Curator of Academic Affairs and Community Engagement: Franklin and Marshall College’s Phillips Museum of Art

Franklin and Marshall College’s Phillips Museum of Art- Curator of Academic Affairs and Community Engagement
About Franklin & Marshall College:
Franklin & Marshall College, founded in 1787, is a highly selective, private, liberal arts college known for academic rigor, opportunities for faculty-student research and its commitment to helping each student reach their full potential. The College enrolls more than 2,300 undergraduate students from throughout the U.S. and around the world. The campus is located in a residential neighborhood in Lancaster, PA, a vital, historic city in a county of over 500,000 residents, with easy access to Philadelphia, Baltimore, New York, and Washington, D.C. Lancaster offers both a diverse, urban environment and lush, rolling farmland. Residents enjoy charming historic districts and historical landmarks, a vibrant arts and cultural scene, and dining and shopping to suit every taste.
About the Phillips Museum of Art at Franklin and Marshall College:
The Phillips Museum of Art at Franklin and Marshall College is a forum for the creative process and fosters an understanding and appreciation of the arts. It serves as a cultural and educational resource the college campus and the larger Lancaster community and will play a key role along with other college departments in the Winter Fine Arts Building scheduled to be open in 2019. The largest fine arts museum in Lancaster, the Museum is located inside the Steinman College Center, which Minoru Yamasaki designed in 1976. In 2011, the College renovated and expanded the Museum to current its configuration of three floors, four galleries, a sculpture garden, a classroom, along with professional offices and workspaces. The museum has a collection of approximately 8,000 objects and is broad and eclectic, consisting of fine art, decorative art and ethnographic materials. Its exhibition and educational programming is robust with between 8-12 exhibitions and 20-25 programs per year.

Job Description:
Franklin & Marshall College’s Phillips Museum of Art is seeking an energetic and dynamic collaborator with a solid art and or humanities background and a passion for working with the campus community. The Curator of Academic Affairs and Community Engagement is part of a staff of six that ensures the Phillips Museum of Art at Franklin and Marshall College and its presence in the Winter Fine Arts Center is central to campus life and the academic program as well as its outreach to the greater Lancaster community. Reporting to the Director of the Phillips Museum, this full-time, year-round position is primarily responsible for development of faculty and student focused exhibitions as well as programs and special projects that engage both the academic and larger Lancaster community. In this dual role, the Curator of Academic Affairs and Community Engagement will be a strategic collaborator and advocate for the Phillips Museum to position it as a diverse and vital center for learning.
As the Curator of Academic Affairs, the position develops a portfolio of faculty and student related exhibitions, in collaboration with various stakeholders as well as works with the Director on other exhibitions as appropriate. As Curator of Community Engagement, s/he works collaboratively with staff, students, faculty, artists, educators, and volunteers to develop exhibitions and programs to strengthen relationships between Phillips Museum and its partners on campus and in the community.
Major Duties and Responsibilities
• Develop and facilitate a schedule of faculty and student based exhibitions and related programming. Most exhibitions should be curated in partnership with faculty & students to support the academic program and strengthen relationships between Phillips Museum and its partners on campus and in the community.
• Maintain and invigorate existing partnerships to reach new audiences both directly, through programming efforts, and indirectly, through incorporation of new ideas and learning into relevant curricula.
• Work closely with the Phillips Museum staff to achieve its common goals in a collaborative manner often under tight timelines.
• Work with the Director in the logistics of the larger exhibition program and its goals and outcomes, create and maintain timelines.
• Teach a museum-based course as conditions and time permit.
• Lead the student engagement program by recruiting, training and mentoring student staff, interns and volunteers
• Write and prepare requisite exhibition texts, labels, catalogs, and promotional materials.
• Act as the liaison with the College’s communications department and facilitate exhibition and educational materials for design and fabrication.
• In conjunction with the Director, work to engage museum professionals, especially in college museums and regional museums, and advocate for the Phillips Museum on and off the Franklin & Marshall College campus.
A successful candidate for this position will:
• Understand and implement up-to-date best exhibition and educational practices.
• Maintain a positive attitude and admirable work ethic
• Demonstrate ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships with staff, visitors, volunteers, donors, professional colleagues, and other members of the community.
• Be a self-starter and display ingenuity and flexibility in the event of unexpected situations.
Full-time members of the Franklin & Marshall College professional staff receive competitive starting pay and a comprehensive benefits package that includes health coverage, dental, vision, generous retirement savings plan contributions, education benefits for employees, spouses and dependent children, and enjoy access to all College facilities including dining venues to suit all tastes, recreation and fitness facilities, and libraries, plus access to College performances, lectures, and events.

Requirements:
• Master’s degree in art, museum studies, or a related field and 5+ years professional museum or arts engagement experience required.
• Five+ years’ experience curating museum exhibitions and educational programs required.
• Demonstrated knowledge in best professional museum exhibition and educational practices that place high value on public access to the arts.
• Extensive knowledge of the contemporary art scene including strong relations with artists, curators and institutions.
• Experience working in higher education or relevant experience working with a highly educated constituency or clientele desirable.
• Demonstrated ability to design and implement public programs that engage and educate diverse audiences is essential.
• Budget management experience and related grant funding experience is a plus.
• Strong organizational, planning, writing, and teaching skills.
• The ability and willingness to provide excellent service and to work in a collegial manner with students, faculty and staff, and other constituencies is essential.
• Demonstrated capacity to work productively and collaboratively in a team environment with others to achieve the goals of a museum.
• Must have excellent work habits, including a willingness to work the hours necessary to get the job done.
• Excellent interpretive, writing, presentation/public speaking, and communication skills.
• Must possess ability to maintain confidential information in a professional manner.
• Capacity to work with high-achieving students and excellent faculty at a highly select liberal arts college.
Because this position requires driving for College business, the successful candidate must possess a U.S. or Canadian driver’s license which has been valid for at least two years, have a driving record that is free from excessive motor vehicle violations within the last three years, and have had no convictions in the last 24 months for driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs.

Additional Information:
Offers of employment are contingent upon the successful completion of reference checks, a criminal background verification, a motor vehicle records check, and verification of credentials. The College will coordinate these verifications.
Franklin & Marshall College is committed to having an inclusive campus community where all members are treated with dignity and respect. As an Equal Opportunity Employer, the College does not discriminate in its hiring or employment practices on the basis of gender/gender-identity, sex, race or ethnicity, color, national origin, religion, age, disability, veteran’s status, genetic information, family or marital status, sexual orientation, or any other protected class.
Individuals who need an accommodation due to a disability in order to submit an application or attend an employment interview should contact Human Resources at (717) 358-3995.
Franklin & Marshall is proud to offer a smoke-free work environment.

Application Instructions:
For more information, and to apply, please visit: https://www.fandm.edu/jobs

Categories: Job Postings