Exhibit Project Lead at Burke Museum of Natural History & Culture
Job Title: Exhibit Project Lead
Job Status: Full-time
Location: Seattle, WA
Salary: $61,992.00 – $70,000.00
Description
ABOUT THE BURKE MUSEUM:
The Burke Museum cares for and shares natural and cultural collections so all people can learn, be inspired, generate knowledge, feel joy, and heal. The Burke was founded in 1885 by the Young Naturalists, a group of curious teenagers inspired by seeing Seattle transform before their eyes. For 135 years, the museum has built upon this legacy, collecting objects that help us understand how the Northwest has grown and changed.
Totaling over 18 million objects, the Burke’s collections help sustain cultural traditions, enable groundbreaking scientific research, and advance timely conversations that matter to us all. The collections are records of our past and investments in our future. The Museum’s curators—faculty members at the University of Washington—grow collections in the anticipation of change: continued disruption to ecosystems, shifting cultural landscapes and advances in technology we have yet to imagine. Our work is collaborative; we partner with institutions, students, communities and people around the world to understand our past and create positive change in the future.
As both a University and State museum, the Burke Museum is a public resource committed to building an inclusive environment that welcomes and values all people. We recognize that our history, from the founding to the present day, is built upon a colonial model of museums that consistently privileged collections, preservation, and research over cultural autonomy and community survival.
The Burke is committed to decolonization as a key institutional priority, and across the museum, we now work as facilitators and stewards, not as gatekeepers and sole authorities, in order to honor our mandate to truly be a museum for all.
SUMMARY:
In October 2019, the Burke opened a new building turning the work of a museum “inside-out” with visible labs, workrooms, collections storage, and an artist studio. Removing these barriers enables us to make the collections and work that happens here daily accessible to everyone. Every visit to the New Burke is different because every day brings new work. And because we’re doing this work right out in the open, everyone can experience it and join in.
DESCRIPTION
The Burke Museum of Natural History and Culture is looking for a collaborative and organized creative thinker to join our team as Exhibit Project Lead. This position supports the museum’s commitment to creating visitor-centered experiences that transform the ways our audiences connect with our unique collections, the work of our staff and researchers, and the world around us. The Exhibit Project Lead will work closely with department staff including the Senior Preparator, Content Developer and Director of Interpretation to coordinate and create new exhibit experiences. They will also facilitate collaboration with Burke collection representatives, educators and other museum staff—as well as community members and content advisors—to produce engaging visitor experiences.
Reporting to the Director of Interpretation, key duties of this role include creating and maintaining detailed records of decisions, processes, project plans and budgets. This person will serve as a primary communicator for the Exhibit Department, providing project updates to staff, responding to feedback and leading the interdepartmental Exhibit Selection Committee process to evaluate temporary exhibit proposals. This individual will also serve as an active participant in the exhibit development and design process, collaborating with the exhibit team on goals, content and design for two to three 3,000-sf temporary exhibits and several smaller installations annually. This position does not directly manage staff, but will direct colleagues’ and collaborators’ project-related work to successfully complete projects.
Duties and Responsibilities:
Project Management (40%): organize, track and facilitate the workflow of the exhibit project teams comprised of curators, educators, other museum staff and community collaborators; building and managing project budgets; providing feedback and guidance to ensure that projects are completed on time and within established budgets.
Communication (20%): foster transparency and collaboration through proactive communication to staff and leadership teams on department and exhibit activities; maintain long-term project calendars; proactively seek feedback on department processes and projects and implement into future work.
Budget (15%): build and manage special project budgets and annual departmental budgets in collaboration with department staff, including bimonthly status reports and coordinating payment for contractors, vendors and community advisors.
Exhibition Development + Design (15%): collaborate with team members to support and contribute to exhibit development processes; provide feedback and contribute to topical research, content development, 2D and 3D design.
DEAI & D (10%): Collaborate with the Diversity, Equity, Accessibility, Inclusion & Decolonization team to support their strategic goals and integrate and apply the lens of DEAI & D to all aspects of the Exhibit Department’s work.
Other Responsibilities:
- Successfully and passionately represent the Burke Museum and mission to the community.
- Commit to the continual growth of cultural competency and community-centered work.
- Develop and implement tools and metrics to evaluate success of tasks and projects connected to this position.
- Be a capable and enthusiastic collaborator with a wide range of individuals and across a wide range of disciplines.
- Embody generosity, creativity, and common sense in working closely with all museum constituent groups.
More information and to apply: http://theburke.info/jobs/217901
Requirements
- Bachelor’s degree in museum studies, communication, education, design, or one of the subject areas aligned with the Burke Museum’s mission.
- Minimum of 2 years of project management, development or design experience in a museum, informal learning, creative, or fabrication environment.
- Familiarity with visitor-centered exhibit development and design.
- Excellent written and oral communication skills, especially in communicating with audiences of diverse cultural and educational backgrounds.
- Knowledge of museum conservation standards for exhibiting collections objects and ADA standards for museum exhibits.
- Experience in employing experimental techniques for exhibit development, especially fast and light, participatory, and flexible approaches.
- Flexibility and adaptability; willing to learn new things, open to receiving feedback, and able to respect divergent viewpoints.
- Able to inspire and support a team of peers with tact and grace—motivating, guiding, and making difficult decisions when it’s necessary.
- Skill in managing vendors, suppliers, and contractors, including competitive bidding, negotiating pricing and contract terms, and ensuring high quality of goods and services.
Desired Qualifications:
- Design experience and familiarity with 2D or 3D design tools, primarily the Adobe creative suite, Vectorworks and Sketch up.
- Experience working on natural history or cultural exhibits and/or complicated interpretive projects.
- Track record creating exhibits centered in accessibility and inclusion.
- Familiarity with decolonization theory and practices, especially as they relate to museums