Director of School Programs at Crystal Bridges

Job Title: Director of School Programs

Job Status: Full-time

Location: Bentonville, AR

Position Overview

The Director of School Programs is responsible for the overall strategic development, long-term planning, and evaluation of the museums K-12 school and teacher programs, which prioritize access, innovation, diversity, inclusion, and a commitment to making educational impact. Working with the Chief Learning and Engagement Officer, this person is responsible for the design, development, and implementation of all school and teacher programs while working towards a larger strategic vision.

 

The Director of School Programs is responsible for the daily operation of the department, serves as a leader to the team, and is responsible for staff recruitment and training, and the school programs budget. This person serves as a member of the Museums Leadership team and works in collaboration with administrators, staff and volunteers at all levels. This person reports directly to the Chief Learning and Engagement Officer and manages a team of 19 staff members including 4 direct reports.

 

Responsibilities/Essential Functions:

  • Implement the strategic plan for K-12 student and teacher programs, with a focus on innovation, impact, relevance, and accessibility.

  • Oversee and support the development, management, and delivery of all offerings for school audiences, including school tours, teacher resource materials, educator professional development, open houses, special events, homeschool programs and resources, and multi-year school wide partnerships.

  • Responsible for maintaining the creative and strategic growth and sustainability of endowed education programs which represent significant commitment and areas of importance for the museums mission. These include the Walker School Visit Program which aims to serve 50,000 students annually and the Windgate Initiative which identifies critical education issues facing schools and develops arts-based initiatives to improve student outcomes.

  • Cultivate and manage endowments, grants, and financial sponsorships as directed. Responsible for the distribution of all endowment funds and sponsorships that support the departments programs.

  • Work closely with the Chief Learning and Engagement Officer to develop, implement, and scale online learning.

  • Work with regional, state, and national education officials in ongoing education reform initiatives, pre-service teacher programs, and curriculum development.

  • In collaboration with museums Research and Evaluation team, develop and deliver front end, formative, and summative evaluations of programs on a continual basis

  • Manage the complex daily operations of the school programs department

  • Manage all resources including budgets and allocations, supplies, and spaces.

  • Create reports and analysis on a monthly, quarterly, and yearly basis

  • Represent the Museum when needed (regionally and nationally) and make appropriate contributions to the field.

  • Cultivate and strengthen strategic alliances with school districts and learning institutions.

  • Along with the Head of Community Programs and the Head of Public Programs, serve as a member of the Education departments leadership team and work to promote cohesion and collaboration across the department.

 

Traits, Skills, and Abilities:

  • Demonstrated skill in creating age appropriate learning materials

  • Understanding of art museum pedagogy and theory such as Visual Thinking Strategies, dialogical models, visible thinking and free-choice learning

  • Understanding of distance and online learning including instructional design

  • Knowledgeable about the visual arts, and their connections to academic areas including history, language arts, and science

  • A critical thinker who can analyze data, and capitalize on information

  • A confident, intelligent and articulate entrepreneur who is creative, energetic, and accountable, yet collaborative and team-oriented

  • An outgoing and generous leader of the team and member of the Education department; one who shares information easily, listens as well as gives advice and respects the abilities of others, and has a high level of emotional intelligence

  • They must be comfortable working with donors, patrons, and local officials on fund-raising, policy reform, and educational initiatives.

  • Strong and persuasive communication skills

  • A self-starter with strong motivation to succeed.

  • Strong organizational skills and the ability to manage numerous projects simultaneously

  • Must be able to work evenings and weekends as program schedule demands

  • Must project credibility, influence, and demonstrate ethical and professional behavior.

 

Education and Experience:

  • Bachelors degree in areas such as the Arts, Education, or Humanities..

  • Fine (5) or more years of progressively responsible experience working in museums, schools, cultural organizations, or other relevant settings.

  • Demonstrated management and administrative abilities

  • Experience with curriculum development, program development and evaluation, and audience research

 

Licenses and Certifications:

  • Valid drivers license required

Physical Demands and Work Environment:

The physical demands and work environment characteristics described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this position. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

  • Physical demands: Regularly, while performing the duties of this job, the employee is required to travel independently regionally and in communities served. In the work environment described below, position requires working at a desk and utilizing a computer and a telephone, good eye/hand coordination, bending and stretching, standing and sitting in the ability to move around galleries, the classrooms, and throughout the museum, including travel on the outdoor trails. Visual acuity to review written materials is required for this job.

