Museum Educator for Academic and Docent Programs

National Museum of Wildlife Art; City of Utica (NY); On-site; USD 42,000 - 62,000; Full time

Job summary

Munson Museum is seeking a Museum Educator to develop and coordinate academic and docent programs, connecting students, teachers, families, and community members with the Museum’s collections and exhibitions.

The role administers docent programs, develops school-aligned tours, trains docents, and oversees internships, with collaboration across the Education team. The position may require evenings and weekends for events and tours.

Qualifications

• BA/BS degree in Art History, Museum Studies, Education, Art Education, or related field.
• Three years or more of experience in a museum or similar cultural organization with program development and supervision.
• Knowledge of NY State learning standards and K-12 education needs.
• Experience with Art education practices and audience engagement.
• Ability to coordinate volunteers and manage internship programs.

Responsibilities

• Plan and schedule docent meetings, briefings, and educational sessions.
• Provide docent orientation and training on exhibitions for diverse audiences.
• Develop and maintain educational materials on collections, exhibitions, and provenance.
• Recruit, train, and evaluate docents; manage internship programs.
• Coordinate museum education database for scheduling and reporting.
• Lead tours and educational activities for students, adults, and families.

Skills

Public speaking

Educational program development

Volunteer supervision

Communication

Database entry

Driver’s license

Education

BA/BS degree in Art History, Museum Studies or related field

Tools

Google Suite

Microsoft Word

Excel

PowerPoint

Job description

Bring art, learning, and people together at Munson! We’re seeking a creative and collaborative Museum Educator to develop engaging experiences that connect students, educators, families, adults, and docents with the Museum’s collections and exhibitions.

The Museum Educator for Academic and Docent Programs is responsible for managing the daily workings of the Museum’s academic and docent programs: developing tours for students that align with school objectives; developing tours and interpretive activities for adult and family audiences; providing continuing education for teachers and docents; recruiting and training new docents; and scheduling tours. This position oversees outreach to colleges and universities and coordinates the internship program. The Museum Educator for Academic and Docent Programs will work collaboratively with the Museum Education team and other division professionals on the development of Museum-based educational opportunities as needed.

This is a full-time position with a regular schedule of 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Monday through Friday, for a 35-hour workweek. Evening and weekend work may be required, as needed, for events and scheduled tours.

OUR CULTURE:

Munson is committed to community engagement and belonging. We encourage applications from all qualified candidates, regardless of background, and welcome the unique perspectives and experiences they bring. This position will model the values and culture of the organization to colleagues and the public by being welcoming, inclusive, and respectful and will value collaboration across the organization.

ESSENTIAL JOB FUNCTIONS:

Manage docent program for exhibitions and collection:

• Plan and schedule docent meetings, briefings, and educational sessions
• Provide docents with orientation and interpretive training on exhibitions to engage visitors and tour groups of all ages from pre-K to adult
• Provide docents with continuing education and prepare educational and reference material on current interactive methodology and knowledge of the permanent collection (e.g. artist/acquisition/provenance)
• Initiate and supervise docent recruitment, selection, training, and evaluation
• Maintain pertinent information on the docent web page as a resource for docent scheduling, training, tours, program information, resources for docents, and exhibition-related educational materials
• Present tours as needed when a docent is unavailable, a larger than anticipated number of participants arrives for a tour, or for special tours

Lecturers and guest speakers:

• Identify and engage guest speakers to provide training, reference material, and resources for docent briefings or training, prepare honorarium payment, make arrangements for travel and/or accommodations as needed

Maintain Museum Education database for docent and tour scheduling and reports:

• Coordinate tour dates and times for internal or external groups and schedule appropriate number of docents for each tour. Enter information into the database.
• Make other arrangements as necessary (i.e. security, maintenance, set-ups) and complete appropriate facility use forms and set-up sheets.

Manage docent program budget:

• Using funds in the docent program budget, schedule and facilitate all docent events, including at least one opening and concluding docent appreciation event.

