Sr. Gallery Educator

Princeton University; Princeton (NJ); On-site; USD 50,000 - 80,000; Full time

Job summary

An established university art museum is seeking a passionate Sr. Gallery Educator to enhance gallery and community education. This role involves developing self-guided tours, training docents, and collaborating with local schools to create enriching educational experiences. The ideal candidate will have extensive experience in museum education, excellent communication skills, and a commitment to inclusive learning. Join a dynamic team dedicated to fostering critical thinking and close looking skills among diverse audiences. This is a unique opportunity to make a significant impact in the art education field as the museum prepares for an exciting new chapter.

Qualifications

• 5+ years in Museum Education with K-12 teaching experience.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills are essential.

Responsibilities

• Teach and train K-12 students and adults through tours and classroom lessons.
• Develop and oversee educational materials and lesson plans.

Skills

Museum Education

Teaching Skills

Communication Skills

Collaboration

Organizational Skills

Emotional Intelligence

Lesson Planning

Education

Bachelor's degree in art history or museum studies

Master's degree in Education or Museum Education

Job description

Overview

The Princeton University Art Museum welcomes applications for the position of Sr. Gallery Educator.

The Sr. Gallery Educator (SGE) reports to the Senior Manager of Engagement (SME). The SGE is responsible for working with the SME to advance the Museum’s objectives for gallery and community education. The SGE is responsible for developing, writing, and overseeing the production of the Museum’s self-guided tours, in-gallery education materials, and teacher resources, including family and K-12 activities. The SGE will oversee the recruiting and training of Museum docents, emphasizing learner-driven activities designed to develop close looking and critical thinking skills. The SGE will work with the SME to recruit, train, and supervise the Museum’s Gallery Fellows. The SGE, Gallery Education Fellows, and Museum docents will lead the K-12 school tours in the galleries and conduct programs in local schools. The SGE is responsible for overseeing and growing the Museum’s long-standing program with the Trenton elementary schools and will collaborate with the Audience Engagement Specialist to broaden and deepen the Museum’s relationship with schoolteachers and administrators.

About the Museum:

With a collecting history that extends back to 1755, the Princeton University Art Museum is one of the leading university art museums in the country, with collections that have grown to include more than 117,000 works of art ranging from ancient to contemporary art and spanning the globe. Committed to advancing Princeton’s teaching and research missions, the Art Museum also serves as a gateway to the University for visitors worldwide. As the Museum prepares for a dramatically reconceived new building scheduled to open in Fall 2025, the Art Museum presents three exhibitions in its downtown venue Art@Bainbridge. When the new building opens, the Art Museum will open with 32 galleries and initiate its new exhibitions program with seven annual exhibitions onsite and on tour.

To learn more about the Princeton University Art Museum, visit artmuseum.princeton.edu.

Responsibilities

• The primary role of the SGE is teaching and training. The SGE will work alongside the Gallery Education Fellows and the Museum’s volunteer docents to provide tours for K-12 students and adult groups visiting the Museum. They will also visit local schools and facilitate lessons in the classroom.
• The SGE will work with K-12 teachers to develop tours and write lesson plans designed to build upon and enhance the classroom curriculum based on NJ core standards. With an emphasis on object-based and inquiry-based pedagogies, the SGE will develop teaching materials designed to foster close looking and critical thinking skills. In addition to the guided and self-guided materials used in the galleries, the SGE will work with teachers to develop pre-visit activities for teachers to use to prepare students for Museum visits and post-visit activities designed to reinforce skills learned and to encourage additional exploration.
• The SGE will work with the SME to recruit, hire, train, and supervise Gallery Educators and Gallery Education Fellows. The SGE will develop a schedule and tour assignment workflow for Gallery Education staff and the K-12 teaching docents to ensure that all K-12 teaching demands are met. The SGE will perform regular assessments of the Educators’ and docents’ teaching performance and provide clear and consistent feedback. The SGE will work with members of the Education department and colleagues across the Museum to ensure that the Educators have opportunities for professional development and growth.
• The SGE will work with the SME and the Senior Associate Director for Education to develop a plan for recruiting, training, and evaluating the Museum’s corps of volunteer docents. The SGE will take the lead on training docents to provide tours to K-12 students and adults with an emphasis on learner-driven pedagogies and activities designed to foster close looking and critical thinking skills. The SGE is responsible for the regular and consistent evaluation of docent tours and for providing clear feedback to each docent.

Qualifications

Essential Requirements

• 5+ years of experience in Museum Education, including teaching students of all grade levels in a museum setting.
• Bachelor's degree in art history, museum studies, or related field.
• Experience writing learner-driven lesson plans with an emphasis on object-based learning and hands-on activities designed to develop close looking and critical thinking skills.
• Experience writing self-guided materials.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• Demonstrated commitment to providing inclusive learning opportunities for diverse audiences.
• Emotional intelligence, including the ability to recognize and respect cultural context, read situations and people, and interact with all levels of audiences, including education professionals and volunteers.
• Proven ability to work as part of a team and to foster collaboration and relationships.
• Strong organization and planning skills, including project and budget management skills.
• Must be willing to work flexible hours, including evenings and weekends, as needed - approximately one evening per week and approximately one weekend day per month.

Preferred Requirements

• Proficiency in additional languages, with Spanish preferred.
• Master’s degree in Education or Museum Education preferred.
• Teaching certification and/or experience teaching in a K-12 classroom is a plus.

Princeton University is an Equal Opportunity employer, and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to age, race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, national origin, disability status, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law.

Standard Weekly Hours

36.25

Eligible for Overtime

No

Benefits Eligible

Yes

Probationary Period

180 days

Essential Services Personnel (see policy for detail)

No

Physical Capacity Exam Required

No

Valid Driver’s License Required

No

Experience Level

Mid-Senior Level