Thomas Hardy Exhibition Project Curator

£23,500 (pro rata, 0.6 FTE, 22 months to May 2021)

The Wessex Museums Partnership is a thriving consortium of the four principal museums across Dorset and Wiltshire that tell the stories of Wessex from prehistory to now, namely: Poole Museum, Dorset County Museum, The Salisbury Museum and Wiltshire Museum. Over 300,000 people visit the partner museums each year.

Our ambition is to inspire more people to explore and enjoy the outstanding art and heritage of the region and to understand its significance to their lives. By sharing the amazing story of the region in new and exciting ways, we aim to make a major contribution to the cultural, social and tourism economies of Dorset and Wiltshire.

It is an exciting moment for the Wessex Museums Partnership as we have recently become one of the Arts Council England’s new National Portfolio Organisations. As such we have an ambitious programme to deliver over the next four years.

The Partnership is therefore looking for a Project Curator to lead on the development and delivery of a major temporary exhibition about the life of Thomas Hardy, opening in May 2021. Staged simultaneously across all four partner venues, this exhibition will explore Hardy’s relationship with Wessex (in both its historical and fictional senses) using literary sources, costume, textiles and social history collections. Collectively the four exhibitions will take the visitor on a journey of discovery to explore the stories of Hardy and the urban, Hardy and the rural, Hardy and the sea, and Hardy and the ancient world.

The role will be based at Dorset County Museum in Dorchester, but the Project Curator will be expected to work across all the sites within the Wessex Museums Partnership over the course of developing and delivering the exhibition.

Please contact Museum Secretary, Anna Butler secretary@dorsetcountymuseum.org for the Job Description, Person Specification and Application Form. Application is by application form and covering letter or download from the website here .

The closing date for applications is: 12noon, Thursday 29th August 2019.
Interviews will take place on Monday 2nd September 2019 in Dorchester.

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