Develop and implement Museum programs and tours for school and community groups:

• Develop connections between Munson’s collections and exhibitions and school curricula from elementary to higher education in furtherance of New York State learning standards
• Serve as Munson liaison to educators at all levels of the educational system to align programming with classroom objectives
• Work with appropriate Museum Curator to design tours in advance of each special exhibition or installation of collection works of art
• Research the exhibition and works of art and determine the intent of the educational materials to be presented
• Develop theme, select works of art to be highlighted in each tour, prepare tour outline

Manage school programs:

• Manage all aspects of planning and scheduling school tours and programs, including internal Museum preparation
• Develop educator training workshops for orientation to museum school programs
• Maintain Museum Education database for scheduling and reports
• Manage school program budget: monitor inventory and purchase supplies as needed; issue invoices; collect and deposit tour fees
• Maintain Munson’s student and educator web page as a reference for programs and resources
• Develop online supplementary educational resources to support museum-based programs
• Develop and analyze teacher evaluations for school programs.
• Conduct school tours as needed
• Maintain pertinent information on the docent web page for all student-based programs

Manage school and community outreach programming:

• Make presentations on Museum exhibitions and touring opportunities at various venues, e.g. schools, faculty convening, career day events, senior centers, and public libraries
• Participate in Art Story, Thea Bowman, and Drop-In programming
• Participate in events outside of the Munson offerings hosted by other community organizations and colleges (e.g. Juneteenth, World Refugee Day event) as needed

Participate in Institute-wide committees and other duties as assigned

Contribute to the authorship of grants that pertain to educational activities, opportunities, or new initiatives

Internship Program:

• Manage the J. Craig Heuss Summer Internship and the Hamilton College Internship, including project development, application process, orientation, and supervision.
• Chair internship search committee and coordinate Museum interns and PrattMunson Work-Study student

SUPERVISORY RESPONSIBILITIES:

The Museum Educator for Academic and Docent Tour Programs does not have direct supervisory responsibilities for hiring, termination, performance appraisals, or performance counseling of full-time employees. This position does oversee interns and volunteer docents.

The final candidate will be required to complete a post-offer, pre-employment background check.

Munson is an equal opportunity employer.

KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS, & ABILITIES:

• Qualified candidates will have a BA/BS degree or higher in Art History, Museum Studies, Education, Art Education, or related field
• Three years or more of experience in a museum or a similar cultural organization, including developing and planning educational programs and supervising individuals and projects
• Knowledge of current practices in art education, museum work, art history, and theories of education and learning
• Knowledge of a range of artistic processes, materials, and tools
• Demonstrated organizational and management skills
• Excellent verbal, writing, and public speaking skills for diverse audiences that include students, educators, and community leaders
• Knowledge of the needs of art teachers and other educators, including K-12 educators and New York State and Common Core Learning Standards
• Knowledge of Visual Thinking Strategies with diverse groups
• Experience in using new technologies to deliver educational content
• Experience with social media, print media, email newsletters, and other digital content
• Experience with database entry and reporting
• Demonstrated ability to coordinate and mentor volunteers and provide immediate feedback to improve performance in order to support the visitor experience
• NY State Driver’s License (commit to obtain)

COMPUTER MACHINE & EQUIPMENT SKILLS:

• Advanced personal computer skills that include the ability to send/receive e-mail messages; post information to a database or spreadsheet; and perform advanced word processing, bookkeeping, and/or data entry.
• Knowledge/use of computer, printer, photocopier, phone system, fax machine, and scanner
• Experience with Google suite/Microsoft Word, Excel, and PowerPoint and various software programs

PHYSICAL ACTIVITIES & DEMANDS:

• Ability to stand and walk for extended periods while conducting tours, programs, and presentations.
• Ability to navigate Museum galleries, classrooms, offices, stairs, and other campus areas.
• Ability to bend, stoop, reach, and move as needed for educational activities and program setup.
• Ability to lift, carry, and move educational materials, supplies, and equipment weighing up to 25 pounds.
• Ability to work in a variety of settings, including galleries, classrooms, schools, community locations, and outdoor venues.
• Ability to use computers, audiovisual equipment, and other technology requiring manual dexterity.
• Ability to communicate effectively and maintain engagement with groups of varying sizes and ages.
• Reasonable Accommodation: Munson will provide reasonable accommodations to qualified individuals with disabilities to enable them to perform the essential functions of the position, consistent with applicable law.