Special Instructions to Applicants

The School of Performing Arts at USM is seeking a new Gallery Director. The Gallery of Art and Design is a university educational exhibition space that has enjoyed a long history at USM. Over the years, Art and Design's exhibition program has presented numerous exhibitions of national scope, including yearly juried exhibitions of contemporary art and traveling exhibitions from private and public art collections. The gallery also regularly presents Art and Design student and faculty exhibitions. The Gallery is a 2000 sq. ft. contemporary space with dimmable track lighting, modular walls, and a Unistrut ceiling grid for sculptural installations and suspended works and serves as the primary exhibition space for The University of Southern Mississippi Museum of Art. The University of Southern Mississippi maintains a permanent art collection of more than two hundred works, is NAST, NASD, and NASAD accredited, and the School of Performing and Visual Arts houses BA and BFA programs in Theatre, Dance, and Art and Design.

Applicants must be currently authorized to work in the United States on a full-time basis without the need for visa sponsorship. The University will not sponsor applicants for work visas (e.g., H-1B).

Job Summary

The Gallery Director provides leadership for the planning, curation, and implementation of visual arts exhibitions and related programming for the Art and Design program within the School of Performing and Visual Arts (SPVA). Working collaboratively with faculty and the A&D Exhibitions Committee, the position supports the University's teaching mission through exhibitions, lectures, receptions, and community outreach initiatives. The Gallery Director oversees all gallery operations, including exhibition design and installation, budget management, artwork handling and logistics, and event coordination. This role supervises part-time gallery assistants and student workers to ensure professional gallery operations. This full-time staff position may include an embedded instructional load of up to one to two courses per semester, as needed. The position requires a flexible work schedule that may include occasional evenings and weekends.

Primary Duties and Responsibilities

+ Plans, curates, installs, and deinstalls visual arts exhibitions and coordinates related programming in collaboration with faculty and the A&D Exhibitions Committee.

+ Oversees day-to-day gallery operations, including scheduling, exhibition logistics, budget management, artwork shipping and receiving, and vendor coordination.

+ Supervises, trains, and schedules part-time gallery assistants and student workers to ensure professional gallery operations.

+ Ensures the proper care, handling, and presentation of artwork and maintains safe, professional use of gallery facilities in accordance with industry standards.

+ Teaches up to one to two courses per semester as needed and collaborates with faculty, staff, and community partners to support academic and outreach goals.

+ Perform other duties as assigned.

Job #NLX287714832