Exploring ideas and engaging in conversation

Author: Darcy Foster (Page 2 of 4)

Jobs Round-up!

 Here are the jobs for the week of January 12th. Happy hunting! 

Northeast: 

Executive Director (Royall House & Slave Quarters, Medford, MA) 

Group Outreach Coordinator (Zoo New England, Boston, MA) 

Freedom Trail Office Coordinator (Freedom Trail Foundation, Boston, MA) 

Collections Photographer (Northeast Document Conservation Center, Andover, MA) 

 Project Assistant for the Summer Institute for Technical Studies (Harvard Art Museums, Cambridge, MA) 

Seasonal Assistant Education Manager – Edgartown (The Trustees of Reservations, Martha’s Vineyard, MA) 

Director of Digital Marketing – Boston (The Trustees of Reservations, Boston, MA) 

Gift Shop Supervisor (Old North Church & Historic Site, Boston, MA) 

Education Assistant, Studio Programs (The Institute of Contemporary Art, Boston, MA) 

 

 South: 

Director of Digital Programming (The National WWII Museum, New Orleans, LA) 

Curator (San Jacinto Museum of History, Harris County, TX) 

SEMC Executive Director (Southeastern Museums Conference, Atlanta, GA) 

Associate Director (NC African American Heritage Commission, Raleigh, NC) 

 

Midwest: 

Director of Development (Smart Museum of Art at the University of Chicago, Chicago, IL) 

Shop Manager (Illinois State Museum, Springfield, IL) 

Museum and Library Specialist (Wood Library-Museum of Anesthesiology (WLM), Schaumburg, IL) 

Operations Manager (Ellwood House Association, DeKalb, IL) 

Executive Director (Ephraim Historical Foundation, Ephraim, WI) 

Chief Program Officer (Wisconsin Historical Society, Madison, WI) 

Director of Education (Missouri Historical Society, St. Louis, MO) 

Museum Director (Johnson County Museum, Overland Park, KS) 

 

Mid-Atlantic: 

Administrator (Association of Art Museum Curators, New York, NY) 

Director of Education & Public Programs (The Olana Partnership, Hudson, NY) 

 

West: 

Senior Museum Technician (Santa Barbara Museum of Art, Santa Barbara, CA) 

Senior Philanthropy Office (San Jose Museum of Art, San Jose, CA) 

Museum Executive Director (Yellowstone Gateway Museum, Livingston, MT) 

Executive Director (World of Speed Motorsports Museum, Portland, OR) 

Exhibit Designer (Oregon Historical Society, Portland, OR) 

Registrar (Idaho State Historical Society, Boise, ID) 

Assistant Curator (The Brinton Museum, Big Horn, WY) 

Museum Coordinator (City and County of Broomfield, Broomfield, CO) 

A Few Events to Brighten Your Winter

John Singleton Copley, Paul Revere, 1768, Oil on canvas, Gift of Joseph W. Revere, William B. Revere and Edward H. R. Revere, Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, 30.781, photograph © 2019 Museum of Fine Arts, Boston

Despite the fact that the cold of New England lifted this past weekend, we’ve already returned to the more realistic January weather. Unfortunately, this is the time of year that most museums and historic sites start to see a big drop in numbers. The holiday season is over and with little visitation, some institutions need to close for the season or at least cut back on hours. However, there is some light at the end of the tunnel with these dreary days. Here are some exciting things happening in the area in the next few weeks: 

  • The Institute of Contemporary Art:  
    • Tschabalala Self: Out of Body is an upcoming art exhibition that will open on January 20th. This is Tschabalala’s biggest exhibition yet, featuring her “large-scale figurative paintings” that mesh a variety of techniques.  
    • Beyond Midnight: Paul Revere was organized by the American Antiquarian Society, and it goes into detail about the life of Paul Revere beyond just the famous ride he is known for. The exhibition will be split between the both museums listed here. It opens at the Concord Museum on February 14th and at the Worcester Art Museum on February 15th 
  • Museum of Science 
    • Dogs! A Science Tail opens on February 9thVisitors can investigate why humans and dogs have such a close bond and what it’s like to be in the life of a dog through hands-on activities 
  • In honor of Martin Luther King Jr. Day (Monday, January 20th), several Boston cultural institutions are offering free admission. They include: 
    • The Museum of Fine Arts, Boston 
    • Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum 
    • Zoo New England 
    • The Institute of Contemporary Art 

Tips for the Burned Out Museum Professional

Hopefully, everyone had a relaxing holiday weekend! This week I’m tying in some ideas that I’ve been mulling over since the 101st NEMA conference. The theme was “What’s in it for Me?” and the answer isn’t always clear in our field that has low pay, large workloads, and understandably, a high burnout rate. But hopefully, some of the tips below will be of some use to you: 

