Downtown Gallery Assistant

Colby College; United States; On-site; USD 20,000 - 28,000; Part time

Job summary

The downtown gallery assistant at Colby College Museum of Art serves as the primary day-to-day presence in the Joan Dignam Schmaltz Gallery, welcoming visitors and supporting exhibitions.

Hours up to 20 per week with weekend/evening requirements; starting wage is $17.50 per hour, with duties including logistics, safety compliance, and collaboration with the Learning and Engagement team.

Qualifications

• High school diploma or equivalent required.
• Three or more years of professional experience.
• Engagement/administrative experience preferred.
• Comfort with a fast-paced environment and diverse audiences.
• Ability to work weekends/evenings as needed.

Responsibilities

• Provide welcoming presence for gallery visitors.
• Monitor gallery activity and enforce policies.
• Prepare/relate information about exhibitions and programs.
• Support logistics for public and academic programs.
• Assist with event setup and guest communication.
• Maintain office supplies and data management.

Skills

Customer service

Interpersonal skills

Attention to detail

Flexibility

Problem solving

Education

High school diploma

Post-secondary education (a plus)

Tools

Microsoft Office

Google Suite

Incident reporting tools

Job description

Job Description

Department: Museum Community and Visitor Engagement - JM Pay Rate Type: Hourly Employee Type:

Job Summary: The downtown gallery assistant position at Colby College Museum of Art provides a positive and welcoming presence for visitors of all ages at the museum’s Joan Dignam Schmaltz Gallery, located in the Paul J. Schupf Art Center, located in downtown Waterville, Maine. In addition to being the museum’s primary day-to-day presence in the space to welcome and support public visitors to the gallery, the downtown gallery assistant is also responsible for ensuring smooth logistical and administrative operations as well as effective adherence to security and safety protocols in the space. The successful candidate will work under the direction of the Museum’s Learning and Engagement Coordinator and also will work closely with the museum security manager and members of the engagement team. This position is up to 20 hours per week that will require work on weekends and evenings, reflective of operating and programmatic hours. The ideal candidate will be punctual, friendly, detail oriented, and adaptable to changing situations. This person should feel comfortable asking questions in order to prioritize a wide variety of tasks.

The starting rate for this position is $17.50 per hour.

The MUSEUM AND ITS MISSION

Located in Waterville, Maine, the Colby Museum opens access to art and artists for the Colby community, for Maine residents and visitors, and for audiences beyond, creating a forum for experimentation, research, dialogue, and connection. We grow and use our stellar collection in ways that activate the power of art to expand imagination and forge new connections, fostering a more open, creative, and compassionate society. We teach to inspire and open possibilities, so that students at Colby and other visitors can become more curious, nimble, and able to contribute within a changing world, in keeping with Colby’s dynamic liberal arts mission. We incubate art scholarship and practice in ways that explore and expand how the idea of America is understood and how art is made, interpreted, and shared. We do so by supporting new research, providing mentorship, and convening a diversity of people and perspectives. The Lunder Institute for American Art and our exhibitions, programs, and publications facilitate field-wide impact. We are committed to our audiences, including the Colby College community, residents of Waterville and the broader Maine region, national and international visitors, and the artists, scholars, and partners with whom we collaborate.

Essential Functions

To perform successfully in this position, an individual must be able to perform essential duties satisfactorily as well as possess education/experience, employ the knowledge, skills, and abilities as listed in representative fashion. Colby College actively supports the Americans with Disabilities Act and will consider reasonable accommodations to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions of the position. This listing of essential duties is not all-inclusive, but representative; other duties may be assigned.

