Opportunities to work and learn at Hallwalls

Job Openings

   

 

Visual Arts Curator

Reports To: Executive Director
Status: Full-Time, Salaried (Exempt)
Schedule: Approximately 35 hours per week. Tuesday-Friday, 11 AM-6 PM; Saturday, 11 AM-2 PM. Occasional evening and weekend hours required for events and programs.
Compensation: $47,000 annual salary
Benefits: 100% employer-paid individual health insurance (estimated annual value: $10,800), two weeks of paid time off, and paid holidays.

Position Summary

The Hallwalls Contemporary Arts Center is seeking a Visual Arts Curator to lead its visual arts program and help shape the artistic vision of one of the nation's longest-running artist-founded contemporary arts organizations. Working closely with the Executive Director, the Curator is responsible for developing and presenting exhibitions, cultivating relationships with artists, and expanding Hallwalls' impact through public programming, community partnerships, and interdisciplinary collaboration.

The Curator serves as the organization's primary visual arts leader while working collaboratively with staff across music, media arts, literature, and performance. This is a hands-on position within a small, highly collaborative team, offering the opportunity to build meaningful relationships with artists, champion new work, and help guide the next chapter of Hallwalls.

The Curator is also a key member of Hallwalls' fundraising team, providing curatorial leadership for the organization's signature fundraising events and assisting with artist cultivation, grant initiatives, and donor engagement.

Primary Responsibilities

Curatorial Leadership

• Develop, plan, and implement Hallwalls' annual visual arts exhibition program. Research and identify emerging and established artists whose work aligns with Hallwalls' mission.
• Cultivate and maintain meaningful relationships with artists, curators, collectors, galleries, and cultural organizations.
• Serve as the primary liaison for exhibiting artists before, during, and after exhibitions. Coordinate all exhibition logistics, including schedules, contracts, shipping, insurance, installation, deinstallation, publications, labels, receptions, and artist talks.
• Oversee gallery installations in collaboration with artists and technical staff.
• Maintain organized curatorial files, exhibition records, and artist archives.
• Research future exhibitions and develop programming years in advance.

Interdisciplinary Programming

• Collaborate with Hallwalls staff to develop interdisciplinary programming that connects visual arts with music, media arts, literature, film, and performance.
• Participate in organizational planning and artistic discussions across departments.
• Support programming that reflects Hallwalls' commitment to experimentation, accessibility, and artistic exchange.

Community Engagement & Partnerships

• Work alongside the Executive Director to expand Hallwalls' presence through community partnerships and public programming.
• Develop relationships with museums, universities, artist-run spaces, schools, nonprofit organizations, and community partners.
• Represent Hallwalls at exhibitions, studio visits, conferences, public meetings, and regional arts events.
• Develop artist talks, workshops, panel discussions, educational programming, and community engagement initiatives.
• Identify opportunities to bring Hallwalls programming beyond its gallery walls through collaborative and public projects.

Fundraising & Special Events

• Serve as a key member of Hallwalls' fundraising efforts by providing curatorial leadership for the organization's signature fundraising events.
• Annual Hallwalls Auction: Coordinate artist invitations and participation; curate donated artwork; coordinate artwork logistics and presentation for the live auction; assist with auction preparation, including organizing artwork, artist information, and supporting the auctioneer; collaborate with staff on event planning and execution.
• Biannual Drawing Rally: Curate participating artists; coordinate artist communications and event logistics; coordinate art handlers throughout the event; oversee documentation and photography of completed drawings for the online silent auction; collaborate with staff on event planning and execution.
• Additional Fundraising Support: Assist with grant proposals, exhibition budgets, and program reporting; support donor cultivation through artist engagement and exhibition development; collaborate with the Executive Director to align artistic programming with organizational sustainability and fundraising goals.

Organizational Leadership

• Participate in staff meetings, strategic planning, and organizational initiatives.
• Collaborate with communications staff to promote exhibitions and public programs.
• Attend Board and committee meetings as appropriate.
• Serve as a collaborative leader within a small, mission-driven organization.
• Perform other related duties that support Hallwalls' mission and artistic programming.

Professional Representation
The Curator serves as the primary representative of Hallwalls' visual arts program and is expected to make Hallwalls their primary professional curatorial focus.

Hallwalls encourages staff to support the regional arts community through jury service, artist mentorship, public speaking, consultations, art handling, shared resources, and collaborative partnerships.

Qualifications

• 5 or more years of experience curating contemporary visual art exhibitions.
• Strong understanding of contemporary art practices and emerging artists.
• Excellent organizational, project management, and communication skills.
• Experience coordinating multiple projects and deadlines simultaneously.
• Ability to work collaboratively within a small, interdisciplinary organization.
• Experience building relationships with artists and community partners.
• Ability to work independently while contributing to a collaborative team environment.
• Willingness to work occasional evenings and weekends for exhibitions and public events.
• Valid driver's license and willingness to travel regionally and internationally.

