Association of Academic Museums and Galleries

The Opportunity:

The new Institute for Contemporary Art (ICA) at Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU), designed by the renowned Steven Holl Architects, is scheduled to open in 2017. The ICA is seeking a dynamic, energetic, intelligent, and collaborative team player to be the Assistant or Associate Director of Academic Programs.

As a key member of the founding staff at the ICA, the Assistant or Associate Director of Academic Programs will be instrumental in developing and establishing meaningful curricular and extracurricular connections between the ICA’s exhibitions and programs and the life of the students and faculty of VCU. The Assistant or Associate Director of Academic Programs will serve as the ICA’s primary ambassador to the entire VCU community, creating inter-disciplinary programs that connect with the academic mission of the arts and other VCU departments ranging from engineering and medicine, the humanities to athletics, and beyond.

The Assistant or Associate Director of Academic Programs reports to the Director of Education and Community Engagement.

About the ICA (ica.vcu.edu):

The ICA will be an iconic gateway for the city of Richmond. As a non-collecting museum, the ICA will showcase a fresh slate of changing innovative exhibitions, performances, films and special programs that engage the university, students, faculty, the broader Richmond community, and beyond.

The 41,000-square-foot ICA will be an incubator for interdisciplinary experimentation for the entire university while simultaneously providing opportunities for collaboration both locally and internationally. It will be in direct dialogue with VCUarts, the #1 public art school in the country; set within a major, urban public research university with national and international rankings in sponsored research; and centrally located on the East Coast in a city with a top-10 museum and a region with few venues for the latest contemporary art. The ICA will become a conduit for global collaboration, bridging the distance to artists working in other regions internationally.

About Richmond, Virginia:

Richmond (VisitRichmondVA.com) is an art-centric town, but there’s much more all around us. Hiking, biking, kayaking and rafting opportunities abound. Brown’s Island and Maymont Park are just a few of the natural treasures VCU faculty, staff, and students name as their favorite Richmond spots. Richmond is a thriving capital city full of cultural diversity, great food, festivals and entertainment. We are the heart of the arts in a state with a bustling gallery and performance scene featuring local and international talent. Many state museums are located here, such as The Virginia Museum of Fine Arts. Richmond, more commonly known as RVA, is a haven for alternative and creative endeavors. The Today Show named Richmond the #3 Most Tattooed City in the US. In September 2012, Outside Magazine named Richmond the “Best River Town in America.” We are home to the James River Park System, one of the largest inner city park systems in the country. Washington, DC, Virginia Beach, and the Blue Ridge mountains are only 2 hours away. Richmond International Airport has daily non-stop flights to NYC, so you can be there in an hour, if you can find the time to go.

Population: 200,000+ live in the city; 1.2 million live in the greater Richmond area.

Major Responsibilities:

• Design, implement, and evaluate onsite, offsite, online, and in person programs for VCU faculty and students.
• Serve as the primary ambassador for the ICA to the entire VCU academic community.
• Serve as first point of contact for faculty inquiries; respond to faculty requests for academic course engagement, and schedule academic use of the ICA.
• Ensure that all academic programs are aligned with the overall curatorial strategies and mission of the ICA.
• Proactively collaborate with faculty to build partnerships and relationships that deepen connections between the University curriculum and ICA’s exhibitions and implement interdisciplinary learning experiences that create meaningful connections and engagement between the ICA’s exhibitions and programs for students and faculty of all academic disciplines.
• Work closely with curatorial and program staff, and senior ICA leadership to develop activities and interpretive materials across a variety of platforms, including print, broadcast, online, social media, smartphone and tablet apps, digital and in-person tours, as well as academic courses and other formats as appropriate.
• Coordinate access for students and faculty to visiting artists, and “behind the scenes” museum activities, such as installation periods and other activities as appropriate.
• Develop and monitor program budgets.
• Monitor and assess Academic Programs activities on an ongoing basis, including gathering and analyzing qualitative and quantitative statistics to be used in program evaluation, reports, and grants and funding proposals.
• Partner with development staff to create and review grant applications and reports for existing programs, and to write proposals identifying potential funding.
• Propose new offerings, both digital and face-to-face, that reflect ICA’s mission and VCU’s strategic plan, Quest for Distinction.
• Other duties as assigned.

Qualifications:

• Master’s degree in Museum Education or Art History, or a closely related field, and/or professional training and experience that equates to an advanced degree.
• Appropriate number of years of progressively responsible experience in developing and implementing educational programs in an academic, research, or cultural environment.
• Ability to develop, measure, and assess opportunities for creative engagement with faculty and students of all academic disciplines.
• Extensive knowledge of studio art, art history, museum studies, art education, and academic engagement.
• Experience developing and implementing complex programmatic partnerships, and supervising a diverse staff and volunteers.
• Demonstrated experience in program evaluation and impact measurement.
• Experience developing University-level interpretive materials and programs.
• Thorough understanding of how and when to work across diverse platforms including print, broadcast, online, and social media.
• The faculty member must be a confident, collaborative, and articulate leader with demonstrated experience working in and fostering a diverse faculty, staff, and student environment or commitment to do so as a faculty member at VCU.
• Experience in an academic museum preferred.
• Teaching experience at the College/University level preferred.
• Strong public speaking and written communication skills.
• Be forward thinking and innovative and willing to experiment.
• Strong organizational, managerial and supervisory skills.
• Proven flexibility and willingness to perform a wide range of tasks as necessary.
• Demonstrated strong work ethic and time management skills.
• Ability and willingness to work occasional evenings and weekends.

Application Instructions:

Submit the following application materials via VCU eJobs at vcujobs.com:

-Cover Letter

-CV/Resume

-A list of five professional references including names with titles and contact information (references will not be checked prior to candidates’ approval)

Only electronic applications submitted via VCU eJobs will be accepted.

The Cover Letter should be submitted in the “Cover Letter/Letter of Application” section in eJobs; the CV/Resume and References should be submitted as one PDF in the “Curriculum Vitae (CV)” section of eJobs.

Applications will continue to be reviewed until the position is filled. For full consideration, applications are due by June 1, 2016.

To read the full position announcement and to learn more about the ICA and VCUarts, visit: arts.vcu.edu/jobs/

Virginia Commonwealth University is an equal opportunity, affirmative action university providing access to education and employment without regard to age, race, color, national origin, gender, religion, sexual orientation, veteran’s status, political affiliation or disability.