Exhibition Designer

Socket.dev; Boston (MA); On-site; USD 62,000 - 68,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Union affiliation

Job summary

The Museum of Fine Arts, Boston seeks an Exhibition Designer to join its Design team, reporting to the Director of Design. You will lead design for world-class exhibitions and spatial displays, producing 2D and 3D drawings and coordinating with fabricators and vendors.

You will collaborate with curatorial, interpretation, conservation, media and other departments, ensuring ADA compliance and contributing to budgets and schedules for timely delivery.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree or higher in a design-related field.
• Experience in exhibition design and related fields.
• Familiar with CAD-based design tools, preferably Vectorworks.
• Familiarity with ADA design requirements.

Responsibilities

• Design special exhibitions and gallery installations through all phases of a project, often under tight deadlines.
• Serve as the 3D design representative within the project team.
• Collaborate with curatorial, graphic design, interpretation, conservation, media, and other departments.
• Create detailed drawings; including schematics, layouts, finished designs, and construction drawings, in both 2D and 3D formats.
• Coordinate with fabricators, contractors, and vendors to help ensure designs are executed accurately and within scope.
• Track project budgets and resource needs, and provide regular progress updates to the Project Manager and Director of Design.
• Willing to travel to research spatial design solutions in other museums.

Skills

Creative design solutions

User-centered design

Team collaboration

Attention to detail

Communication skills

Education

Bachelor's degree in a design-related field

Tools

Vectorworks

Job description

Position Overview:

Reporting to the Director of Design, the Exhibition Designer is a key member of the Design team, providing design-based solutions for world-class exhibition projects and spatial display enhancements at varying scales. These projects focus primarily on art-based interpretive and experiential outcomes. Experience across all phases of the exhibition design process is preferred, with particular strength in architecturally driven design solutions.

Essential Functions:

• Design special exhibitions and gallery installations through all phases of a project, often under tight deadlines
• Serve as the 3D design representative within the project team on assigned project
• Work closely with, and integrate the contributions of, curatorial, graphic design, interpretation, conservation, media, and other departments as needed
• Create detailed drawings; including schematics, layouts, finished designs, and construction drawings, in both 2D and 3D formats
• Coordinate with fabricators, contractors, and vendors to help ensure designs are executed accurately and within scope
• Track project budgets and resource needs, and provide regular progress updates to the Project Manager and Director of Design

Secondary Functions:

• Demonstrates familiarity with, and a strong interest in, art history
• Willing to travel to research spatial design solutions in other museums and related architectural spaces

Qualification Requirements and Characteristics

Education & Experience

• Bachelor's degree or higher in a design-related field, such as architecture, industrial design, interior design, or fine art, required
• Background in exhibition design, architecture, theatrical design, or industrial design
• Experience with CAD-based design tools, preferably Vectorworks, and with mixed physical-digital environmental design
• Familiarity with ADA-related design practices and requirement

Skills & Competencies

• Proven ability to develop creative, innovative, and aesthetically sophisticated solutions to complex design problems
• Process-driven, with strong visual design skills, careful attention to detail, an appreciation for art in its many forms, and a solid understanding of user-centered design principles
• Excellent verbal and written communication and presentation skills
• Skilled at collaborating within a fast-paced team environment, managing tight timeframes, and working constructively with a wide range of stakeholders
• Commitment to supporting the Museum's values of Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, and Access (IDEA)

Salary and Schedule:

Salary: $62,000 - $68,000

Full-Time, 35 hours per week

This position is affiliated with the United Auto Workers Union.

The MFA is an equal opportunity employer. The community and audience we serve is diverse, and we wish to foster that diversity in our workplace. Toward that end, the MFA does not discriminate against individuals in hiring, employment or promotion on the basis of race, religion, color, sex/gender, gender identity and gender expression, age, marital status, national origin, sexual orientation, citizenship, handicap or disability, veteran or military status, political belief, pregnancy, genetic information or any other characteristic protected by law.

The Museum reserves the right to change job descriptions. While this job description is intended to include essential duties, it is conceivable that job duties may change before the job description is officially revised.