Education Specialist - Museum jobs in Manchester, NH

Description

The Currier Museum of Art seeks a Senior Museum Educator to lead the content development and design of training programs for school and adult tours of the museum collection, special exhibitions, Frank Lloyd Wright houses, and the Chandler House. The candidate will serve as lead museum educator on gallery interpretation in partnership with the Curatorial Department, collaborating, conducting, and managing gallery talks and artist programs to enhance special exhibitions. The Senior Museum Educator will also train and cultivate an established group of volunteer docents, and recruits new docents as necessary. 

RESPONSIBILITIES:

1. Leads docent trainings that provide rich content and encourage active engagement conducive to visitors building a sense of belonging to the museum. Ensures that docents adopt an investigative approach to looking at art when interacting with visitors to the museum’s collections and exhibitions. Trains and mentors docents to provide discovery-based pedagogies that are differentiated to meet objectives for museum tours, Frank Lloyd Wright tours, online talks and tours, and wellness programs. Conducts tours on occasion.

2. Conducts ongoing research through structured study and interviews with subject experts on the collection, recent acquisitions, and special exhibitions to innovate discovery-focused engagement with docents and visitors.

3. Recruits, selects, trains, and evaluates docents involved in the operation of the tour programs. Assesses visitor learning and experiences on tours; evaluates results to ensure docent training meets docent and visitor needs and institutional objectives.

4. Collaborates with the Director of Art Education in the development of evaluation tools for all tour and adult programs.

5. Meets regularly with Curatorial staff and participates in interdepartmental discussions to align and enhance visitor experiences with special exhibition goals. Develops related interpretive and educational materials and spaces; develops necessary evaluation tools for galleries and special exhibitions.

6. Oversees the planning and implementation of the Discovery Gallery, interpreting the permanent collection and special exhibitions.

7. Collaborates with Curatorial Department to conduct special exhibition and collection walkthroughs for all volunteers and staff, and to plan and manage other gallery talks and artist programs for visitors.

8. Collaborates in designing and conducting educator workshops and other educator professional development programs. Participates with the Educator Advisory Council to ensure that school and educator programs align with school curriculum and up-to-date methodologies in skill-building.

The Currier Museum is an Equal Opportunity Employer.

The Currier welcomes and encourages candidates from Black, Indigenous, and people of color (BIPOC), as well as members of the LGBTQIA community. The museum does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, national origin, genetics, disability, age, or veteran status.

Requirements

• MA in Art History required, with advanced knowledge of best practices in art museum education and tour and volunteer management.
• Proven experience developing interpretive tours for a variety of audiences, including visitor-centered, participatory gallery interpretation materials.
• Demonstrated ability to communicate and work well at all levels of the organization, including executive staff, peers, and volunteers. Previous experience working with volunteers and docents is essential.
• Actively engaged in current research on DEIA, with a commitment to innovate and improve the lives of people in the communities we serve.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills; public speaking skills required. Proofreading skills necessary.
• Strong interpersonal and relationship management skills, positive attitude, sense of humor, with a commitment to confidentiality and ethical behavior. Team orientation and ability to collaborate across departments.
• Creative thinker and problem-solver. Consensus builder.
• Superior organizational skills with a high attention to detail; proven ability to manage multiple tasks simultaneously and meet deadlines in a busy environment.
• Proficiency with Advanced MS Office suite.