Education / Interpretation / Historian Positions

Education / Interpretation / Historian Positions

Museum Specialist – Domestic Skills Manager
Tryon Palace Historic Sites & Gardens
New Bern, North Carolina, USA

Tryon Palace Historic Sites & Gardens is seeking a Museum Specialist (In-house title, Domestic Skills Manager). This is a permanent full-time state position.

Description:

Primary Responsibilities:
The primary purpose of this position is to advance the educational mission of Tryon Palace Historic Sites & Gardens by interpreting historic food preparation and other domestic skills (including spinning, weaving, felt making, hat making, hand sewing, soap making, laundering and basketry) in historically accurate 18th- and 19th- century house settings. This position further educates the public about historic food preparation and other domestic skills of the 18th and 19th centuries by providing educational programs to staff members, school groups, and the general public, and by researching and developing interpretive programs on domestic skills and crafts; this position is also involved in implementing the faux food program that serves to enhance food display in historic buildings. This position works primarily a Tuesday-Saturday schedule, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Evening and weekend work is sometimes assigned based on the schedule of special events and public programs.

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities:
This position requires considerable knowledge of historic food preparation and other domestic skills of 18th and 19th century. A high degree of skill in researching and interpreting old recipes and historical trades is required. The ability to conduct and interpret research on historical skills and crafts, make purchasing decisions, and keep accurate records is also essential. The ability to supervise, coach and train domestic skills/crafts interpreters, museum guides, and volunteers is important. An ability to communicate effectively is a must.

Training and Experience Requirements:
Graduation from a four-year college or university preferably with a major in history, art/history, museology, or closely related field and one year of experience in progressively responsible museum work in specific area assigned. Management prefers a bachelor s degree in history or related field with a working knowledge of North Carolina, New Bern region history and in-depth knowledge of 18th and 19th century domestic skills. Degrees must be from appropriately accredited institutions.

About Tryon Palace Historic Sites & Gardens:
Tryon Palace Historic Sites & Gardens’ mission is to engage present and future generations in the history of North Carolina from early settlement and development of statehood through the mid twentieth century by collecting, interpreting and preserving objects, buildings, landscapes and events that enrich understanding of the making of our state and nation.

Tryon Palace Historic Sites & Gardens is an accredited museum, which includes the reconstructed 18th-century Palace of a Colonial royal governor, five house museums, 1 gallery museum with permanent exhibits, 11 period gardens and a visitation of 100,000 visitors annually. It is located on 22 acres on the waterfront in downtown New Bern, North Carolina, a historic coastal town founded in 1710. The site is expanding with the addition of the North Carolina History Education Center, a 60,000 square foot visitor services and museum building scheduled to open in the summer of 2010. The Center contains two interactive museums, timeline gallery, rotating exhibits gallery, gift shop, orientation theaters, classroom, performance hall and cafe. The Center is designed to revolutionize the historic site experience.

Tryon Palace Historic Sites & Gardens is part of the State of North Carolina, Department of Cultural Resources, Office of Archives & History. There are 53 permanent employees and many temporary employees and volunteers as well.

Salary Range: $32,796- $51,446

Hiring Range: $32,796-$35,763

To Apply: For detailed instructions on how to apply go to www.tryonpalace.org or www.osp.state.nc.us/jobs/. Look under Vacancy Listings: Agency: Department of Cultural Resources.

Application Deadline: All applications must be received by February 17, 2010.

Please reference museum-employment.com when applying for this job.
This job posted by MERC from February 3 through February 17.

Program Coordinator
History Center of Olmsted County
Rochester, Minnesota, USA

Status: Permanent Full Time

Position Summary: The History Center of Olmsted County is currently accepting applications for the position of Program Coordinator. The successful applicant will coordinate the educational programs, school tours, and public programs and special events for the History Center of Olmsted County. The Program Coordinator will be highly energized with a proven track record of success in program management. The HCOC is developing a program called “Feeding People Through History” that is based upon partnerships with local food shelf and heritage gardens to teach people about the importance of agriculture and the uses of the items grown on HCOC grounds and donated to the food shelf.

Requirements:

BA/BS degree required; MA or MS degree in museum studies, education, or related field encouraged.

Minimum five years experience in teaching, delivering, and managing educational or youth programs.

Minimum of three years direct supervisory experience.

Experience designing programs, curriculum and program evaluation.

Knowledge of museum education and learning theory; and excellent organizational and written/verbal/interpersonal communication skills are required.

Qualified candidates should send resume and salary requirements to James Lundgren, Executive Director, History Center of Olmsted County, 1195 West Circle Drive SW, Rochester MN 55902, Director@olmstedhistory.com.

Position open until filled. Application reviewed starting Feb 15, 2010.

Please reference museum-employment.com when applying for this job.
This job posted by MERC from January 25 through April 26.

Chief History Officer
Detroit Historical Society
Detroit, Michigan, USA

The Society is responsible for the overall management and operations of the Detroit Historical Museum, an 80,000 square foot facility located in Midtown; Dossin Great Lakes Museum, a unique maritime museum located on Belle Isle; and the Collections Resource Center, an expansive storage facility which houses an extensive collection of more than 200,000 artifacts. The Society has developed a comprehensive enhancement and renovation plan for the museums, that includes new and upgraded galleries at both museum sites, parking and building exterior improvements, increased use of interactive technology and other learning-based attractions, enhancements to the museums’ web site, investment in its collections center, the addition of curatorial, educational and development staff, and operational funding support and additional growth in the Society’s endowment.

