Gallery Assistant

Smith College•College Place, WA

23h•Onsite

About The Position

Gallery Assistants are an essential part of SCMA's visitor experience/front of house team. They work in the museum galleries during all open hours to ensure accessibility, provide excellent customer service, engage with visitors, promote engagement with artworks on view, and assist in protecting artworks. Gallery Assistants field visitor questions regarding exhibitions, artworks on display, visitor amenities, and wayfinding. They also maintain the museum’s visitor guidelines and support academic class visits at SCMA. Gallery Assistants work in a collaborative, team-based environment, coordinating closely with members of the museum’s Safety, Visitor Services, Shop, and Educational teams. Through their work in the galleries, Gallery Assistants support the museum’s core values by promoting inclusive, dynamic, and safe spaces within the museum for learning. Hours for this position are weekends, Saturday and/or Sunday 10:30-4:15, with occasional evening events during the week also possible. All employees are expected to participate in the College's efforts to create a respectful, inclusive, and welcoming work environment. This is a Casual, non-benefitted position.

Requirements

High school diploma or equivalent with demonstrated experience building positive customer relations.
Demonstrated desire to work with and support a diverse learning community.
Ability to meet the physical requirements of this position.
Experience working with individuals from diverse backgrounds.
Promptness, reliability and honesty are required in this position.

Nice To Haves

Bi-lingual or multi-lingual a plus.
Proven record of excellent customer service and communication skills; exemplary interpersonal skills; consistent good judgment; ability to respond quickly, calmly and appropriately in emergency situations.
Basic computer skills.

Responsibilities

Contribute to a positive, welcoming, and inclusive environment for museum visitors and staff.
Proactively and respectfully address visitor questions about exhibitions, museum amenities, and where to find artworks on view by engaging directly, enthusiastically, and meaningfully with all visitors.
Remain informed about current and upcoming exhibitions, artworks on view, museum programming, and visitor amenities and resources available.
Help maintain supply of in-gallery interpretation materials, including brochures, feedback cards, etc.
Support SCMA visitor guidelines and visitor experience policies.
Observe and report safety incidents and concerns to museum Safety Team staff.
Assist in evacuations and emergency response procedures.
Commit to supporting museum core values and participate in training to center equity and inclusion in visitor experience operations and practices.
Be trained to interact with diverse audiences, to foster connections between visitors and the works of art on view.
Participate in regular training, including training on customer service and evacuation and safety procedures.
Complete incident reports related to duties and share observations on visitor experience needs with Visitor Experience Manager, Safety Team and other departments in order to continually improve visitor experience at SCMA.