Description

Boulder Museum of Contemporary Art

Artistic Director 

Position in context

Founded in 1972 by local artists, Boulder Museum of Contemporary Art (BMoCA) is a non-collecting institution that annually presents 20+ exhibitions at its flagship in downtown Boulder and partner locations. In 2025, BMoCA engaged over 200,000 people through its exhibitions and 500+ programs that foster the exploration of art, dialogue about current issues, and art-making among all ages. Celebrating its 54th anniversary in 2026, BMoCA is at an exciting time in its history. Over the past decade, the museum has reached new heights thanks to record-breaking attendance numbers, dramatic programmatic growth, and the critical support of its community. In 2022, the museum launched a capital campaign to support a new flagship facility, tentatively scheduled to break ground in 2027 and open in 2030.

BMoCA’s vision is to become a leader in the global conversation about contemporary art and culture and a defining voice for creativity and innovation in its region and beyond. By welcoming diverse aesthetics and perspectives, BMoCA seeks to provide an inclusive forum for an investigation of contemporary art and what a twenty-first century museum can be for its community. This aspiration is coupled with a commitment to the museum’s ongoing mission to inspire creativity and foster community through contemporary art. 

The position of Artistic Director represents a new leadership structure in how BMoCA leads and delivers its purpose, and offers a rare opportunity to shape the future growth of one of Colorado’s most dynamic cultural institutions. The Artistic Director will report to the Executive Director+Chief Curator, and play a pivotal leadership role in growing and deepening community engagement with the museum through its regional outreach programming and Boulder flagship exhibitions and engagement programs. This includes providing strong creative leadership to help successfully usher the museum into an inspiring new era — one defined by artistic innovation, educational impact, and civic collaboration in a new intentionally designed museum building in the North Boulder Art District.

Position Summary

The Artistic Director position will shape and execute the programming vision at BMoCA, taking the program seamlessly from its current location to the greatly-anticipated new site in North Boulder. This dynamic new position connects and integrates the museum’s existing curatorial and learning and engagement activities, and envisions new programming opportunities ensuring that exhibitions and public programs advance BMoCA’s mission and further a financially sustainable future. The position’s wide-ranging accountabilities include collaborating with the Executive Director+Chief Curator and senior leadership to guide the curatorial and strategic direction, design, and delivery of exhibitions, learning initiatives, and artist collaborations, as well as identifying and shepherding new revenue-generating programmatic opportunities that are in alignment with the museum’s vision and mission.  More detailed accountabilities include:

Strategic and Artistic Leadership

• In partnership with the leadership team develop and implement an integrated artistic and educational vision that reflects BMoCA’s mission and values.
• Lead the conceptualization and execution of exhibitions and public programs that explore the forefront of contemporary art as well as social, and cultural themes of our time.
• Partner with the Executive Director and leadership team to shape and implement the museum’s multi-year strategic plan, including the evolution of the financial model.
• Strengthen connections between the museum’s exhibitions, education, and community outreach programs to create cohesive and impactful visitor experiences.
• Serve as a visible and inspiring ambassador for BMoCA, representing the institution to artists, funders, partner organizations, and the broader cultural community.
• Assess and integrate community interests into the museum’s programming strategy.

Curatorial, Learning & Engagement Leadership

• Position learning as a central pillar of the museum’s mission by integrating educational programming across exhibition and community platforms.
• Provide artistic leadership for BMoCA’s exhibition program, working closely with Executive Director+Chief Curator, guest curators, and artists to develop an exhibition program that aligns with the mission and values of the organization.
• Foster collaborations with schools, libraries, and community partners to expand BMoCA’s reach and relevance across the metro region, and oversee the design, implementation, and evaluation of learning initiatives for audiences of all ages and backgrounds.
• Support and supervise contracted curators, curators-at-large, and artist collaborators, ensuring curatorial projects meet the highest professional and artistic standards.
• Direct, support and mentor the Learning and Engagement staff in delivering inclusive, accessible, and artist-driven educational experiences, while managing operational planning for exhibitions and events, interpretation, and cross-departmental collaboration.

Project Management & Operations

• Lead and manage multiple concurrent projects with vision, efficiency, and precision.
• Oversee program budgets and ensure financial sustainability through responsible planning, tracking, and reporting.
• Collaborate with operations, registrar, and facilities staff to ensure timely, safe, and high-quality execution of exhibitions and events.
• Develop streamlined internal processes and systems that promote communication, accountability, and innovation.

Partnerships and Community Engagement

• Build and sustain meaningful relationships with artists, educators, community partners, and funders.
• Cultivate partnerships that extend BMoCA’s impact throughout Boulder, the Denver Metro Area, and beyond.
• Collaborate with the Development and Marketing teams to communicate program impact, attract new audiences, and generate support for museum initiatives.
• Act as a thought leader and advocate for the importance of contemporary art and creative learning in civic life.

Requirements

Desirable Competencies and Qualities  

• Visionary Leadership: Ability to lead teams to inspire creativity and innovation across curatorial and educational programs.
• Project Management Expertise: Skilled at managing complex timelines, budgets, and partnerships with precision and adaptability.
• Collaboration and Communication: Builds trust through empathy, diplomacy, and clear communication across departments and with external stakeholders.
• Strategic Thinking: Balances long-term institutional goals with responsive, innovative programming.
• Resilience and Adaptability: Thrives in a fast-paced environment with a problem-solving mindset, positive outlook, and ability to pivot as priorities and circumstances change.
• Financial Acumen: Ability to balance creative vision and innovation with sound financial judgement and risk management.
• Team Leadership & People Management: Leads direct reports and contracted resources in a manner that leads to effective outcomes and positive team culture.

Essential Qualifications

• Advanced degree in art history, arts education, museum studies, or a related field (or equivalent professional experience).
• 7–12 years of experience in museum, curatorial, or education leadership, preferably in a contemporary art context.
• Proven record of managing multi-departmental teams and cultural projects.
• Demonstrated success in strategic planning, program development, and partnership cultivation.
• Strong communication skills, both written and public-facing.

Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform essential functions.

Boulder Museum of Contemporary Art is an equal opportunity employer and considers all candidates for employment regardless of race, color, sex, age, national origin, creed, disability, marital status, sexual orientation, or political affiliation.

Hours & compensation

This role is a full-time, salaried exempt position and typical working hours are 40 hours/week, 9am-5pm Monday through Friday on-site at the museum or traveling regionally to meet with collaborators or attend events. The position will require periodic work on weekends and evenings as required by programmatic activities.

The salary range for this position is $75,000-$100,000 based on experience and the compensation package includes health and dental benefits, paid vacation, access to a 401K plan, a RTD EcoPass, and a complimentary gym membership to One Boulder Fitness.