Museum Educator for Academic and Docent Programs

Munson Willliams Proctor Art Institute•Utica, NY

2d•Hybrid

About The Position

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.

Requirements

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
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
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.

Responsibilities

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
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
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.
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
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
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