• Offer a positive and welcoming presence for visitors of all ages at the museum’s Joan Dignam Schmaltz Gallery of Art, providing excellent customer service and informational assistance related to exhibitions and programs in the museum’s gallery and the Schupf Art Center.
• Monitor activity in the gallery and ensure that all visitors adhere to museum protocols and policies.
• Maintain an alertness for unusual or suspicious activity and deal with various levels of incidents as necessary, including first response in an emergency; report security violations and write incident reports when necessary.
• Serve as a liaison and primary point of contact to the Schupf Art Center’s building manager to ensure smooth operation of gallery space and report any facility-related needs or emergencies, keeping the museum’s security manager and deputy director informed and/or seeking additional guidance when issues arise.
• Work closely with learning and engagement staff on logistics for public and academic programs in downtown gallery, communicating and sharing information with internal stakeholders; preparing resources; and tracking visitor information.
• Assist in program execution by providing logistical support as needed towards setting up event spaces and communicating with guests, visitors, and colleagues. This includes evening and weekend events.
• Contribute to a hospitable environment for guest speakers, tour groups, and pre K-12 groups by assisting with logistical arrangements, and attending to speakers; and school visit needs during their visit to the gallery.
• Provide logistical support for downtown programs, workshops, and training sessions that involve community members , students, teaching artists, interns, and other student workers.
• Participate in regular meetings with engagement colleagues at the museum and Waterville Creates partners downtown to maintain effective communication and coordination of operations and events at the Schupf Art Center.
• Assist the Mirken Director of Learning and Engagement and Mirken Coordinator of Campus and Community Collaboration with special projects as needed; work could include data compilation and preparation for grant reports, presentations, updating documents for internal stakeholders, material preparation for programs, and other needs as assigned.
• Support the engagement team with administrative office tasks, which includes ensuring office and artmaking supplies and interpretive elements for the gallery are fully stocked and in good working order.
• Support the work of the engagement team through the use of software, data management, and registration tools.

Position Qualifications

• High school diploma or equivalent required; professional coursework or post-secondary education are a plus
• Three or more years of previous professional experience
• Relevant engagement and/or administrative experience preferred
• Highly motivated, flexible, and comfortable with all audiences
• Unwavering commitment to fostering an antiracist, equitable work environment supportive of people from different cultures, backgrounds, and life paths
• Outstanding interpersonal, and organizational skills, with a high level of motivation and initiative
• Attention to detail and accuracy are critical
• Excellent verbal and written communications skills, with the ability to complete clear, concise, and accurate incident reports and other documentation
• Experience in a professional environment, able to work collaboratively within a team and a diverse organization and to collaborate effectively with students, faculty, art center and community partners
• Able to work independently as well as in a team, exercise judgment, establish priorities, and complete projects with minimal supervision and to adjust as new projects are assigned
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office Suite (e.g. Word, Excel) and Google Suite (e.g., Mail, Calendar, Docs, Sheets, and Slides); proficiency and/or ability to learn Airtable, Adobe Creative Suite, EventBrite, SurveyMonkey, Workday, and others specific to Colby College.

Physical/Mental Demands

The physical demands and work environment characteristics described herein are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform essential functions of this position and/or may be encountered while performing essential functions. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions. To successfully perform the essential functions of this position, an employee must be able to maintain appropriate confidentiality with regard to employee data, documents, issues, etc., and respect privacy needs of employees and past employees with regard to the same. The ability to comply with highly inflexible deadlines is required to successfully perform the essential functions of this position; there will be multiple occurrences of sudden, urgent task completion required. There may be occurrences of employees, past employees, members of the general public, and others who express opinions, may exhibit strong emotions, which will require the employee to interact professionally, diplomatically, and appropriately in such situations. While performing the essential duties of this position, an employee would frequently be required to move around the office space as well as within hallways, meeting rooms, and other parts of the campus facilities. There may be multiple/daily instances of prolonged personal computer use which would include keyboard and/or mouse usage as well as viewing a computer monitor. An employee must frequently lift and/or move up to 10 pounds and occasionally lift and/or move up to 35 pounds to perform essential position functions. Specific vision abilities required by this position include close vision, distance vision, and ability to adjust focus. The overall work environment requires the mental ability to shift focus quickly due to interruptions; an employee must be able to mentally track multiple projects and tasks as well. The noise level in the work environment is usually moderate; however, there may be unexpected instances of somewhat loud sounds.

Founded in 1813, Colby is one of America’s most selective colleges. Serving only undergraduates, Colby’s rigorous academic program is rooted in deep exploration of ideas and close interaction with world-class faculty scholars. Students pursue intellectual passions, choosing among 58 majors or developing their own. Independent and collaborative research, study abroad, and internships offer robust opportunities to prepare students for postgraduate success. Colby is home to a community of more than 2,200 dedicated and diverse students from around the globe. Its Maine location provides easy access to world-class research institutions and civic engagement experiences. In a period of fast-paced progress, Colby is building on its strong foundation while remaining committed to excellence, to supporting students and faculty at the highest levels, and to the College’s deep liberal arts traditions. This new chapter includes the creation of innovative academic initiatives and partnerships, strengthening the connections between the liberal arts and the professional world, revitalizing downtown Waterville, and pursuing significant capital projects for performing arts and athletics. For more information about the College, please visit our web site: www.colby.edu.