Employment Opportunity with the Washington County Museum of Fine Arts

Inventory Assistant (Part-Time, Temporary)

Background

The Washington County Museum of Fine Arts is conducting a collections inventory project of its over 7,000 works of art, including significant holdings of European and American art dating from the 16^th century to the present, Asian and African Art, and decorative arts. The inventory will allow the Museum to provide better access to its collections for citizens of the region, artists, area collectors, community educators, students and scholars. 

Established in 1931, the Washington County Museum of Fine Arts (WCMFA) is dedicated to collecting, preserving and interpreting works of art for the people of Washington County and citizens from the four-state region. The WCMFA has been recognized as one of the finest small museums in the United States. Accredited by the American Association of Museums, the Museum offers studio art courses, lectures, concerts, and exhibitions from its permanent collection and traveling shows.

Description

The Washington County Museum of Fine Arts (WCMFA) seeks a qualified and motivated individual to assist with the hands-on activities of a complete art collection inventory funded through a grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS). The collection inventory is scheduled to conclude in July 2014.

Duties & Responsibilities

Working with the Washington County Museum of Fine Arts staff, the Inventory Assistant will assist with art handling and moving, verifying and supplementing the information about the art objects as compared to the collections database, photographing objects, batch processing and uploading images, and batch data entry from inventory sheets. 

Qualifications

·         Bachelor’s Degree preferred in art history, studio art, museum studies, or other related field and/or a minimum of two (2) years experience conducting museum collection inventories.

• Demonstrated, practical knowledge of collections management policies and procedures.
• Knowledge of fine art photography.
• Knowledge of museum registration methods, collections management practices, and object handling.

·         Familiarity with major word processing and database software packages, especially Past Perfect Museum Software. Knowledge of Past Perfect-Online software is a plus.

·         Ability to work harmoniously and effectively with others, independently as well as part of a team and to exercise discretion, initiative, and judgment.

• Attention to detail.
• Ability to stand for prolonged periods, reach, step on step stools/ladders, push and pull shipping/packing crates, and carry artwork and artifacts weighing up to fifty (50) pounds.

Schedule

Position is IMLS grant funded and begins immediately and concludes July 2014. This position is not eligible for benefits.

Apply

For consideration, please send a resume and contact information for three professional references with “Inv Assistant, Tracking #2, your first and last name” written in the subject line to: info@wcmfa.org.

Closing Date: June 1, 2014

The Washington County Museum of Fine Arts is an Equal Opportunity Employer and a Drug and Alcohol-Free Workplace. The Museum requires selected candidates to be subjected to an investigative background report.

Research Request

A graduate student in the Museum Exhibition Planning and Design program at the University of the Arts in Philadelphia, PA named Leah Berg is working on her thesis,

"which looks at how historic house museums are using dynamic interpretation within the house's context to help create evocative experiences that will feel authentic through the use of real human stories, while engaging visitors through all of their senses and provoking their imagination."

She is conducting a survey to ascertain what and how historic house museums are implementing these design strategies in their institutions: 

https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/9VJBB9H

Employment Opportunity: Executive Director at Woman Made Gallery

Description

Founded in 1992, Woman Made Gallery (WMG) is a non-profit organization in Chicago whose Mission is to “support, cultivate and promote the diverse contributions of women in the arts through exhibitions and other programs that serve, educate and enrich the community.” We accomplish our mission through curated and themed exhibitions as well as community-specific and public art initiatives that boost the capacity, diversity, voice and position of women artists in Chicago and beyond.

The Board of WMG is seeking a dynamic and experienced leader to serve as our new Executive Director, building on the legacy of our co-founder and current Executive Director, Beate Minkovski, who is retiring in 2014. Recognized as a precedent setting arts organization, WMG provides innovative programs and services to women artists, educators, youth and communities, and works in collaborative partnerships with other organizations in ways that broaden and deepen our mission.

The Executive Director serves as the chief executive and operating officer of WMG, working closely with and reporting to the Board of Directors. The Executive Director directs and administers all programs, operations and policies, leads fundraising, and supervises a small corps of part-time staff, consultants, contractors and volunteers. The Board of Directors has subcommittees which support and work with the Gallery staff in the following areas: Programming, Marketing, Annual Gala organizing and Finance.

Qualifications

college degree is required and a Master’s degree in a relevant field is a plus.

There are 3 critical experiences we need in some combination:

1) At least 10 years of senior leadership experience in a public or private, for-profit or nonprofit organization in a role including financial responsibilities
2) Significant experience in the arts —such as being a professional artist, working in a gallery, and/or having an arts degree and otherwise remaining active in the arts world
3) Experience in a nonprofit organization as a leader, Board member, or very active, knowledgeable and engaged volunteer. The successful candidate must have relevant experience in all 3 areas of leadership, arts and nonprofit.

Prior experience as Executive Director is preferred, although experience in a less senior leadership role (for example, a #2 person) in larger nonprofits/galleries will also be considered.

Other Qualifications:

-Knowledge of the arts and arts education communities.
-Proven record as a successful fundraiser.
-Facile with social media and technology.
-Outstanding written, oral and interpersonal communication skills.
-Strong planning, organizational and analytical skills.
-Ability to positively motivate and develop staff, board, and volunteers and build consensus.
-Visionary and innovative thinker.
-Ability to work collaboratively with all sectors of the community, the Board of Directors and staff.
-Ability to lift more than 40 lbs and manage physical maintenance and guest experience in our multi-level gallery.
-Personally competent with Microsoft office products, particularly Word and Excel, with a preference for knowledge of Quickbooks or other small business management software.

How to Apply

The Board of Directors of WMG has appointed a transition team, a subcommittee of the Board, to find qualified candidates for our new Executive Director. Qualified candidates may submit a current resume, together with a cover letter that succinctly articulates the link between interest and past experience with the Executive Director position responsibilities to resumes@womanmade.org.

Submissions without the required cover letter will not be considered. Candidates will be considered on a first come, first served basis.

WMG is an Equal Opportunity Employer. Successful finalists will be required to participate in a background screening including employment, criminal and credit verifications.