Educator for Academy Engagement – Addison Gallery of American Art, Phillips Academy, Andover, MA

Apply at https://andover.csod.com/ats/careersite/JobDetails.aspx?site=1&id=832

POSITION SUMMARY: The Addison Gallery of American Art at Phillips Academy seeks a museum educator passionate about positioning the museum as an accessible, inclusive center on campus for self-discovery, teaching, and learning. The Educator for Academy Engagement is an 11-month, full-time position at the Addison and a unique opportunity for educators who are excited about the intersection of object-based learning, interdisciplinary practice, and arts education. We encourage those with a wide variety of experience to apply.

The Addison’s collection of American art is one of the most comprehensive in the world, including more than 25,000 objects spanning the 18th century to the present. Intended by museum founder Thomas Cochran “to enrich permanently the lives of students,” the Addison as teaching museum promotes and supports innovative methods of multidisciplinary, multimodal learning, working closely with Phillips Academy faculty in all disciplines, PreK-12 classes from surrounding communities, college groups, and adults. Exhibitions in the galleries are reinstalled several times per year, presenting the opportunity for continuous interpretation, research, and lesson planning.

As a member of the Addison’s Education Department, the Educator for Academy Engagement reports to the Head of Education and is responsible for bridging the connection between campus life and the museum, including designing and teaching museum visits for Phillips Academy classes across discipline, working with faculty to identify permanent collection works needed from storage for exploration in the Museum Learning Center, and developing programs for and with student clubs and groups.

Phillips Academy is an intentionally diverse residential school committed to creating an equitable and inclusive community in which students from diverse backgrounds, cultures, and experiences learn and grow together. The ideal candidate supports this commitment. 

JOB DUTIES:

  • Schedule and teach Phillips Academy classes in the galleries and Museum Learning Center:
    • Plan and facilitate active, discussion-based visits that support the development of students’ visual literacy and critical thinking skills across disciplines and in all subject areas, including history, biology, physics, world languages, math, art, English, and more.
    • Research Phillips Academy course subjects and artwork from the Addison’s permanent collection and rotating exhibitions, to identify and plan for connections to course curriculum. 
    • Design and implement outreach to faculty to promote the museum as extension of course textbook, including identifying connections to curriculum in department-specific emails and visits to department meetings.
  • Manage the use of artwork in the Museum Learning Center:
    • Work closely with faculty to identify works of art from the Addison’s collection not currently on view in the galleries for classes and groups to compare, arrange, discuss, and research in the Museum Learning Center collections study space.
    • Coordinate lists of artworks needed by classes and museum colleagues in the Museum Learning Center, safely transport artwork from museum storage, and manage the storage of artwork before and after class use.
    • Identify works from storage that require repeated, extended viewing by classes and groups and work closely with Preparators to coordinate Museum Learning Center display.
  • Liaise with campus clubs and groups, including the Community and Multicultural Development (CAMD) Office, Afro-Latinx-American Society (AfLatAm), the Phillips Academy Sustainability Coalition (PASC), and more. Design and host midweek, evening, and weekend programming as needed.
  • Serve as main contact for reporters from the Phillipian, the Phillips Academy student newspaper. Send press kits and coordinate interviews with colleagues.
  • Conceptualize and host professional development workshops for Phillips Academy faculty and public school educators.
  • Assist and support projects connected to the Edward E. Elson Artist-In-Residence program as needed.
  • Assist the Manager of School and Community Collaborations with PreK-12 classes and college and adult groups as needed.
  • Assist the Head of Education with programming for the weekly Addison Community Ambassadors student group meetings and the Addison Club as needed.
  • Plan and offer workshops and lectures as part of the Public Programs calendar as needed.
  • Document and disseminate information about education projects via conferences and other professional learning communities when opportunities arise.
  • Depending on staffing and academy course approval, potentially teach or co-teach one term annually of the Phillips Academy course Art 400: Curating the Addison Collection, which introduces students to the history of museums, guides students through the curatorial process, and culminates in a co-curated exhibition in the Museum Learning Center.

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS, KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS, AND ABILITIES:

  • Masters degree in education, museum education, art history, or related field.
  • Minimum of three years’ experience teaching in an art museum, classroom, or an art focused community organization.
  • Experience conceptualizing, designing, and implementing educational materials and lessons for  students and teachers at the high school or college level, community-based educators, and administrators.
  • Art handling experience.
  • Demonstrated commitment to diverse, equitable, and inclusive museum experiences.
  • Research interest in the diversity of American history, identity, and narratives.
  • Knowledge of Adobe Suite.
  • Strong organization, communication, and writing skills.
  • Flexibility, adaptability, and capacity to handle multiple tasks at once including researching and planning several projects at the same time. 

SUPERVISORY RESPONSIBILITIES: Phillips Academy work duty students, interns, and volunteers from local communities as needed.

WORK ENVIRONMENT: 11-month position September through July. Monday through Friday schedule of 8:00am-4:00pm with occasional nights and weekends as needed for programming.

As the COVID-19 pandemic persists, our top priority is safety. Accordingly, the Academy will require, subject to disability and religious accommodation exceptions under federal and state law, that all employees be fully vaccinated against COVID-19.  This includes the Covid-19 Booster by February 1, 2022 or 5 months after completing the primary vaccination series with Pfizer or Moderna, or 2 months after receiving the J&J/Janssen vaccination.

Phillips Academy is an equal opportunity employer. Any offers of employment will be contingent upon successful CORI/SORI and fingerprinting background checks as well as unrestricted authorization to work in the United States.

SALARY: 48,000-52,000

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