Internship Opportunity: Greenbelt Museum

Dorothy Sucher Memorial Internship Program

Dorothy Sucher, 1933-2010

Overview: The Dorothy Sucher Memorial Internship is awarded annually to an outstanding college-level or graduate student interested in supporting the work of the Greenbelt Museum. The internship was established in 2012 by Dr. Joseph Sucher to commemorate the life and work of his late wife, Dorothy Sucher, who initiated the founding of the Greenbelt Museum with a letter to the editor of the Greenbelt News Review in 1972. “Greenbelt,” she wrote, “was built during the Great Depression as an expression of the philosophy behind the New Deal. What better place could be found in which to create a museum devoted to that significant period in our nation’s history?” Mrs. Sucher went on to become one of the Museum’s founders and to serve on its Board of Directors. She was also a psychotherapist, an author, and a reporter for the Greenbelt News Review, through which she was involved in a landmark Supreme Court case that defended the freedom of the press.

The Dorothy Sucher Memorial Internship is to be completed at the Greenbelt Museum, located at 10B Crescent Road in Greenbelt, Maryland, and at the Museum staff office in the Greenbelt Community Center at 15 Crescent Road. It will further the mission of the Museum, which is to serve as a community museum that provides gateways to the New Deal history and living legacy of Greenbelt, Maryland and to inspire residents, students and visitors to explore this planned cooperative community. Through this generous gift from Dr. Sucher, the Dorothy Sucher Memorial Intern will receive a stipend of $1,000. For more information about the Dorothy Sucher Memorial Internship, contact the Greenbelt Museum by e-mail at museum@greenbeltmd.gov.

Internship Description: The Dorothy Sucher Memorial Intern will assist the Museum Director and the Education/Volunteer Coordinator with the planning and execution of educational programs, collections care and cataloging, maintenance of the historic house, performing historical research, and administrative tasks such as responding to inquiries, maintaining membership records, and other duties as assigned. While clerical work is part of the position, there will be opportunities for creative thinking and substantive contributions to the work of the Museum.

Desired Qualifications: The ideal candidate should have an interest in one or more of these areas: 20th century American history, the New Deal, the Great Depression, World War II, housing history, architecture, planning, and decorative arts and design. S/he must be a currently enrolled college or graduate student, and must be able to meet the physical demands of the position, which may include scaling stairs while carrying collections objects, climbing a stepladder, and sitting and standing for long periods of time.  The Dorothy Sucher Memorial Intern will be professional, organized, motivated, and have strong writing and communication skills. Adeptness at multitasking is a must, as is the ability to work independently. Knowledge of 20^th century American history and museum experience are helpful but not required.

Compensation: The Dorothy Sucher Memorial Intern will receive a stipend of $1,000, which will be disbursed in two installments. The first payment of $500 will be made after the Intern has completed 80 hours of work, and the second payment will be made after the 160 internship hours have been completed. Once the Intern is selected, s/he and the Museum Director will agree upon an internship schedule.

How to Apply
Completed applications must be submitted by July 15, 2013. The following materials are required:

• A completed Sucher Internship Application
• A one-page personal statement describing your reasons for seeking an internship at the Greenbelt Museum and what you hope to gain from the experience
• Résumé detailing your experience, career interests, and internship goals
• Contact information for two references

Applicants will be notified of the Museum’s decision by August 16.
Submit completed application by mail or e-mail by July 15 to:
Megan Searing Young, Director
Greenbelt Museum
PO Box 1025
Greenbelt, MD 20768
museum@greenbeltmd.gov 

This internship description is not intended to be an express or implied contract between the Greenbelt Museum and anyone. The Greenbelt Museum reserves the right to change or assign other duties to this intern position as necessary. Greenbelt Museum is an equal opportunity institution.

Call for Papers - SMA 2014!

The Small Museum Association (SMA) is planning its 30^th Annual Conference, which will be held in Ocean City, Maryland, February 16 - 18, 2014. The most important part of that planning is assembling speakers for the 40+ concurrent program sessions that will be presented during the conference. Through this Call for Proposals we invite you to share your knowledge, experience, and lessons learned with hundreds of colleagues who – like you – are committed to small museums everywhere. The deadline for submitting all proposals is Friday, October 4, 2013.

As the only conference in the country dedicated specifically to small museums, the Annual Conference draws museum professionals from the Mid-Atlantic region and from across the country as our membership and attendee base continues to expand. The conference goal is to support and nurture the small museum community through a mix of invited speakers, contributed presentations, workshops, and engaging discussions. The conference provides a unique and comfortable learning environment for individuals and institutions with diverse experiences to meet and learn from each other, to share their expertise, build capacity, and increase professionalism. Conference sessions typically provide practical, relevant discussions and examples for small museums and institutions with limited budgets and staff.