The Chief History Officer reports to the Executive Director and C.E.O. and is responsible for the articulation and implementation of a strategy for the Society’s curatorial and educational initiatives. The Chief History Officer will work with senior leadership to provide strategic and tactical direction to the entire organization, particularly with respect to the educational and interpretive initiatives that the organization undertakes. The Chief History Officer will represent the Society in the greater Detroit community and the national museum community, extending the Society’s brand as the region’s leading local history organization.

We seek an accomplished and creative individual with an exceptional record as a transformational and translational expert in an urban historical venue. The successful candidate will have appropriate experience with collections, and related exhibit and educational programs. He/she must have a work style that reflects the values and vision of the Society and have strong interpersonal skills with the ability to positively interact with individuals at all levels of the organization and community. The successful candidate must be able to develop a variety of internal and external networks that synergize the creative and educational processes for the Society, can create innovative community based outreach and collaborative activities and find new ways in which to utilize the web. This individual aspires to key leadership opportunities, has experience directing multi-discipline project teams, and has developed staff into highly effective employees through coaching, mentoring, and modeling.

The ideal candidate will have at least seven to ten years of progressively responsible experience in museum management, including exhibit coordination, project management, and team leadership. Knowledge of museum technology applications, current best practices and principles with respect to museum registration methods and collections standards, and concepts of planning and producing exhibitions is required. A master’s degree, preferably in history or museum studies, is required. For nominations, expressions of interest, or to submit your resume please contact Kittleman & Associates at dhs-cc@kittleman.net. Additional information regarding this position is available at www.kittleman.net.

Please reference museum-employment.com when applying for this job.
This job posted by MERC from January 21 through April 22.

Assistant Site Manager
Garfield Farm Museum
Geneva, Illinois, USA

Assistant Site Manager:1840s Garfield Farm Museum far west Chicago suburbs
near Geneva, IL. M.A. in Historic Administration or related fields. On site
security, animal care, gardening, event planning, interpretation, public
relations, prairie restoration, volunteer management, collections, all
aspects of museum management and development. Must be flexible and a team
player. Ideal experience for individual career committed to historic site
management. Work with executive director and site manager. Box 403, LaFox,
IL 60147. www.garfieldfarm.org

Please reference museum-employment.com when applying for this job.
This job posted by MERC from December 29 through March 30.

Associate Director for Public Programs
Adler Planetarium
Chicago, Illinois, USA

(a full-time exempt position)

The Adler Planetarium, Chicago, IL, is seeking an Associate Director for Public Programs to take leadership for and craft a growing museum educational program.
This position reports to the Director of Education.

Duties and Responsibilities:

develop vision, plan, staffing and implementation of an interpretation program;
oversee ongoing design and deployment of educational and interpretive programs for Adler visitors;
employ appropriate evaluation techniques to revise programs;
manage full and part-time informal education staff and floor staff volunteers;
collaborate with team members and the development department to write grants and is accountable to granting organizations for reports;
manage budgets for all outreach and floor programs;
manage all requests and implementation of community outreach programs.

Education and Experience:

Master’s Degree in Curriculum and Instruction, Museum Education, Science
Education or commensurate experience;
coursework in physical sciences or astronomy, science education, or museum education is preferred;
five or more years of museum education experience, management and grant writing experience;
experience developing science education programs for a variety of audiences and contexts is preferred;
strong organization, oral and written communication skills and the ability to work effectively as both a team leader and a team member;
knowledge about instructional design and evaluation and a customer service focus.

To apply for this position, please email a cover letter, resume and salary history to:

Marguerite E. Dawson, Director of Human Resources
hr-ADPublicPrograms@adlerplanetarium.org
Telephone: 312.322.0591

EEO

Please reference museum-employment.com when applying for this job.
This job posted by MERC from December 14 through March 15.

Mobile Museum Educator
McCormick Freedom Project
Chicago, Illinois, USA

The McCormick Freedom Project is pleased to announce an opening for the position of Mobile Museum Educator.

The McCormick Freedom Project, part of the McCormick Foundation team, offers a variety of student, teacher and public programming designed to promote informed participation in our democracy by demonstrating the relevance of the First Amendment and the role it plays in an ongoing struggle to define and defend freedom. Beginning in 2010, the Freedom Project will travel a new mobile museum to middle and high schools, as well as other public venues, throughout the Chicagoland area. The Freedom Project seeks qualified applicants for the position of Mobile Museum Educator. This individual will serve as the primary educator for the mobile museum, while also providing support for the creation of lesson plans, teacher professional development trainings, school outreach and various student and teacher programs.

Please visit www.FreedomProject.us/Education/MME.pdf for a detailed position description and information on how to apply. To learn more about the Freedom Project, visit us online at www.FreedomProject.us.

Please reference museum-employment.com when applying for this job.
This job posted by MERC from November 25 through February 24.

Curator/Historian
Wistariahurst Museum
Holyoke, Massachusetts, USA

Wistariahurst Museum seeks a dynamic and experienced full time Curator to oversee the evaluation, accessioning and care of the Museum's historical materials. The successful candidate should have a background in cataloguing and collections management. This position also provides reference services for the public and works to increase public knowledge of collection materials through public programming, exhibits, publications, lectures and web content, as well as responds to research queries. Reports to the Executive Director and collaborates with all museum staff. For more information about Wistariahurst Museum visit www.wistariahurst.org.

Requirements
This position requires excellent written, oral and presentation skills. Qualifications: MA in History, at least 3 years experience in historical research, and knowledge of PastPerfect database.

To Apply
Please send letter of interest, resume, list of references and a sample historical writing piece to: Melissa Boisselle, Director of Wistariahurst Museum, 238 Cabot Street, Holyoke, MA 01040 or submit by email to: boissellem@ci.holyoke.ma.us

Please reference museum-employment.com when applying for this job.
This job posted by MERC from November 25 through February 24.

The last update to this page was 2-3-10.

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