Madhura Wairkar

Initiated a platform exploring art and culture through community-driven, research-based storytelling. Currently developing curatorial, research, documentation, and consulting services to collaborate with communities, corporate clients, and institutions, making art and heritage more accessible and inclusive.

• Provided consulting services to museums and corporate clients on documentation, exhibition curation, collections management, and research.
• Delivered high-quality presentations to stakeholders, effectively communicating project objectives and results.
• Serve as a Guest Lecturer at NIFT Mumbai, delivering lectures on museum studies and textile conservation.

PREVIOUSLY SENIOR MANAGER - COLLECTIONS & EXHIBITIONS (SEPTEMBER 2020 - MARCH 2022)

• Directed the care and preservation of a 60,000+ object collection, including South Asian modern art, contemporary art, indigenous and decorative art, utilizing an art inventory database (TMS) to ensure accurate records and preservation.
• Worked closely with the Director and Founder to acquire art collections, align curatorial strategy, collection care, and exhibition planning with institutional goals.
• Managed end-to-end art logistics and installations for high-profile artists, ensuring projects were completed within tight budgets and timelines.
• Acted as the primary liaison, leading stakeholder management with internal and external partners, including artists, galleries, and government bodies, to ensure collection safety and visibility.
• Conducted in-depth research to support acquisitions, ensuring alignment with the museum’s collection development strategy.
• Reviewed, researched, and corrected discrepancies and collections concerns.
• Managed national and international art loans, ensuring legal and conservation compliance.
• Contributed to financial governance and strategic planning, supporting fundraising efforts to meet institutional objectives.
• Oversaw and enhanced team performance, ensuring adherence to collection policies and improving operational efficiency.

• Managed end-to-end care of a South Asian modern art and decorative art collection, including exhibition planning and management, and daily art operations across multiple galleries and sites in Mumbai, ensuring adherence to museum best practices.
• Coordinated with senior leadership and internal and external stakeholders across departments to deliver projects successfully.
• Co-curated Four-Point Perspective (Dec 2018) and Journey to Modernism at India's first museum biennale, the Bihar Museum Biennale 2020, showcasing South Asian modern art.
• Led archiving processes and implemented Collection Management System (CMS) workflows for documenting and managing collections and exhibitions.
• Coordinated acquisitions, managed national and international loans, policy documents, and ensured compliance with museum standards and best practices.
• Supervised and mentored a team, including the Assistant Exhibitions Manager and Art Logistics Manager.
• Represented the museum at national-level art and culture events.
• Worked with internal teams to create and conduct workshops and content for both corporate employees and visitors.

• Collaborated with Dr. Pheroza Godrej to compile the exhibition and its catalogue for Kolkata through Colonial Eyes, which involved extensive research on a 19th-century print collection and writing all descriptive content.
• Researched and assisted Dr. Godrej in writing an article on a 19th-century Scottish architectural historian, James Fergusson, for the CSMVS Research Journal (2017).

Worked as a Junior Technical Assistant in the museum from August 2006 - August 2007.

• Led the museum's collections department, providing strategic oversight for the care, documentation, and acquisition of the institution's 19th–20th century South Asian art and craft collection.
• Managed relationships with internal and external stakeholders and liaised with international museums to successfully plan and deliver exhibitions.
• Oversaw the installation and de-installation of a diverse range of South Asian and Western contemporary art exhibitions, ensuring expert handling and display.
• Supervised and mentored curatorial staff and interns, fostering a high-performing team and building departmental capacity."
• Conducted in-depth research to create compelling object labels, exhibition texts, and a museum catalogue, including for the exhibition The Doubled Frame: Interrogating Identity (Oct 2014).
• Supported the Director in organizing the museum's reopening and a range of related public events, demonstrating experience in large-scale event coordination."
• Assisted in establishing the museum's new library and implemented a digitization project for the book collection to improve accessibility.

• Conserved Indian textiles, including a Beetle-Winged Textile, a 19th-century Kashmir scarf, and a child’s dress for display rotation in the Nehru Gallery of Indian Art.
• Assisted in the installation of Postmodernism: Style and Subversion 1970–1990, ensuring proper handling and display of artworks.