Associate Curator of Campus and Community Engagement

Opening Details

The Williams College Museum of Art (WCMA) seeks an Associate Curator of Campus and Community Engagement (ACE). The Williams College Museum of Art creates inspirational art experiences to instigate new thinking about objects, people, and the world—and it does so from within the nation’s top-ranked liberal arts college and a community diverse in history and constituents. A vibrant center for the arts and civic discourse at Williams, the Museum embodies the liberal arts’ ability to catalyze creativity and critical thinking as well as activism through the humanities. Deeply committed to social justice, WCMA is a vital hub for intimate and group participation; for taking risks and testing experimental forms of scholarship as practice; and most importantly for teaching and learning, boldly affirming the relevance of the history of art and the museum visit as vital to everyday life. Please visit our website: http://wcma.williams.edu.

Anchored by excellence in teaching, this position centralizes lifelong learning with works of art through college-wide collaborations, regional partnerships, and socially engaged programming at WCMA. The ACE is a dedicated art museum professional whose practice stems from an interdisciplinary study of works of art with strengths in student engagement, community-based work, and DEIA. Committed to racial equity in all we do, the ACE plays a critical role in making the museum a platform for creativity and innovation, curricular learning and co-curricular life, civic and cultural engagement. Situated within a dynamic engagement team, we seek an innovative practitioner who values an experimental approach to public practice and who thinks rigorously about teaching and learning in the context of the museum visit. As a “teacher of teachers” overseeing student educators, the ACE is an essential museum partner in developing a genuinely inclusive, equitable, sustainable, and accessible museum for the college and as a model for the field. Professional development and active contribution to museum fields are supported. Research, reflection, and evaluation are instrumental to our work and integrated into a holistic process of our own institutional learning about the role of a college art museum on campus and in the world.


Responsibilities

Core Teaching Responsibilities:

• Design, implement, lead, and evaluate a gallery teaching program led by Williams students
• Execute participatory learning for group visits in utilizing the collection, special exhibitions, public programs, an architecturally significant building, and Williams College itself towards instigating dialogue, creativity, and social justice at WCMA
• Co-organize trainings and materials for frontline staff on seasonal exhibitions/programs, permanent collection, building history/context, and public engagement skills
• Collaborate with museum colleagues, campus and community groups to curate distinct learning opportunities
• Oversee intern/s

Program Management:

• Oversee and manage several WCMA signature programs including :
• WALLS (Williams Art Loan for Living Spaces)
• Exploring the Arts (first years)
• Creating a Culture of Respect (7-8th grade)
• Collaborate with museum departments to execute public tour, group, schools, access, and family visits
• Strengthen school/family/youth/access audiences + oversee outreach with these regional groups
• Engage in program research, planning, implementation, archiving, and evaluation
• Work with Visitor Services/Security, Exhibition Management, Engagement, Interpretation, Communications, and Development staff to obtain and evaluate audience data towards assessing, reaching, and refining programmatic goals

Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, Accessibility:

• Engage in best practices of bringing diversity, equity, and inclusion to museum program and operations. Please see WCMA’s “In Solidarity for Social Justice” statements for additional details on our work in this area. https://artmuseum.williams.edu/in-solidarity-for-justice/
• Join WCMA colleagues in creating greater accessibility of museum spaces, programs, and online learning
• Williams College is committed to enriching its educational experience and its culture through the diversity of its faculty and staff. Our expectation is that the successful candidate will be at ease within, if not excel at working in a community that is broadly diverse with regard to race, ethnicity, socioeconomic status, gender, nationality, sexual orientation and religion.

Applicants with relevant experience with building, working with, and supporting a broadly diverse, just, and equitable employee community and other DEIA work are encouraged to speak to this work in their cover letter and to apply.

Reporting and department structure:
This position works closely with and is supervised by the Deputy Director of Engagement with open and direct communication channels to the Class of 1956 Director
WCMA’s engagement department includes the Curator of Mellon Academic Programs, the Curator of Programs and Interpretation, a Post-Doctoral Fellow in Digital Humanities, the Program and Events Coordinator, and 4-5 graduate and undergraduate interns


Qualifications

• MFA or MA in art history, museum studies, education or related field preferred
• 3 years experience in museum education and program coordination is required
• Skilled, flexible teacher equipped to work with an encyclopaedic art collection with strengths in the Americas, modern and contemporary art, photography, Africa, Asia, Ancient, Europe, sculpture, and works on paper
• Experience in managing educators and staff trainings
• Familiarity with college/university museum setting a plus
• Schools/Youth/Family teaching and program management experience desired
• Consistent DEIA work in teaching, programs, and operations
• Creativity and innovation in engaging communities, special audiences, and a broader public
• Strong written communication and public speaking skills
• Effective work in a team environment and collaborations across organizational structures
• Efficient administrator; familiar with budgets, databases, office software, evaluation, reporting
• Experience in working across cultures and with audiences of varying needs; languages helpful

Application review begins on May 17, 2021 and will continue until the position is filled. Pay starts in the low $50,000’s, commensurate with experience and includes a generous benefits/vacation package. With the academic calendar in mind, start-date is flexible with summer 2021 being ideal. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact us via phone at (413) 597-2681 or email at hr@williams.edu.


Conditions of Employment

Employment at Williams is contingent on the verification of background information submitted by the applicant, including the completion of a criminal record check, and education when applicable.


Equal Employment Opportunity

Beyond meeting fully its legal obligations for non-discrimination, Williams College is committed to building a diverse and inclusive community where members from all backgrounds can live, learn and thrive.