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Form of workAssistant or Associate Curator ofYouth & Family Programs
Kalamazoo Institute of Arts is a mission-driven, equal opportunity employer
Posted 12/14/2023
In 2024, the Kalamazoo Institute of Arts (KIA), a leading nonprofit art museum and school, will begin a yearlong Centennial celebration with various exhibitions, events, and programs to commemorate its 100th anniversary. Since 1924, the KIA has offered art classes, exhibitions, lectures, events, activities and a permanent collection. The KIA's mission is to cultivate the creation and appreciation of the visual arts in West Michigan. We believe the visual arts are for everyone. They inspire, fulfill, and transform.
Under the direction of the Director of Museum Education & Community Engagement, the Assistant/Associate Curator of Youth & Family Programs will provide vision for and implement activities, materials, and programs designed to serve multigenerational families, schools, and youth audiences. The Assistant/Associate Curator of Youth & Family Programs will work to leverage program impact and expand family audiences through internal collaborations with the KIA's Kirk Newman Art School as well as maintain and develop relationships with external constituencies including area preschools, K-12 schools and other community organizations serving youth and families. The Assistant/Associate Curator of Youth and Family Programs will be a leader in promoting the value of arts education opportunities offered at the KIA.
This position is full-time, based on a 40-hour work week. The base salary ranges from $40k - $50k based on experience. During organizational peak times, this position requires the ability to work occasional weekend and evening hours. In general, the needs for coverage of non-traditional hours are known in advance. Salary range: $40,000-$50,000 annually. The KIA offers compensation and benefits package that includes medical, dental, life insurance, long-term and short-term disability, and retirement program with employer contribution. Relocation assistance available.
Responsibilities:
- Provide leadership, support and grow family, youth and teen programs that promote visual literacy, art appreciation, and positive museum visitation experiences through materials to enhance KIA visits such as family guides, on-line materials, interpretative labels, and advisory groups.
- Provide rotating activities, tools, and exhibits in the Upjohn Mason Grandchildren Interactive Gallery.
- This gallery will receive a scheduled reformatting in 2024 for which this position will play a crucial role in the planning and implementation.
- Develop new and implement existing regular and monthly Family Programs, such as Art Detectives and Family Days.
- Enhance school partnerships through outreach to educators, principals, and administrators as well as develop new and continue existing educator resources for preschool and K-12 educators, such as Art Lab activities and educator workshops.
- Work with educators through the school visit scheduling process and develop and provide materials to make the visit successful, including exhibit, artist and artwork information as well as educator and chaperone information.
- Organize and implement two annual student centered exhibits: Young Artists of Kalamazoo County exhibition (an exhibition of artwork by 50+ Kalamazoo County Schools) and High School Area Show (a juried exhibition for students in a nine county region).
- Coordinate High School Portfolio Day, which brings together colleges and university representatives to view and critique student portfolios.
- Develop and maintain outreach partnerships with community organizations serving youth and families, including development and implementation of off-site and outreach programs with partners and at partner locations, like Kalamazoo Public Library, schools, etc.
- Devise and implement evaluation tools to measure effectiveness of museum education programs in meeting goals and audience needs. Provide information, reports, and statistics as needed for grant applications and reports.
- Work with docent core on training for youth museum visits and interpretative strategies.
- Work with Museum Education team to develop annual Museum Education budget and monitor expenses monthly. Write monthly recap reports for Board of Directors meetings.
- Attend department and other meetings and serve on committees as requested by Director of Museum Education & Community Engagement.
- Perform additional functions as assigned by Director of Museum Education & Community Engagement.
Job Qualifications:
- Bachelor's degree in Art Education, Art History, Museum Studies or Fine/Studio Art or and experience teaching art making and art interpretation and/or any equivalent combination of training and experience. Familiarity and training in Visual Thinking Skills (VTS) methodology highly desired, but not required.
- Minimum of two (2) years proven leadership experience in education or museum setting is required along with the strong writing, verbal, and public speaking skills needed for interacting with and providing excellent customer service to parents, educators, volunteers, museum staff, and other constituencies.
- Equivalent experience will also be considered
- Effective project and time management, organizational, teaching, and research skills are necessary along with a sound knowledge of art history and current trends in classroom and museum teaching strategies.
- Aptitude for detail, self-motivation, and ability to work both independently as well as in a team setting to develop programs and materials.
- Demonstrated commitment to values of diversity, inclusion, and learner-centered interpretation strategies.
- Proficiency with Microsoft Office programs, including Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook, as well as the Internet for research
- Knowledge of American Sign Language and/or multilingual a plus
Title Conferment: The title of Assistant or Associate Curator ofYouth & Family Programs will be determined by the Museum and based on the overall education, experience and training of the final candidate.
How to Apply: For full consideration, submit a letter of interest, resume or curriculum vitae, and link to online portfolio and/or student work, if available.
Submission Deadline: Initial review of submissions will begin January 5, 2024. Application materials received by this date will be given priority consideration. This job listing will remain open until the first interview phase is complete or until a sufficient number of qualified candidates have been identified. NOTE: Incomplete application materials may not receive full consideration for the position.
Due to the volume of resumes we receive, we are regretfully unable to respond to phone calls and emails regarding the status of applications and the recruiting process.