  • Work environment: Work will be performed in an office environment, museum galleries, art studios, outdoors on the trails, and in communities served. Some evening and weekend hours are required. While performing the duties of this job, the employee is exposed to weather conditions prevalent at the time. The noise level in the Museum work environment is usually low to moderate. Reasonable accommodations will be reviewed and evaluated should exhibitions exceed noise levels.

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About Crystal Bridges

The mission of Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art is to welcome all to celebrate the American spirit in a setting that unites the power of art with the beauty of nature. We explore the unfolding story of America by actively collecting, exhibiting, interpreting, and preserving outstanding American art. Crystal Bridges was founded in 2005 as a non-profit charitable organization by arts patron and chair of the museums board of directors, Alice Walton. Since opening to the public on 11-11-11, the museum has welcomed more than 5 million visitors and garnered 15,000 membership households. Some 280,000 school children have participated in the Willard and Pat Walker School Visit program, which provides educational experiences for school groups at no cost.

 

Crystal Bridges takes its name from a nearby natural spring and the bridge construction incorporated in the building, designed by world-renowned architect Moshe Safdie. A series of pavilions nestled around two spring-fed ponds house the galleries and amenities such as a restaurant, museum store designed by architect Marlon Blackwell, and a library featuring more than 50,000 volumes of art reference material. In addition to the museums architecture, a Usonian house designed by Frank Lloyd Wright was preserved, acquired, and moved to the museum grounds in 2015, and a rare Buckminster Fullers Flys Eye Dome was installed in 2017, both providing access to American architectural masterworks in a natural setting.

 

Sculpture and walking trails link the museum’s 120-acre park to downtown Bentonville, Arkansas. A new entrance, elevator tower, and pedestrian bridge was added to the north side of the building in 2017, increasing access to the museums north lawn and newly enhanced North Forest Trail. More than 600,000 visitors a year utilize the museums five miles of walking trails.

 

Crystal Bridges permanent collection spans five centuries of American artworks from early American to the present, and is always free to view. Crystal Bridges is committed to telling broad and inclusive stories by acquiring and showcasing the highest quality works by artists underrepresented in art history and conventional museum frameworks. Works such as Asher B. Durands Kindred Spirits, Gilbert Stuarts George Washington, and Georgia OKeeffes Jimson Weed are displayed alongside contemporary artists such as Kerry James Marshall, Maya Lin, Fritz Scholder, Jaune Quick-To-See-Smith, Felix Gonzales-Torres, and Amy Sherald represent some of the finest achievements in American art. The collection continues to grow, while the museum also offers temporary exhibitions that complement the collection and can also reveal arts connections to equality and justice.

 

Crystal Bridges provides year-round programming for all ages. In 2019, more than 800 public programs and events were offered, including lectures, performances, classes, and continuing education for K-12 teachers. Crystal Bridges stays connected online with the full collection available via eMuseum, an award-winning app, a podcast called Museum Way, all available for free, and many of the museums lectures such as the Distinguished Speaker Series are on Crystal Bridges YouTube channel. An online-learning initiative provides opportunities for students and teachers with arts-based courses, as well as SmartHistory with arts history videos and essays. Crystal Bridges also offers two research fellowship programs. The Tyson Scholars in American Art program encourages and supports full-time scholarship that seeks to expand boundaries and traditional categories of investigation into American art and visual culture. The Reese Teacher Fellowship provides for research into the development of interdisciplinary connections between American art and core curriculum subjects of language arts, history, social studies, and the sciences. In addition, Crystal Bridges administers the awarding of the Don Tyson Prize, an unprecedented award recognizing significant achievements in the field of American art. Additional information about Crystal Bridges is available online at CrystalBridges.org.

 

About the Momentary

The Momentary is a new contemporary art space that opened to the public on February 22, 2020, in downtown Bentonville, Arkansas. A satellite to Crystal Bridges, the Momentary presents visual, performing, and culinary arts. The mission of the Momentary is to champion contemporary arts role in everyday life and explore the unfolding story of contemporary American arts in an international context by actively commissioning and exhibiting outstanding works that explore new ideas and inspire action. The Momentary was founded by the Walton family, based on the vision of Tom, Olivia, and Steuart Walton. The Walton Family Foundation is supporting this project as a way to enhance the quality of life in Northwest Arkansas. The Momentary welcomes all with free general admission. Additional offerings include an artist-in-residence program, culinary experiences including an Onyx Coffee Lab, indoor and outdoor gathering spaces, an outdoor festival space, and a gift store. For more information, visit theMomentary.org. The Momentary is located at 507 SE E Street, Bentonville, Arkansas 72712.