Schedule, Compensation & Benefits

This is a full-time, hourly (non-exempt) position averaging approximately 35 hours per week. Typical workdays align with Hallwalls' public gallery hours (Tuesday-Friday, 11:00 AM-6:00 PM), with occasional Saturdays (11 AM-2 PM), evenings, and weekends required for exhibitions, installations, performances, fundraising events, community partnerships, and public programs.
Hallwalls embraces a flexible work environment. Staff schedules may be adjusted within the pay period to accommodate evening and weekend programming in coordination with the Executive Director.

• $26.50 per hour
• Approximately 35 hours per week
• Estimated annual earnings: $48,230
• Paid biweekly
• 100% employer-paid individual health insurance (estimated annual value: $10,800)
• Paid holidays including New Year's Day, Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Memorial Day, Juneteenth, Independence Day, Labor Day, Indigenous Peoples' Day, Thanksgiving Day, Day after Thanksgiving, and Winter Holiday Closure (December 24-January 1).
• Additional two week paid time off for full-time employees, subject to approval and Hallwalls personnel policies.
• Flexible scheduling to support exhibitions, installations, and public programs.
• Mileage reimbursement for approved organizational travel.
• Professional development opportunities including conferences, studio visits, and regional and national networking.

To Apply

Please submit a resume, cover letter, and three professional references to parrish@hallwalls.org by September 30, 2026.

The cover letter should briefly describe your curatorial experience, approach to contemporary visual arts, and interest in leading the visual arts program at Hallwalls Contemporary Arts Center.

Only applicants selected to move forward in the interview process will be contacted. No phone calls regarding this position, please.

   

   

Hallwalls Operations Coordinator

Position Type: Part-Time, Hourly, Hybrid | 10–15 Hours Weekly
Compensation: $22/hour
Reports To: Executive Director

Position Overview

Hallwalls Contemporary Arts Center seeks a highly organized and collaborative Operations Coordinator to support the Executive Director and the organization's day-to-day administrative and operational needs. This position serves as an organizational hub, keeping program and rental schedules, staff coverage, grant deadlines, meetings, purchasing, and internal workflows organized and moving forward. The role is part-time, hybrid, and deadline-driven, with flexibility in when administrative work is completed and required on-site attendance for designated meetings, programs, rentals, and events.

Primary Responsibilities

• Maintain Hallwalls' master calendar, including programs, rentals, meetings, grant and reporting deadlines, and special events.
• Coordinate staff scheduling and on-site coverage for programs, cinema events, rentals, special events, and other all-staff activities.
• Monitor and assist with info@hallwalls.org and rental@hallwalls.org, routing inquiries and ensuring follow-up.
• Coordinate rental scheduling, communication, contracts, invoicing, and payment tracking with the Executive Director and staff.
• Provide administrative support to the Executive Director, including scheduling, follow-up, document preparation, and organizational priorities.
• Assist with Board and committee agendas, reports, meeting materials, reminders, and supporting documents.
• Manage office supplies and organizational purchases approved by the Executive Director.
• Coordinate operational paperwork including invoices, W-9s, reimbursements, vouchers, contracts, and communication with Hallwalls' bookkeeper.
• Maintain shared documents, calendars, procedures, contact lists, and internal systems.
• Provide administrative and on-site support for Hallwalls programming and special events as needed.
• Help identify and integrate tools and systems that improve scheduling, communication, and organizational efficiency.

Qualifications

• 3-5 years of professional administrative experience required; nonprofit, executive support, operations, or arts administration experience preferred.
• Strong organizational, communication, time-management, and follow-through skills. Ability to manage multiple schedules, deadlines, and priorities independently. Strong working knowledge of Google Workspace required, including Gmail, Calendar, Drive, Docs, and Sheets.
• Experience with nonprofit scheduling, project management, workplace, or administrative systems is a plus. Hallwalls welcomes candidates who can bring ideas for improving or integrating new systems.
• Comfortable working collaboratively within a small, fast-moving organization.
• Some evening and weekend availability required for meetings, programs, rentals, and special events.

Schedule

Part-time, hybrid position averaging 10-15 hours per week. The workflow is flexible and deadline-based, with required on-site attendance for designated meetings, programs, rentals, and events. Some evening and weekend hours are required.

To Apply

Submit a resume, cover letter, and three professional references to parrish@hallwalls.org by September 30, 2026. Only applicants selected for an interview will be contacted. No phone calls regarding this position, please.

   

Internship Program

On-going Call for Applications

While Hallwalls Contemporary Arts Center appreciates the importance of real-life experiences for students, we also deeply value the skills and imagination that interns and volunteers bring to our organization. Hallwalls internship program offers students an opportunity to explore the day-to-day activities of a non-profit cultural institution with 44 years of multi-disciplinary arts programs visual arts, film and video, music, performance, and literature. From assisting with installations in our gallery, to selling tickets at concerts, to digitizing our history in the archives, it is the goal of our internship program to engage participants in the rich cultural history of Hallwalls and Buffalo. Internships can be taken for academic credit, service learning, or simply for experience. Internships are available in the Fall, Spring and Summer, and if you plan to take an internship for credit, we recommend that you contact us the semester prior. In addition, if you take the internship for credit you should expect to be available during our office hours, Tuesday-Friday 11-6, as well as for our evening and weekend programs.