SHI - Exhibit Mounts Fabricator and Museum Outreach Specialist
About The Position
Sealaska Heritage Institute (SHI), a regional Alaska Native nonprofit founded by Sealaska Corporation, works to perpetuate and enhance Tlingit, Haida, and Tsimshian culture. SHI collects and preserves materials documenting the history, culture, heritage, and language of these peoples and makes them available for public education and research. It cares for approximately 1,000 ethnographic and art objects and presents exhibitions in the climate-controlled Nathan Jackson Gallery. The Exhibit Mounts Fabricator and Museum Outreach Specialist installs, fabricates, and de-installs exhibitions and produces mounts for displayed objects. The position also supports collections care and object handling, exhibition maintenance and design, educational tours, museum outreach, and the Museum Boxes program. The role is based at the Walter Soboleff Building, includes work in a shop environment, and requires some travel. It is a full-time benefited position with regular hours of 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday; additional hours may be required to meet workload demands or support special events.
Requirements
- Proven interest in exhibit mount fabrication and design, collections management, conservation, museum studies, or a related profession.
- Ability to apply best-practice standards for assessing, handling, moving, packing, and shipping collection objects.
- Prior experience working with museum collections and art and ethnographic objects.
- Ability to read design drawings, including detailed scale elevations and plans.
- Good driving record and reliable transportation.
- Experience in exhibit fabrication and maintenance or other relevant work.
- Experience giving tours and working with outreach programs in a cultural institution.
- Ability and willingness to maintain accuracy and attention to detail and work well under pressure with museum professionals, vendors, students, cultural interpreters, and others.
- Bachelor’s degree in industrial design, theater production, museum studies, or another relevant field, and two years of related experience, or a combination of education and relevant experience.
- Ability to lift and/or move objects up to 50 pounds.
Nice To Haves
- Master’s degree in a related field.
- Three years of related practical experience in exhibit fabrication, exhibit installation, mount making, box construction, museum collections, or a combination of education and relevant experience.
- Degree in industrial design, theater production, museum studies, conservation, or a related field.
- Experience with Northwest Coast Indigenous art and object collections.
Responsibilities
- Install, fabricate, and de-install exhibits, mounts, and display units at the Walter Soboleff Building and Arts Campus.
- Assist with maintaining displayed objects and coordinate with other departments about the handling and accessibility of objects in offsite storage.
- Install exhibit and display signage and object labels as needed.
- Evaluate, refurbish, and maintain existing exhibits and displays with guidance from Archives & Collections staff.
- Conduct routine and preventative exhibit repairs, including maintenance and replacement of exhibit lighting.
- Construct object mounts and help stage objects for professional photography.
- Assist collections staff in producing mount prototypes, components, and products.
- Assist collections staff and guest curators with exhibit design elements and layout.
- Build storage containers for objects in the permanent collection, education collection, Sealaska Corporation collection, and Clan Loan program.
- Assist with receiving, handling, packing, moving, and shipping objects entering or leaving SHI, including traveling exhibits and objects acquired by gift, purchase, or loan.
- Conduct detailed condition reports for objects entering or leaving SHI.
- Pack objects for transport, deliver them to destinations, and pick up objects for transport to SHI as needed.
- Lead educational gallery tours for educators and students.
- Coordinate with other SHI departments regarding museum programming and tours.
- Assist collections staff with training museum interns in exhibit fabrication, design, and mount making.
- Advise Southeast Alaska tribal museums and cultural institutions on exhibition planning and design.
- Lead the Museum Boxes outreach program and manage its scheduling, travel, and loans.
- Develop and design additional Museum Boxes topics.
- Follow safety rules and regulations while working.
- Keep office space clean and organized, maintain tools, and establish and maintain an inventory of collection storage supplies and materials.
- Perform other duties as assigned.
Benefits
- The position is described as benefited; specific benefits are available through the linked SHI benefits page.
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What This Job Offers
Job Type
Full-time
