The Clark Art Institute, known for its dual mission as both an art museum with an exceptional collection of European and American art and a center for research and higher education in the visual arts, is seeking candidates for the position of Starr Director of the Research and Academic Program.

The Starr Director of the Research and Academic Program reports to the director of the Clark and is responsible for the conceptualization, coordination, organization, and development of the Institute’s scholarly art historical research and academic efforts. As both a scholar and administrator, the Director creates intersections at which the knowledge and insights of museum and university professionals come together and works to ensure that the activities of the Research and Academic Program are at the forefront of the history of art on an international scale. The Starr Director will:

• Create a welcoming and collaborative environment for Fellows and program participants
• Maintain and expand the fruitful relationships already existing among the Research and Academic Program, the Clark curatorial team, and the Williams College Graduate Program in the History of Art, in which the Starr Director has historically taught on a part-time basis
• Work with colleagues and trustees to continue attracting financial support and extend the already strong dedicated endowment for staff and Fellows.
• Continue to adapt the program as the directions and needs mandate and work to make certain that the Research and Academic Program maintains its vitality and timeliness within the world of the visual arts
• Serve as a member of the Director’s Advisory Group, which considers a wide range of issues important to the health and advancement of the Clark as a whole

About the Research and Academic Program
Since the late 1990s the Research and Academic Program (RAP) has expanded to become one of the most respected visual arts research programs in the world. It is one of the few places where advanced art historical research and broader insight into the visual arts come together in an environment that encourages reflection, freedom of imagination, openness of conversation, and independence of thought and style.

The Research and Academic Program supports an international fellowship program and the presentation of pioneering scholarship in a range of publications, colloquia, symposia, and associated forums around the world. It offers fifteen to twenty Clark Fellowships each year, ranging in duration from six weeks to ten months. Scholars from around the world, including academic, museum, and other art professionals, are welcome to propose projects that extend and enhance the understanding of art history, visual studies, and related disciplines. Stipends are available and housing in the Institute's Visiting Scholars' Residence, located across the street from the Clark, is provided. Fellows are furnished with offices within the Clark library, which contains a collection of more than 275,000 books, 700 periodicals, and robust digital resources.

In addition to its Fellows program, the Research and Academic Program organizes year-round scholarly programs, including lectures, conversations, colloquia, symposia, and conferences that enrich intellectual life both within and beyond the Institute and contribute to a broader understanding of the role of art. RAP regularly publishes the book series Clark Studies in the Visual Arts. The library, the Fellows program, and the Williams College Graduate Program in the History of Art reside in the Manton Research Center adjacent to the Clark’s original Museum Building, which houses the permanent collection.

Position Requirements
The successful candidate must be an experienced art professional with a PhD in art history or a related field and must, above all, have an international reputation as an imaginative, innovative, and ambitious scholar. The successful candidate is a creative thinker and a dynamic and enthusiastic individual with personal integrity, a warm personality who is comfortable in complex environments, and professional in all matters. The Starr Director plays a lead role in assembling and sustaining the cosmopolitan intellectual community that enhances the Clark and its affiliates.