
• experience with new media

• remuneration according to E13 TV-AVH
• a varied and future-oriented position in a diversifying team during a key moment of transition and reorientation at our museum institution
• contribution to the Deutschland-Ticket

The Museum am Rothenbaum welcomes applications from people of all nationalities, people of color and applicants with experiences of (familial) migration. We especially encourage applications from severely disabled applicants with equivalent qualifications.

Dr. Barbara Plankensteiner (Tel.: 040 / 428 879-501) will be happy to answer any questions you may have.

Please email your written application (with letter of motivation and without photo) by 20 November 2023 to bewerbungen@markk-hamburg.de (single PDF, max. 20 MB) or by surface mail to the Museum am Rothenbaum, attn: Ms Lapidus, Rothenbaumchaussee 64, 20148 Hamburg.

Kindly enclose a stamped and addressed envelope if you would like your hard-copy applications returned.

markk-hamburg.de