Associate Curator of Education & Public Programs – Oklahoma State University Museum of Art

The OSU Museum of Art is seeking applicants for the position of Associate Curator of Education and Public Programs. This is a continuing 12-month administrative and professional staff position reporting to the Director of the Museum. As the primary liaison between the Museum and University faculty and students, and adult audiences, the successful candidate must have highly developed administrative and organizational capabilities. S/he will be an excellent collaborator who is committed to object-based learning and thrives on working with a broad constituency of students and faculty in a variety of disciplines and adults from varying backgrounds.

In support of OSU Museum of Art’s commitment to enhance students’ visual literacy and critical thinking skills, the Associate Curator will collaborate with faculty across campus to develop innovative academic programs grounded in art and using the museum’s art collection, exhibitions, and programs. This position will bridge the museum and OSU campus through these in-depth curriculum-based programs and other initiatives that will foster faculty and student reliance on the museum’s resources, particularly the permanent collection and its special exhibitions, as integral learning resources. This position will strengthen existing programs and implement new ones, pursue active collaborations across campus, and play a key role in developing and achieving short- and long-term educational goals for the museum, the university, and community.

The Associate Curator will work closely with the educational team, which includes: Associate Curator of Education (K-12) and Education and Programming Coordinator. With the education team, co-lead initiatives engaging the OSU Museum of Art as a teaching museum and host for cross-disciplinary and civic dialogue. The successful candidate will have a deep commitment to interdisciplinary teaching, collaboration, and a contextual, cross-disciplinary approach to original works of art.

Working with the Exhibition team, this position assists in creating exhibition-specific programming, imbedded gallery learning opportunities; provides interpretive counsel, and contributes to text panels and didactics. In addition, s/he assists in training and mentoring students, volunteers, and interns to lead successful exhibition-based tours.

This Associate Curator will consult with the Curator of Collections in joint research projects and exhibitions proposals pertaining to the collections. This position will interpret and provide information on works in the collection through object research, lectures, and publications.

Success in this position requires expertise in building and maintaining relationships with a diverse range of faculty, staff, community members, and volunteers and a facility for navigating university hierarchies. The ideal candidate will possess a demonstrated commitment to using museum galleries as alternate classroom spaces and excel at facilitating collaboration with multiple constituencies to achieve positive outcomes for all stakeholders.

Responsibilities include, but are not limited to:

PROGRAMS

  • Creates and collaborates with colleagues across campus in support of strategic plans and initiatives of the OSU Museum of Art and OSU.
  • In collaboration with the Curator of Collections and other museum staff, organizes exhibition programming for the museum that is relevant to faculty and students in diverse departments; participates in shaping outreach for education programs pertaining to the collection; becomes knowledgeable about the museum’s collections and contributes to program development that advances knowledge of objects; and support the administration of programs that access collections such as database/ web interface, and scholar access.
  • Implements new strategies that encourage faculty and student use of the museum in innovative ways to build long-term relationships and faculty and program directors’ commitment to ensure student participation in programming.
  • Frequently leads lectures and discussion-based sessions for classes in the galleries and the Collection vault/classroom. Prepares interpretive materials for tours, discussions.
  • Assists with all aspects of the education program as needed, including filling in and co-leading tours for all age groups and providing support for programming such as Second Saturday and Final Friday events.

PROGRAM ADMINISTRATION

  • Participates as a senior staff member of the Museum in the development and implementation of institutional plans, long-range budgets, and other initiatives.
  • Coordinates with Museum staff to develop and implement visiting artist workshops, presentations, gallery talks, and lectures related to museum exhibitions; Visiting Artist hands-on workshops, residencies, and programming for academic and community audiences; and special projects as assigned.
  • Works collectively with the education team to coordinate education budget, purchase of supplies, facility rental and set up programming scheduling, and negotiate contracts with Visiting Artists as needed.
  • Contributes to development and fund-raising initiatives, including active participation in grant writing, management, and reporting.
  • Coordinates the development and implementation of an evaluation process to assess effectiveness of Museum programming and visitor response, including a database of tour demographics and attendance; audience response data; collection and analysis of quantitative and qualitative data; maintenance of educational reference material and program archive for Museum education and exhibition events.
  • Maintains active membership in the larger museum community, including attending conferences and presenting on innovative programs and initiatives.

TRAINING & VOLUNTEER PROGRAMS

In collaboration with the education team, contributes to recruiting, training, and supervising volunteer docents and education staff (student staff and Museum staff participating in tour program); and training for all education programs associated with exhibitions and the Museum’s collection.

Participates in reviewing tour content and tour guides’ and docents’ delivery of tour content for accuracy and focus congruent with the Museum’s mission and collection.

Required Qualifications:

  • Master’s degree in art history, studio, or art education with at least 2 years of museum experience and some teaching experience in a higher education capacity;
  • Must have a demonstrated experience in developing and implementing educational programs along with the knowledge of and commitment to current interpretive practices and audience engagement strategies for art museums;
  • Superb communication skills, both verbal and written, and public speaking skills for multiple audiences;
  • Excellent organizational skills and ability to manage multiple projects effectively;
  • High degree of professionalism, close attention to detail, and ability to meet deadlines;
  • Computer literacy including Word, Excel, and PowerPoint;
  • Strong interpersonal and collegial skills and demonstrated ability to work effectively independently and as part of a team;
  • Ability to work some evening and weekend hours;
  • Ability to lift and carry objects weighing up to 25 lbs.

Preferred Qualifications: 2-3 years of teaching at the university level (ideally in an academic museum environment). Experience with contemporary practices in all levels of museum education preferred. Knowledge of modern and contemporary art a plus.

Compensation: Within the range established for this position, salary will be commensurate with qualifications and experience; the position includes an excellent benefits package.

The Museum

Oklahoma State University Museum of Art is a teaching museum dedicated to being a laboratory for lifelong learning and research through exhibitions and programs. We present visual art not only as a field of knowledge in itself but also as a vehicle for fostering diverse learning styles and pedagogies as well as insights into other disciplines. We support experiential learning and conversations to nurture critical thinking, creativity, innovation, and cultural and civic engagement.

 

Located approximately one mile from the University campus in downtown Stillwater, the museum opened in January 2014. OSUMA opened its doors in January 2014. The museum is housed in a renovated state-of-the-art facility that was formerly the city’s main post office. Our 15,000-foot facility features 5,700 square feet of exhibition space and 2,500 square feet of visible storage that doubles as a classroom. We operate with a professional staff of 10 and 12 part-time student employees. The city population is 45,688 (25,939 being students), and the county, 77,350. Since opening, we have served more than 38,000 visitors.

The University

OSU is a comprehensive land-grant institution with an enrollment of ~22,000 students and is committed to excellence in instruction, research, and outreach. In addition to the main campus in Stillwater, OSU also has campuses in Tulsa, Oklahoma City, and Okmulgee. Stillwater, a city of~49,000 residents, is situated 65 miles from Oklahoma City and Tulsa and 250 miles from Dallas and Kansas City. A variety of activities are available on campus and in the community including music, drama, art, speakers, outdoor recreation, and sporting events. OSU, Americas Healthiest Campus, offers employees free membership to the Colvin Recreation Center and Seretean Wellness Center. For more information, please go to http://go.okstate.edu (for OSU) or http://www.visitstillwater.org (for the City of Stillwater).

APPLY HERE: https://hr.okstate.edu/employment-opportunities