Position Summary
The Gund Gallery, a rapidly growing three-year old contemporary art museum at Kenyon College, is a unique combination kunsthalleand collecting institution where the best art and artists of the 20th and 21st centuries are a centerpiece of a traditional liberal arts education and our wider community. The Director of Education at the Gund Gallery is a full-time exempt position held by an individual with a proven track-record in the successful conceptualization, implementation, promotion, evaluation and reporting of all museum education programs and services for diverse audiences on-site and off-campus—from K-12 and regional community to our Kenyon family of students, alumni, parents and staff. While striving to enhance and strengthen visitor experiences, the Director of Education will amplify the Gund Gallery’s ambitious dual focus on artistic excellence and maximized undergraduate student learning across all disciplines, as articulated in a recently completed formal strategic plan endorsed by the President of Kenyon College and unanimously ratified by the Gund Gallery Board of Directors. The Director of Education’s additional areas of responsibility include communications, educational technologies, financial management, and programmatic support. The Director of Education will support the Director/Chief Curator and Assistant Director in the museum’s administrative areas of governance, fundraising, budget and finance, operations and policy development and implementation. In close collaboration with the Director/Chief Curator and Assistant Director and other Gund staff, the Director of Education will represent the Gallery in its work with Kenyon faculty, staff and students, as well as local and regional educators and community members. He or she is responsible for working closely with the Assistant Director and other Gund staff in managing key activities for a dynamic Gund Associates (intern) program, an important focus of the Gallery’s mission as a progressive learning museum. He or she will also be responsible for website and social media content development and shared day-to-day operations and office routines. The Director of Education must have an understanding of College policies, procedures and programs related to the administrative department and will be supervised by the Director/Chief Curator.
- Essential Function of the Director of Education
- Undergraduate Education
The Director of Education will develop and oversee a dynamic and innovative undergraduate-centered education program for the Gund Gallery. As a progressive learning museum, all programs must provide effective formal (curricular) and/or informal (non-curricular) learning opportunities for all of Kenyon’s liberal arts students. The Director must maintain existing and design new programs, monitor and assess their effectiveness, soliciting feedback from students, faculty and other participants to improve programs and better serve a range of learning goals and priorities. In collaboration with the Assistant Director and Kenyon College’s Institutional Research, assessment and tracking tools must be developed and actively used toward this end. In conjunction with the work of other Gund staff, the Director of Education should use and help develop custom technology tools to aid educational and interpretive effectiveness. The Director of Education should be active in academic museum and museum education circles and should be up-to-date on current practices and theories, contributing to and abreast of current research.
The Director of Education will also be responsible for coordinating effective educational experiences and projects for members of a robust undergraduate internship program—the Gund Associates–under the direction of the Assistant Director and in close collaboration and coordination with other Gallery staff. The Director of Education will ensure the preparedness of interns to run community education programs, give tours in the gallery, and teach K-12 students in-gallery and off-site. The Director of Education must maintain an excellent rapport with students and garner their professional respect.
- K-12 and Community Education
In addition to regular family days and frequent children’s storytimes, the Gund Gallery partners with local K-12 teachers in providing arts experiences for a fiscally challenged public school system. Gund Associates play a vital role in K-12 outreach, gaining experience in community engagement and teaching while learning more about themselves and art, artists and artistic movements of the 20th-21st centuries. In 2015, K-12 outreach will take on a more coordinated and collaborative approach including select Kenyon faculty, an emerging Kenyon College experiential learning initiative, other Kenyon student-volunteers and our K-12 community partners. The Director of Education will be responsible for maintaining the highest quality K-12 programs reflecting the Gund’s curatorial and programmatic philosophy while effectively managing new collaborations and relationships.
- Public Programs
As part of a comprehensive interpretive program, the Director of Education will work closely with the Director/Chief Curator and other Gund staff to develop public programs—film screenings, lecture, faculty talks, visiting artist programs, workshops, family days, storytimes, etc.—coordinated to the museum’s exhibition themes and artists, collection objects and other initiatives. These programs should provide both formal and informal learning opportunities for Kenyon’s liberal arts students. Public programs are often produced in collaboration with faculty, Gund staff, exhibiting artists and Gund Associates, demanding excellent organizational and social skills required in navigating a complex array of relationships.
- Communications and Technology
In coordination with the Director/Chief Curator, Assistant Director and other staff, the Director of Education must help prepare a range of program announcements, event calendars, itineraries and other forms of public and internal communications. Utilizing both traditional print and new digital technologies, the Director must engage Gund staff and Gund Associates in developing and implementing a variety of platforms and media to engage undergraduates, faculty and others.
- Financial Administration and Fundraising
Prepare and monitor education project and program budgets, monitoring project expenses and maintaining grant budgets and reports, in coordination with the Assistant Director and Administrative Assistant. The Director of Education will be responsible for assisting the Director and Kenyon’s College Relations staff in preparing foundation and government grant applications and reports, individual donor solicitations and communications related to Gund Gallery educational programs, and select development and cultivation activities.
- Basic administration
The Director of Education will oversee the day-to-day management of the Gallery’s many daily class visits and public programs. He or she will work closely with the Assistant Director and Administrative Assistant in maintaining organization and filing systems, communications, reporting, budgeting and general operations. The Director will manage the daily recordkeeping for Gallery events and attendance; providing up-to-date recording of course visits, faculty engagements, collaborations and other mission-oriented measurement. He or she must have excellent public speaking skills, be self-motivated and outgoing, diplomatic and creative. Passion for art and its ability to transform others is a must.
All museums staff members may be called upon at any time, as a member of the team, to work in other areas or take on additional responsibilities when necessary. This job description is a general description of the position listed.
II: Supervisory Responsibilities
Some supervision of the Curator of Academic Programs. Some supervision of the Administrative Assistant, student workers, volunteers, and interns.
III: Working Conditions
Work is performed in an office environment and a gallery setting. The ability to lift boxes or items of 30 pounds or less and move tables, chairs, pedestals and other items needed for meetings, events, exhibition installations, and similar functions is required. Some travel may be required for select board meetings or development related activities.
IV: Minimum Qualifications
Masters degree and minimum of five years museum/gallery experience required. Experience with web, social media and app technology. Computer literate, with knowledge of Word, Excel, InDesign, WordPress and other software. Experience with financial management, databases and mailing lists. Strong organizational skills and attention to detail necessary. Knowledge of K-12 standards, basic public relations and grant-writing required. Ability to handle and balance substantial administrative detail and a wide variety of related tasks; to communicate and deal effectively with people; and to take initiative and to work with minimal supervision essential.
https://employment2.kenyon.edu/postings/1925
Categories: Job Postings