Museum Educator: Children and Family Programs [Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art, Kansas City, MO]

Description

Position Summary

Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art seeks a dynamic, experienced museum education professional with a passion for teaching and learning, working with young people, building strong relationships with teachers, administrators, volunteers and the public, and with a strong interest in art.

The Museum Educator: Children and Family Programs supports the Kemper Museum’s mission statement, curatorial vision, and the education department’s strategic initiative to provide meaningful, innovative, and engaging educational programs that promote knowledge, understanding, and appreciation for modern and contemporary art.  The position is primarily responsible for managing children and family public programs and developing interpretive materials for the permanent collection and special exhibitions.

This responsibility includes the development, presentation and evaluation of school and public programs to meet professional standards and local audience needs. Programs are presented on weekdays, evenings and weekends. This individual reports to the Executive Director.

The Museum Educator: Children and Family Programs must have excellent inter-personal and problem-solving skills, complete responsibilities with minimum supervision, and meet established deadlines in a fast-paced team environment.

The ideal candidate would have experience coordinating and implementing summer camps, public programs and special events. Must possess excellent interpersonal skills to communicate with all levels of employees, agencies and the general public.

Major Responsibilities

Museum Educator: Children and Family Programs

• Develop all aspects of activities and support for Family Days, including developing a specific program or activity and establishing needed materials.
• Administer and possibly be an instructor for No Boundaries Teen Initiative, a dynamic program for 13-15 year olds held at Kemper at the Crossroads.
• Develop and implement ArtReach, a collaborative program with KU Medical Center’s Center for Child Health and Development.
• Develop and implement various community outreach programs including KU Medical Center’s Educare – Project Eagle.
• Develop and implement Scavenger Saturday, TOTs on Tuesday, Homeschool (Fine Art Friday) and Girl Scout Programs to connect to art on view.
• Develop content and curriculum for spring break and summer Camp Kemper programs connecting to art on view.
• Plan and implement community involvement with the Museum, such as visiting performances and visiting artists programs.
• Teacher Resource Materials
  • Create teacher resource and pre- and post-visit materials that are in alignment with Kansas, Missouri, and National Education Standards
  • Create and execute teacher workshops
  • Attend and participate in Missouri Art Education Association Conferences and Pre-Conferences
  • Keep informed of regional and national arts advocacy to promote museum experience with educators and school district supervisors
  • Attend conferences related to Museum Education, Museum Administration, and Arts-related topics.

Interpretive Materials

• Develop and implement interpretive materials for special exhibitions and permanent collection, including the Art(Full) Bag, Family Gallery Guides, Art Carts, and self-guided artist information for all ages.  The scope of this responsibility spans programming, contributes to content of the docent program, and teacher resources.
• Art Carts are a new big-picture project for the museum; pre-research has been completed; execution of design still to be completed.

Department Administration

• Manage the department budget for programs under purview.
• Manage contracts and administrative needs for relevant education department programs and events under purview.
• Set yearly strategic goals for the Education Department’s programs and update achievements on the Kemper Museum’s strategic plan document.
• Write educational grant components as needed.
• Maintain membership in appropriate educational organizations such as the National Art Education Association, Missouri Art Education Association, American Association of Museums, or the Volunteer Committees of Art Museums.
• Provide Visitor’s Services Desk with copies of self-guided educational materials.
• Develop and implement annual contract teacher and volunteer training for all educational programs.
• Actively seek opportunities to benchmark other institutions and gain knowledge of applicable information.

Requirements

Job Specifications

The ideal candidate will be a dynamic teacher with experience teaching in a museum, a Master’s degree in Museum Education or related field, a minimum of 5 years relevant professional experience in a museum, and experience in developing public programs for children and families. He/she will be a team player with excellent interpersonal, oral and written communication skills, strong organization skills, creative and flexible thinking and an ability to work independently.

• Preference given to Masters degree or Masters-in-progress in Art Education, Art History, or Museum Studies.
• Three to five years of museum education experience required; previous experience with docents and volunteers preferred.
• Must be proficient in Mac OS and Microsoft Office Suite.
• Must be available to work evenings and weekends as education programs may dictate.

Please submit a cover letter along with your salary requirement, resume, and 3 professional references to employment@kemperart.org.  Materials will be reviewed as they are received.  No telephone calls please.

You may also mail application materials to:

Diane Lambert

HR Manager

Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art

4420 Warwick Boulevard