Museum Fellow at the Taubman Museum of Art – Museum Studies

Job Title: Museum Fellow

Job Status: Full-time

Location: Roanoke, VA

Salary: $17.00 – $17.79/hour

Description

The Museum Fellow position is a one (1) year fellowship that works with the Exhibitions and Community Engagement departments and reports to the Registrar.

The Museum Fellow provides critical support to the curatorial department with special projects across Museum departments in Community Engagement, Development, and audience evaluation. This position assist with administrative duties related to exhibitions, collections, registration, installation, and all cross-departmental relations with specific focus on member and donor relations. This position is the lead for the coordination and implementation of virtual and onsite curatorial programs, tours and presentations for key donors and small groups. Assists with the preparation, tracking, installation, care, documentation, and necessary follow-up for the Museum’s collections and exhibitions. Responsibilities include handling art, packing and unpacking crates, keeping records, and specific administrative support as assigned.

Special projects for this position include but are not limited to the administrative oversight and co-lead of artist celebrations; curatorial lead for the Late Nights on the first Friday of each month under the direction of the Deputy Director of Community Engagement, Roanoke Arts Pop, community events and fundraisers as part of a cross-departmental team; key coordinator for 75^th anniversary materials related to exhibitions; develop and implement audience evaluation.

The Museum Fellow must exhibit a positive, team-oriented attitude across departments, and supports the Museum’s strategic goals and mission. The role requires expertise in exhibition administration and installation functions; program development and donor cultivation; the ability to analyze and catalog artwork with care and accuracy; strict attention to detail; and the ability to multi-task and organize multiple projects.

Job Duties and Responsibilities:

Museum-Wide Projects:

Administration of virtual curatorial programs in connection with member benefits including but not limited to Curated Cribs with the Executive Director and Conversation with the Curator with the Chief Curator. This includes the following but not limited to:
- Coordinating with museum staff and guest presenters in order to create the outline for the program flow, gathering of photos, digital content, and resources (AV as appropriate) for the program, scheduling practice calls, collecting host guest lists and marketing materials
- Providing guest lists and marketing materials to Membership no later than 2 weeks in advance of the program for promotion
- Serve as administrator on the Zoom call, providing the marketing team with post-production notes, and collecting supplemental materials for video edits in order to facilitate the creation of the final videos for archive
- Collaborating with Membership on identifying member, donor, and artist prospects that would be appropriate to join programs in an effort to expand the Museum’s patron base.
Assist Deputy Director of Community Engagement as lead curatorial staff and on-site for cross-departmental teams including but not limited to Late Nights, fundraisers, membership events, and large community events such as Roanoke Arts POP as scheduled for the following, including but not limited to, volunteer trainings and Museum Studies.

Assist Deputy Director of Marketing & Public Relations with conducting audience evaluation surveys with visitors on open days.
Assist Deputy Director of Development and team with Museum-wide Signature Events including but not limited to Banner Exhibition Opening, Tastings at the Taubman, Sidewalk Art Show, and other donor receptions.
Occasionally serve as back up for visitor services and welcome desk coverage.
Help supervise Museum Host/Guard Associates and interns in the gallery and for projects as assigned.
Other special projects as assigned
Other duties as assigned

Curatorial-Specific Duties:

Lead curatorial staff for tours of exhibitions for community groups, Institutional Members, museum members, and donors as needed.
Research and implementation of the annual major donor touch tour.

Manage exhibition with Homeward Bound Artist Winner, Eva Rocha, for opening March 2023

Conduct presentations regarding exhibition for Institutional Members and at community events as needed.
Serve as lead for artist and arts community toasts which includes but is not limited to creating and managing invitation list, RSVPs, invitation creation, event design, timelines, and day of logistics.

Perform art handling duties and assists as requested with unpacking and packing of objects, receiving and shipping of artwork.

Assist the Registrar with the care, oversight, cataloging and record keeping of the Museum’s permanent collection and the implementation of the collections digitalization project.
Work with Registrar to create comprehensive record of past exhibitions
Assist with the development of interpretive materials for future exhibitions as assigned
Help keep the collections management database current for all objects loaned, borrowed or owned.

Administrative Duties:

Lead content submission for the Museum’s weekly e-newsletter on behalf of the curatorial department to the marketing department.
Primary point of contact for artist / curator submission of lecture PowerPoints, lead for content collection and creation of exhibition/ artist PowerPoints for community presentations, member / donor events, and outreach programs, works in coordination with Marketing for artist and guest curator collateral approvals.
Attend weekly internal logistics meetings on behalf of the curatorial department as needed.
Lead the creation and distribution of lender and donor exhibition stewardship packets. Serve as lead staff member for the collection of exhibition collateral materials, print media, editorial articles, and digital installation images. Lead the collection of compelling community impact data, serve as lead for submission to marketing for design of one page flyer, compile distribution lists, work in coordination with the Development Administrative Coordinator and Grants Manager for special inclusions for donors / grant contacts.
Assist with correspondence, and logistics including travel arrangements for guest curators and artists.
Provide responses to unsolicited exhibition proposals and facilitates their review by Chief Curator and Deputy Director of Collections and Exhibitions; respond to accession offers from local artists or unknown parties, and coordinate meeting times for viewing artworks on offer to permanent collection. Provide research and overview of accession offers.
Assist the Chief Curator and Deputy Director of Collections and Exhibitions with travel arrangements, logistics, appointments, and create briefings.
Serve as Altru coordinator for updates to artist and collector lists; inputs notes from studio and collection visits by Chief Curator and Deputy Director of Collections and Exhibitions and Registrar.

Requirements

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities:

Excellent oral and written communication skills; strong research skills; ability to respond effectively and professionally to inquiries or complaints; strong public presentation skills; ability to work effectively with all units and levels of the organization, and demonstration of initiative in taking on new projects; ability to function well with internal and external customers; ability to effectively solve problems and strong conflict resolution skills; knowledge of best practices in museum exhibitions and collections code of ethics; art handling skills and installation skills; excellent computer skills with proficiency in use of spreadsheets, word processing and Windows; ability to use office software and email.

Training, Education and Experience:

Museum Fellow has completed a Master’s degree in art, art history, museum studies, or related field with related work experience of 2 years in a museum.

Special Requirements:

Must possess and maintain a valid Virginia driver’s license and maintain a driving record acceptable to the Taubman Museum of Art.

Must be available to work flexible hours including nights, weekends and holidays as needed.

Physical Demands and Work Environment:

Must be able to stand, walk, and sit; ability to use hands and/or fingers, reaching with hands and arms; must be able to talk and hear; ability to climb or balance and stoop, kneel, crouch and crawl as required; must have the ability to lift up to 50 pounds; must be able to see up close and have distance vision and have the ability to focus; must be able to work in a moderate noise level office environment. Must be detail orientated. Willing to work in a team environment and during occasional high stress situations.

To Apply:

Full description and application here