Interpretive Planner

Museum of Fine Arts•Boston, MA

4d•$65,000 - $68,000

About The Position

Reporting to, and working alongside, the Barbara & Theodore Alfond Director of Interpretation, the Interpretive Planner plays a leading role in shaping narrative and experience at the MFA. S/he works collaboratively across divisions including Exhibitions, Curatorial, Audience Experience and Engagement, Marketing and Communications, Design, and IT to envision, prototype, implement, and evaluate interpretative strategies and materials for the general visitor, both for specific exhibitions and gallery installations.

Requirements

Bachelors’ degree required
3-5 years experience of comparable work within a complex organization working with diverse stakeholders.
Superior written and oral communication skills.
Excellent interpersonal skills and demonstrated ability to lead consensus-building with diverse groups.
Experience working collaboratively, one-on-one, and in teams.
Strong research skills
Experience editing and proofreading with a high degree of accuracy while adhering to institutional voice.
Demonstrated experience working on multiple projects simultaneously.
Strong project management experience.
Self-starter with a desire to experiment and build systems.

Nice To Haves

Master’s degree preferred
Knowledge of art history preferred
Art museum experience preferred

Responsibilities

Oversee and coordinate the development of interpretive plans, learning outcomes, and content outlines for temporary exhibitions and permanent collection installations, as assigned by the Director of Interpretation.
For assigned projects, create with curators (and other interpretation staff as appropriate/ assigned) all written wall text, object labels, gallery guides and brochures for diverse audiences, for exhibitions, gallery installations, and rotations of works of art in the Museum’s galleries.
In collaboration with Communications, Curatorial, IT and Design departments, play a leading role in the development of content and format for electronic media (audio and multi-media tours, touch-screen interactives, web features, and other devices) for assigned projects.
In collaboration with Design and other members of Audience Experience and Engagement, design and create analog interactives that support visitor experience in exhibitions and permanent collection galleries for assigned projects.
Contribute to audience research efforts at the Museum. For select projects, research visitor response to interpretative approaches to determine the effectiveness of these materials. Analyze and brief MFA staff on research findings as appropriate.
Serve as a key member on the content team on Table of Voices projects, attending all meetings for assigned projects and implementing feedback from the participants where appropriate. As needed, help organize and facilitate Table of Voices projects.
Stay abreast of developments in the fields of art museum interpretation and evaluation through readings, contacts with colleagues at other institutions; and occasional benchmarking travel and conferences.
Serve on Department and Museum-wide teams as requested.
Perform other duties as required or directed.