Associate Director, Curatorial Affairs & Collections. New York Public Library for the Performing Arts (New York City, NY)

Posted November 4, 2026

Description:
The Associate Director of Curatorial Affairs & Collections is a key member of the LPA senior leadership team, providing high-level, strategic curatorial vision and overseeing the Curators of Dance, Music & Recorded Sound, and Theatre. This leader will be collaborative, building on the expertise of their team, and will ensure that all divisions are led equitably, resources are distributed strategically, and the Library’s collecting and programming activities align with the NYPL FY26–30 Strategy: Investing in Our Collective Potential. This leadership position will establish and execute a strategic and forward-thinking vision related to collecting priorities, scholarly and public outreach, exhibitions, programs, fundraising and publications, positioning NYPL as a global leader in collections-based public scholarship. While honoring the distinctiveness of each division, the Associate Director of Curatorial Affairs & Collections drives a unified approach to acquisitions, public engagement, fundraising, documenting diverse voices and histories, ensuring LPA remains a global leader in the performing arts. This position will play a pivotal role in shaping LPA’s digital strategy, expanding public access by collaborating closely with Collections and Research Services to prioritize collections for high-impact digitization, and overseeing workflows that share digitized performing arts materials with a global audience.

Position Responsibilities:

Strategic Curational Leadership & Vision

Establish and drive an overarching curatorial strategy for LPA that bridges the Dance, Music & Recorded Sound, and Theatre divisions, ensuring a cohesive institutional narrative, while also understanding specific artistic communities, respecting Curatorial subject matter expertise and honoring the unique subjects, formats, and histories of the Library’s divisions in collaboration with the Executive Director and other curatorial and collections leaders
Collaborate with Curators to identify strategic acquisition priorities, focusing on diversifying the archive and documenting underrepresented histories in the performing arts, while adhering to the parameters of collection development outlined by the Mellon Director for Research.
Provide direct oversight and mentorship to the Curators of Dance, Music & Recorded Sound, and Theatre; ensure equitable distribution of resources, staffing, and institutional support across all divisions.
Serve in leadership positions on NYPL-wide working groups and committees.

Operations

Partner with Collection Development to streamline acquisition processes across special collections divisions, train curators on evolving processes, and oversee special collection acquisition budgets across multiple divisions and cost centers.
Partner with Preservation Services to streamline communications and collaboration related to the security, storage, and management of the Library’s special collections and align curatorial workflows related to collection movement, exhibition preparation, outgoing loans, internal curatorial collection requests, and short-term collections displays.
Partner with Collections and Research Services and Curators to establish joint priorities for digitization projects; ensure selected materials reflect diverse, underrepresented, and highly requested performing arts histories while balancing physical preservation needs.
Collaborate with Legal and Collections and Research Services teams to navigate complex performance-rights, copyright, and licensing restrictions, maximizing the volume of digitized items made safely accessible online to global researchers and the public.
Ensure curatorial teams work effectively with Special Collection Processing teams in prioritizing archival processing and rare materials cataloging queues.

Exhibitions, Research, & Public Impact

Partner with Curators and the Public Programs & Exhibitions department to collaboratively steward these and other interpretive projects through proposal, research and development and execution stages. Assure that interpretive projects are diverse and in line with LPA values, and that LPA is inviting guest curators to bring in different voices.
Oversee the overall vision for LPA Research Fellowships, which foster new and diverse scholarship utilizing the LPA’s collections, driving the democratization of access to the collections.
Collaborate with the Associate Director of Education to integrate curatorial expertise into educational initiatives and K-12/post-secondary learning programs.
Partner with the Director of Public Service to integrate curatorial and subject-matter expertise into public services within the building.

Fundraising & Resource Development

With the Fleischman Executive Director and Development department, identify and pursue grant opportunities and philanthropic support, and oversee the successful completion and reporting of grant-funded projects.
Steward relationships with high-level individual donors and foundations.

External Relations and Communications

Serve as a spokesperson for LPA’s collections, representing the Library to the media, stakeholders, donors, the academic community, and the broader performing arts community.
Lead, manage, and evaluate strategic institutional partnerships with ongoing and new external organizations, including arts companies, academic institutions, cultural institutions, and foundations.
Collaborate closely with the NYPL Communications teams to leverage collection materials for public engagement, including developing content for social media and digital platforms to raise the profile of the archive.
Partner with Communications to proactively identify and pursue press opportunities related to major acquisitions, collection milestones, and institutional achievements, serving as a primary curatorial liaison for media inquiries.

Managerial/Supervisory Responsibilities

Manages a team of three curators, who each manage managers, specialists, or more junior curatorial staff

Qualifications:

Advanced academic degree in the performing arts, humanities, library sciences, or related field; terminal degree preferred.
Minimum 10 years experience at a collecting institution, including experience with acquisitions and collection development.
5-7 years of experience managing and mentoring high-level professionals, such as curators, faculty, or scholars
Experience with, exposure to, or participation in digitization projects, digital repository initiatives, or digital access workflows in a library, archive, or cultural institution.
Experience collaborating across functions and departments to shape and execute institutional priorities.
Budget and administrative management experience.
A commitment to representing the full breadth of the performing arts, along with diverse voices and histories, is essential.
Deep knowledge of the history and current landscape of the performing arts (Theatre, Dance, and/or Music) is ideal
Curatorial Diplomacy, Strategy, and Management: Ability to balance the specific needs and expertise of individual divisions with the broader goals of the institution and to connect local work to system-wide goals in digital access, preservation, and research innovation. Ability to work across departments, build consensus, and resolve complex problems.
Team Leadership: Collaborative, visible leader who builds trust and inspires a team, develops and mentors talent, and brings staff along through change with clarity, transparency, and care.
Digital Collections Awareness: Working knowledge of digital access trends, multimedia rights clearance, or how digitization extends the reach of archival collections to global audiences.
Fundraising: Demonstrated success in grant-writing, donor cultivation, and securing support for large-scale curatorial projects.
Communication: Exceptional public speaking and writing skills; the ability to represent the Library’s world-class collections with authority and passion.
Excellent problem-solving, advocacy, and decision-making skills.

Hours and Compensation:

Schedule: Monday-Friday (some evenings and Saturdays required), 35 hours/week
Salary: $135,000 – $150,000/year

How to Apply:

New York Public Library for the Performing Arts (LPA) has retained Diane Carlyle Executive Search (www.dcxsearch.com) to support the search for the Associate Director of Curatorial Affairs and Collections. We welcome comments, nominations, or expressions of interest. All applicants are asked to include a letter of interest with their resume. Please send an email with supporting materials to: [email protected].