Job Description:
Reporting to the Associate Director of Museums, the Curator of Education and Engagement (CEE), advances the mission by creating and implementing all Museums at Washington and Lee academic engagement and learning initiatives. Responsible for executing the Museum’s vision of inspiring an understanding and appreciation of arts, history, and culture; will serve as the primary liaison with university faculty regarding museum interaction, developing pedagogy, and leading programmatic strategy for supporting student and faculty engagement with the collections. Charged with increasing social interactivity, creative participation, and ensuring delivery of relevant, engaging, and mission-based experiences and digital resources, on-campus and online. In addition to collaborating with faculty and students to design visits, course collaborations, and workshops, the CEE will also develop resources and contribute to digital assets and platforms that support interdisciplinary teaching and contribute to research, program development, collecting, and interpretive practices across the Museums. The CEE plays a critical role in making the Museums a platform for creativity, critical thinking, curricular learning, and cultural engagement. In addition, the CEE, with the right qualifications, may support the Cultural Heritage and Museum Studies minor with instruction.
To achieve our mission as a liberal arts college, we continually strive to foster an inclusive campus community, which recognizes the value of all persons regardless of identity. Our department is committed to contributing to an educational environment that is rich with cultural, social, and intellectual diversity.
About Us:
The Museums at Washington and Lee (MWL) consists of three sites: the Reeves Museum of Ceramics, University Chapel & Galleries, and Watson Galleries. Its mission is to advance learning through direct engagement with the collections and facilitate an interdisciplinary appreciation of art, history, and culture. The museum greets on average (pre-COVID) 35,000 visitors each year. It provides students, faculty, and staff opportunities to engage with a wide-ranging ceramics and fine arts collection spanning centuries through exhibitions and programmatic offerings.
The Reeves Museum of Ceramics showcases one of the country’s finest collections of Chinese and Japanese export ceramics, including European, Asian, and American ceramics spanning some 4,000 years. The collection tells stories of history, design, technology, trade, patriotism, and protest.
The University Chapel & Galleries, a National Historic Landmark, opened in 1868 during Robert E. Lee’s tenure as 11th president of the Washington College. Non-denominational and unconsecrated, the University Chapel & Galleries includes an auditorium, a historic statue of Robert E. Lee, and multiple galleries.
The Watson Galleries contains two changing exhibit galleries that showcase rotating selections from the arts and ceramics collections and house the Senshin'an (??? or "Clearing-the-Mind Abode"), an authentic Japanese Tea Room. The art collection includes early American portraits by artists such as Charles Willson Peale and Gilbert Stuart, a growing collection of 20th and 21st century works by international artists, including Elizabeth Catlett, Fernando Botero, William Christenberry, Sam Gilliam, Sally Mann, and Andy Warhol among others. In addition, the art collection includes Chinese fan paintings, 20th-century Chinese brush paintings, and Japanese woodblock prints.
Essential and Related Functions:
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Supports the mission of the University and coordinates pathways for the academic community to connect with the art and ceramics collection by enacting mission-centered programs.
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Provides vision and programming support to the Associate Director and collaborates with other team members to establish programmatic impact goals to ensure mission and strategic alignment, creative engagement, and learning across all demographics.
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Conceptualizes, designs, and directs program and engagement strategies that align with the mission and values of the museum to strengthen student and faculty engagement, interdisciplinary learning, and DEIA initiatives. This includes the recruitment and supervision of student employees, docents, interns, and the development, research, and implementation of creative educational programming for broad and diverse audiences presented in various formats: seminars, lectures, and workshops.
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Emphasizes cross-disciplinary, co-creation, and hands-on learning projects to expand the understanding of the museum’s collection. Utilizes supplemental teaching techniques for non-arts curricula, including science, history, technology, engineering, and math.
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Strengthens the academic role of the museum within the university and grows student/faculty participation, fosters collaboration and agency in and with the museum by conceptualizing and developing flexible, multi-disciplinary programs, activities, and other curricular support.
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Develops and prepares informational and promotional materials for education and programmatic-related initiatives. These may include but are not limited to educator guides and packets, press releases, special brochures, and web-based materials.
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In collaboration with the Collections and Curatorial Department, provides input during the development of exhibitions by playing an active role in the development of educational and interpretive components as they relate to exhibitions. Co-produces interpretive plans and experience documents for museum projects that articulate big ideas, key messages, visitor outcomes, and interpretive strategies. Assists with the design of engaging interpretive materials and experiences such as interpretive texts, videos, audio and mobile content, response stations, participatory learning spaces, website content, and other digital learning platforms.
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Integrates data collection, measurement, and assessment into museum processes and programs. Monitors effectiveness, gathering and analyzing qualitative and quantitative statistics, and other engagement metrics for evaluation, reports, and grants and funding proposals. Ensures timely and collegial responses to questions and feedback from visitors and others.
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Conceptualizes interactive online educational content and interpretive tools for the museum website, in collaboration with web and digital media University staff and other digital platforms and formats, embracing social media/digital/technology opportunities and virtual art experiences. Collaborates to record selected programs for distribution via the website and social media and inform the execution of marketing, branding, and promotional activities that broaden the museum's reach and increase stakeholder engagement.
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Develops and oversees the department’s annual budget in consultation with the Associate Director, particularly tracking expenditures to ensure adherence to set goals. Including the identification of grant opportunities, drafting proposals, and other funding requests.
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Other related duties as assigned.
Minimum Qualifications: Bachelor’s degree required; Degree in Arts Education, Art History, Public Humanities, Cultural Studies, Museum Studies, or related field. At least three years of experience in Art/history, museum teaching, multi-sensory, object interpretation strategies, or related Feld. Master’s Degree in related field is preferred. Broad understanding of the field of visual arts, including a range of historical periods, cultures, and artistic trends, and a willingness to learn about subjects and material outside of established areas of expertise. Deep knowledge or extensive experience in and demonstrable commitment to museum/art education, especially in a university museum setting. Strong communication, organizational, and writing skills are also required. Proficient skill in Adobe InDesign, Photoshop and/or Illustrator, knowledge of and ability to use project management software and social media management is advantageous.
The university requires employees to become fully vaccinated for COVID-19 and new employees must provide proof of at least their first shot prior to the first day of employment. Individuals may seek a medical or a religious exemption to the vaccination requirement.
Application Instructions:
Review of applications will begin immediately and continue until the position is filled. Please upload a cover letter and resume. You will also be asked to provide three professional references.
External Applicants: Application instructions for external applicants are located on the jobs.wlu.edu or here.
Current W&L Employees: Apply from your existing Workday account. Instructions are located at jobs.wlu.edu.
Work Schedule: M-F, 8:30am - 4:30pm, with occasional nights and weekend hours.
Physical Requirements:
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Fingering: Picking, pinching, typing or otherwise working, primarily with fingers rather than with whole hand or arm as in handling.
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Grasping: Applying pressure to an object with the fingers and palm.
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Repetitive motions: Making substantial movements (motions) of the wrists, hands, and/or fingers.
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Walking: Moving about on foot to accomplish tasks, particularly for long distances or moving from one work site to another.
Working Conditions: The worker is not substantially exposed to adverse environmental conditions (as in typical office or administrative work).
Types of Work: Light work: Exerting up to 20 pounds of force occasionally, and/or up to 10 pounds of force frequently, and/or a negligible amount of force constantly to move objects. If the use of arm and/or leg controls requires exertion of forces greater than that for Sedentary Work and the worker sits most of the time, the job is rated for Light Work.
Benefit Eligible
FLSA: Exempt
Weekly Hours: 35
Minimum Pay: $50,005.00
Pay commensurate with experience.
