Creative Director

Overview
The Whitney Museum of American Art seeks a Creative Director to serve as the museum's senior creative leader, with final creative authority over the institution's brand and visual expression. Reporting to the Chief Communications & Content Officer, the Creative Director sets and stewards a unified creative vision across brand identity, graphic design, video, photography, and exhibition design, and is responsible for the visual coherence of the Whitney across every public‑facing surface.

Key Responsibilities

Own and evolve the Whitney's brand and creative direction across graphic design, video, photography, and exhibition design, in alignment with institutional priorities and long‑term brand architecture.

Translate strategic initiatives, including exhibitions, the Biennial, free admission, and civic and cultural moments, into compelling creative expressions and identity systems that feel distinctively Whitney.

Oversee exhibition identity systems and interpretive design, including title walls, wall labels, wayfinding, and exhibition‑specific visual identities, ensuring coherence across print, environmental, and digital formats.

Collaborate directly with artists, curators, and estates on commissioned creative and interpretive materials.

Act as a steward of taste, quality, and coherence across all owned channels and major public‑facing moments.

Lead, mentor and manage the Creative team across graphic design, video, and photography, setting clear roles, expectations, and development pathways.

Build a healthy, high‑performing creative culture that balances ambition with sustainability.

Oversee freelance creatives, agencies, and production partners, ensuring consistency and accountability.

Steward the creative budget, including production spend, vendor relationships, and resource allocation.

Partner with the CCCO and leadership across Communications, Digital Content, and Marketing to align creative output with narrative strategy and audience goals.

Develop creative frameworks and toolkits that enable teams to adapt complex ideas across formats while sustaining high standards.

Ensure the Whitney's on‑site experience and digital expression read as one coherent brand across physical, environmental, and digital surfaces.

Set creative direction for video and photography across platforms, including longform, shortform, social, on‑site, editorial, campaign, and experiential.

Oversee commissioned and editorial photography, in partnership with Digital Content, Press, Curatorial, and Rights Management.

Apply audience and performance insight to sharpen creative decisions, while protecting room for experimentation and creative risk.

Serve as creative partner to Marketing, Curatorial, Education, and Advancement, supporting revenue‑adjacent initiatives across membership, ticketing, retail, and partnerships.

Provide creative oversight on co‑branded activations and licensing collaborations, ensuring partner integrations protect and extend the Whitney's brand.

Represent Creative in cross‑functional planning and executive‑level discussions, navigating complex stakeholder environments with confidence and diplomacy.

Qualifications & Experience

10+ years experience in creative leadership roles within cultural institutions, media organizations, creative agencies, or adjacent fields, with demonstrated fluency in contemporary art, artists, and the cultural landscape.

Deep expertise in graphic design across digital, print, environmental, and motion contexts.

Strong command of typography, identity systems, and design systems thinking.

Portfolio must demonstrate sustained mastery of design craft, not solely creative direction.

Demonstrated experience leading multidisciplinary creative teams across design, video, and photography.

Proven ability to translate strategy into creative systems and identity frameworks.

Experience leading or contributing to brand evolution at an institutional scale.

Experience working in complex, matrixed organizations with multiple stakeholders.

Skills

Creative direction

Brand identity

Graphic design

Exhibition design

Typography

Design systems thinking

Team leadership

Strategic planning

Video production

Photography direction

Stakeholder management

Budget management

Art direction

Visual communication

Project management

Compensation & Benefits

Salary range is $170,000 – $185,000, commensurate with experience.

Medical, Dental, Vision.

403(b) elections.

Generous Paid Time Off benefits.

Commuter benefits – parking and mass transit.

Admission to world‑renowned museums across the city and nationally.

Pet insurance and discounted membership for Citibike.

EEO Statement
The Whitney Museum of American Art is an Equal Opportunity Employer. The Museum does not discriminate because of age, sex, religion, race, color, creed, national origin, alienage or citizenship, disability, marital status, pregnancy, partnership status, caregiver status, veteran status, gender (including gender identity), sexual orientation, genetic information, predisposition, or carrier status, arrest or conviction record to the extent required by applicable law, credit history, domestic violence, sexual violence, or stalking victim status, or any other factor prohibited by law. The Museum hires and promotes individuals solely on the basis of their qualifications for the job to be filled. The Museum encourages all qualified candidates to apply for vacant positions at all levels.

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