Associate Director, Education & Storytelling Initiatives at Sugar Hill’s Children’s Museum of Art and Storytelling

Job Title: Associate Director, Education & Storytelling Initiatives

Job Status: Full-time

Location: New York, NY

OVERVIEW

When opened in 2015, the Sugar Hill Children’s Museum of Art & Storytelling became the cultural capstone of the Sugar Hill development that also includes 124 deeply affordable apartments and the Sugar Hill Museum Preschool. This innovative community museum is dedicated to nourishing the dreams and natural creative intelligence of young children – preparing them to become global citizens and architects of a more equitable future. Its mission democratizes access to culture by providing intergenerational experiences with art exhibitions and art making, engagement with artists, and opportunities for civic engagement. The museum is a community-based sponsored project of Broadway Housing Communities (BHC) a pioneering nonprofit advancing innovations in Housing + Education + Art since 1983 (see websites: https://www.broadwayhousing.org/ and https://www.sugarhillmuseum.org/).

 

DESCRIPTION: Reporting to the Museum Director, the Associate Director of Museum Education and Storytelling Initiatives is part of the senior SHCMAS management team and plays a key role in the continued evolution of the Museum’s programmatic vision, educational, storytelling and community engagement goals. Working in close collaboration with BHC’s Chief Education Officer and Director of the Sugar Hill Museum Preschool, s/he is responsible for cultivating a vibrant Museum experience through envisioning, producing and evaluating unique and impactful and educational programs for young children and families. S/he is responsible for producing and evaluating impactful intergenerational, narrative based activities that engage and support our surrounding communities. S/he joins a team dedicated to making the Museum a welcoming and vital cultural resource for Northern Manhattan, South Bronx and in particular, the Sugar Hill community.

The Associate Director of Museum Education and Storytelling Initiatives functions as the Museum’s principal educator, contributing to and carrying out the strategic design of an educational

and storytelling framework that delivers to the public an experience equivalent to what is received by a limited number of students in the Sugar Hill Museum Preschool. S/he works to ensure that educational and storytelling programs are designed to meets the needs and interests of Museum visitors, and provides a welcoming and stimulating learning environment for all demographics. The Associate Director will disseminate SHCMAS’ vision by expanding public awareness of the role of arts education in early childhood; executing strategic community partnerships; collaborating with peer educators and colleagues; and connecting with the families that we serve.

 

RESPONSIBILITIES:

 

Programming

  • Collaborate with the Chief Education Officer to clarify educational approach, and ensure all education and storytelling programs are intentionally focused and mission aligned.
  • Lead a team in development, planning, implementing and evaluation of arts education and engagement programming and curriculum for children ages 3-8 and their families.
  • Work in partnership with the Sugar Hill Museum Preschool team to advance interdepartmental collaboration on early childhood educational initiatives and ensure that Museum activities are designed to meet the Museum’s target audience of children ages 3-8.
  • Partner with the curatorial team and Chief Education Officer to help execute a year-round calendar of events and storytelling initiatives and family programs aligned with the Museum’s educational philosophy
  • Partner with the curatorial team to ensure that the Museum’s educational priorities are incorporated into the development of Museum exhibitions.
  • Collaborate with the Visitor Services Manager to curate appropriate materials for the Museum Shop in a timely fashion, including books, catalogues, artwork and other merchandise.

 

Management

  • Serve as administrative head of the Museum’s education team: recruit and supervise personnel, including artist educators, docents, interns and work-study students; devise and manage departmental budget; respect deadlines; model and enforce best practices and internal policies; establish operational procedures and standards for all programmatic functions; and strive for the highest standards in serving museum audiences.
  • Work with senior management team to enhance existing goals, objectives and strategies to meet the budgeted financial goals of the museum.
  • Co-manage Program Committee of the Board of alongside museum leadership, by maintaining close communication with key members and scheduling and facilitating several meetings throughout the year.
  • Work with visitor services and retail staff in preparing, tracking, evaluating, and reporting of all educational programs including attendance, program-breakdown, zip-codes, surveys, etc.
  • Assist in long-range planning for the education department as well as for overall museum goals; identify needs for new programming and potential partners and collaborators.

 

Resource Development

  • Consult with Museum Director, development staff and Board of Trustees to identify funding for education and interpretative programs as well as community outreach and audience development.
  • Assist with fundraising strategies and actively participate in the solicitation process, including cultivating supporters, drafting content for proposals, and other fundraising activities.

Community Engagement

  • Manage purposeful and impactful partnerships with pre-K to elementary schools, charter systems, university, civic groups, afterschool programs, community organizations, and other museums and cultural institutions to better facilitate the overarching goal of educational equity for our young children and their families.
  • Increase support for the Museum in our community and throughout New York City, by developing an understanding of the various dynamics at play in our vibrant, diverse neighborhoods of Harlem, Washington Heights, and South Bronx, and develop personal relationships through spending time and being an effective listener and community partner.
  • Develop and encourage the execution of systems for investing community leaders, others in the education space, parents and families in our work and seeking opportunities for synergies across the landscape.
  • Envision new ways of serving diverse family audiences through strategic organizational alignments and programming.

 

Communications

  • Enhance departmental priorities, policies and SHCMAS’ education philosophy and articulate that philosophy both inside and outside the Museum in collaboration with the SHCMAS and BHC teams, Trustees and other advocates.
  • Work with marketing staff to produce key communications and promotional materials, and shape the language used for all education programs and community engagement; work with technical staff to enhance the museum website to include education related curriculum and programs that serve as a meaningful extension of the museum.
  • Participate in local and national dialogue about early childhood arts education, family and community engagement; keep informed about best practices and other relevant areas of museum education.

 

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS:

  • Graduate Degree in Art History, Education, Museum Studies, Theater, or a related field;
  • 5+ years of progressive leadership in arts education with expertise in early childhood learning;
  • Experience with museum education concepts, pedagogy, and best practices, particularly as they relate to and impact young children and their families;
  • Strong organizational skills including ability to manage staff, educators, artists, docents, and volunteers, as well as shifting project budgets and timelines;
  • Used to taking the initiative and moving projects from conception and design to implementation and evaluation;
  • Strong communication (written, verbal and interpersonal) skills; particularly comfort and ability to articulate education mission and work productively with diverse constituencies including young children and their families, museum colleagues, educators, artists, performers, volunteers, interns, donors, peer institutions, and the general public;
  • Experience with fundraising, cultivating donors and securing programming support;
  • Collaborative, collegial, creative, and resourceful in work; strong relationships with colleagues in the field, including art educators, theatrical educators and administrators,
  • artists, performers scholars, school principals and teachers, parent-teacher coordinators, etc.;
  • Ability to set a clear and ambitious vision and galvanize team (including external audiences) to execute and reach goals in support of that vision; steward a strong culture based on our core values and reflective of our commitment to diversity and inclusiveness;
  • Knowledge of African American and/or Latino art, and fluency in Spanish a plus.

APPLICATION:

Please email your resume, cover letter and three (3) professional writing samples to resumes@bhc.org. Applicant review will continue until the position is filled. Please indicate your last name and “SHCMAS Education” in the subject line. No phone calls, please — we will respond to those candidates whose qualifications are best aligned with the components of this job description.

Salary commensurate with experience, and starting at $90,000.