This year, the Small Museum Conference would like to offer sessions that address the conference theme, 30 Years of SMA: Past, Present, and Future. Small museums have a long history of serving their communities and continue to provide inspiration and illumination. This year’s conference will explore the ways in which small museums have evolved over the past thirty years to meet the challenges brought on by changing economic, educational, and social conditions, and what may face them in the future. We invite proposals based on institutional experience or original research. Proposal topics should help attendees learn from your institutions’ successes and failures, and provide low or no-cost ideas for making an impact. The power of small museums should be a central theme to any presentation, whether it addresses fundraising, education, curatorial issues, museum boards or volunteers. Proposals should also indicate the level of the information that will be provided, whether it is most appropriate for a beginner who is new to museums, someone with intermediate experience, or an expert in the field. Possible session topics include community engagement, collaboration between organizations, volunteer management, the responsibilities of museum boards, exhibit development, and any other topic that would interest members of small museum staffs, boards, and volunteer corps. Proposals should be submitted using the form below no later than Friday, October 4, 2013.

 

The mission of the Small Museum Association is to develop and maintain a peer network among people who work for small museums, giving them opportunities to learn, share knowledge and support one another, so that they, in turn, can better serve their institutions, communities and profession.

DOWNLOAD INSTRUCTIONS AND FORM HERE. 

Employment Opportunity with the Sandy Spring Museum

Sandy Spring Museum
Education Outreach Coordinator
Reports to Executive Director

The Sandy Spring Museum is a private, independently operated museum located between Washington DC and Baltimore. The Museum is entering an exciting period of growth – embarking on a new strategic vision, which opens up the interpretation of local history to the entire community. We are looking for a team member who has experience working in a community-focused organization, who brings energy, enthusiasm, and an entrepreneurial approach to his/her work, and who is creative and self-motivated.

As the museum is in a renewal phase, this position requires someone who wants to be involved with a project from its inception and who has experience creating a new program and seeing it through to its successful launch.

Primary Responsibilities
This position is responsible for conducting outreach into the community in order to create meaningful educational experiences for audiences of all ages. There are three main components to this position: programs for school children and adults; special events geared towards families; and leading community participation in the creation of small-scale exhibits. We are specifically seeking someone who has a track record of going beyond the standard museum offerings of field trips, lectures, and tours of static exhibits.

PROGRAMMING
Plan for a diverse assortment of programming geared towards adult audiences, which may include discussion groups, hands-on activities, book signings, workshops, and so on.
Design programming so as to appeal to a diverse audience
Help build audience through community outreach and involving volunteers
Plan program schedule at least four months in advance
Coordinate system for tracking program registration
Collaborate with marketing staff to develop materials and a plan for marketing programs
Consider the potential for revenue generation in the development of programming
Manage group and school tours
Group Tours:
Create compelling offering of guided exhibit tours
Schedule adult tours and tour guides
Recruit and train guides to lead tours
School Groups:
Revamp school field trip program so it generates more attendance and income
Maintain field trip curriculum so it remains current with school learning standards
Market field trips to public and private schools
Schedule field trips
Recruit, train and schedule volunteers to assist with tours
Conduct off-site school programming as needed

EVENTS
Plan for several major kid-focused or family-focused events throughout the year, for example the annual family holiday party, Family Fun Day, a storytelling festival, and a Makers Faire.
Beginning at least six months in advance, conceive, design, plan and implement events from start to finish
Oversee event planning committee, staffed primary with volunteers
Develop and manage budget for each event
Collaborate with marketing staff to develop materials and a plan for marketing events
Identify potential collaborators for events and manage their participation
Recruit, schedule and manage volunteers to staff events

EXHIBITS
Coordinate “Local Traditions,” a new community-centric exhibit program. Local Traditions is an outreach program designed to document contemporary history and involve the community in the creation of new exhibits.
Conduct outreach into community to build interest and identify participants/partners
Work with community members to document their stories
Identify artifacts for inclusion in exhibits
Work with volunteers to help facilitate various parts of this program, such as research and writing of exhibit script
Work with staff curator and contractual exhibit designer for exhibit installation
Oversee installation
Collaborate with marketing staff to develop materials and a plan for marketing events

OTHER
Work to enhance the overall mission of the museum by working collaboratively with staff and volunteers. Other duties as assigned.

This is a fulltime position with somewhat flexible hours. Occasional evening and weekend hours may be required.

Necessary skills:
Bachelors degree required; masters preferred. Must be fluent in all Microsoft Office applications. Preferred experience working with databases. Highly organized and efficient with proven ability to manage multiple tasks and meet deadlines. Excellent writing and speaking skills. Professional demeanor and comfort interacting with the public and museum volunteers. Entrepreneurial approach to work. You must have a minimum of three years of paid experience in a related field as a minimum requirement.

To apply, send a cover letter, resume, and three professional references to aweiss@sandyspringmuseum.org. The deadline for applying is August 1, 2013 but applications will be reviewed as they come in, so you are encouraged to apply early.