  • Objects – What made you join this field? What part of museums drew you in? For many people I’ve talked to, the objects were the key factor that pulled them to museum work. Whether it was an old teapot or an abstract painting, our connection with the “stuff” is what drew us in. While at the NEMA conference, I had the pleasure of attending a session run by Rainey Tisdale and Marieke Van Damme, where we focused on the pieces of joy that could be added to museum work (if you want to look further into this, definitely check out Joyful Museums). One of their suggestions that caught me off guard was the ability to have access to the collection. It’s simple, and yet, I had never realized that I felt detached from the objects that I work around every day. I can imagine that that feeling is increased when one works in a position that doesn’t visit the galleries on a daily basis. Tisdale and Van Damme suggested ready-only access to the collections database for all employees as a possible solution. To take that idea a little further, museums could even host a close-looking activity once a month. Allow all staff members to vote on which object they want to see up-close and then pull it out of storage for everyone to see. This is a cheap and fun activity that is likely to remind staff members why they entered the field to begin with.  
  • “Protecting your ‘yeses’” – Honestly, this is a tip that I got from an inspirational planner last year, and I pretty much haven’t stopped thinking about it since. It’s become a mantra of sorts because I hate saying no to people and always want to prove myself as a capable coworker, employee, and emerging professional. However, overworking myself is not the answer. I think this is a common problem in a field where there is rarely money to hire enough people, the workforce is mostly women, and the employees are passionate about what they do. However, viewing my “yeses” as a thing that I am giving to people has helped me to scale back my workload a bit. Of course, there are always instances where its crunch time, and there’s no option except to work through my exhaustion. But the mindset that you are saving your ‘yeses’ for a few projects or events that you’re really passionate about rather than having a hand in a bit of everything can save you from that guilty feeling of not doing enough. 
  • Identify your needs – This one might seem a bit obvious, but at the Education Professional Affinity Group (PAG) lunch, we did an activity that involved writing down your needs as an employee, a coworker, a museum professional, and an individual. Often, I complain that I don’t have enough of a work/life/school balance but putting my needs into such defined categories was helpful to understand where my problems lie. Of course, sometimes our needs transcend categories and that’s okay too but being able to see where my needs as a coworker differ from my needs as an employee is a great way to sort through what my goals are and how to ask for them.  

There are so many more ways to handle burnout! If you’re looking to do your own research on it, AAM published a blog post in 2017 about why museum professionals are Leaving the Field. One of the best ways to prevent burnout across the field is by sharing tips and strategies that have worked for you! So, we want to know: what ways have you prevented or improved symptoms of burnout?  

Weekly Jobs Roundup

Happy hunting! 

South: 

Curator (San Jacinto Museum of History, Harris County, Texas) 

Digital Content Strategist (Amon Carter Museum of American Art, Fort Worth, TX) 

Assistant Curator (Telfair Museums, Savannah, GA) 

Museum Diversity Fellow – Museum Education (Reynolds House Museum of American Art, Winston Salem, NC) 

Deputy Director (Kentucky Historical Society, Frankfort, KY) 

Director of Education and Public Programs (Oklahoma Contemporary Arts Center, Oklahoma City, OK) 

Midwest: 

Operations Director (The Rabbit Hole, North Kansas City, MO) 

Director of Learning and Engagement (Contemporary Art Museum St. Louis, MO) 

Manager, Digital Media (The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, Kansas City, MO) 

Deputy Director (Carl & Marilyn Thoma Art Foundation, Chicago, IL) 

Advancement Director (Illinois State Museum, Springfield, IL) 

Volunteer and Outreach Coordinator (McHenry County Historical Society, Union, IL) 

Registrar (Ulrich Museum of Art Wichita State University, Witchita, KS) 

Docent and School Programs Manager (The Toledo Museum of Art, Toledo, OH) 

Interpretive Planner (The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH) 

Public Education Fellow (History Museum at the Castle, Appleton, WI) 

Mid-Atlantic: 

Curator of Digital Projects (Smithsonian’s Arts + Industries Building, Washington, DC) 

Adult & Family Programs Coordinator (National Law Enforcement Museum, Washington, DC) 

Curator (National Law Enforcement Museum, Washington, DC) 

Library Collections Curator (Virginia Museum of History & Culture, Richmond, VA) 

President and CEO (Science History Institute, Philadelphia, PA) 

Executive Director (Schwenkfelder Library & Heritage Center, Pennsburg, PA) 

Executive Director (Sewickley Valley Historical Society, Sewickley, PA) 

Executive Director (Roebling Museum, Roebling, NJ) 

Museum/Historic Site Interpreter (Delaware Division of Historical and Cultural Affairs, New Castle, DE) 

Northeast: 

James Nachtwey Archive Fellow (Hood Museum of Art, Dartmouth, Hanover, NH) 

Assistant/Associate Curator of Education (Williams College, Williamstown, MA) 

Museum Development Director (Somerville Museum, Somerville, MA) 

Gift Shop Supervisor (Old North Church & Historic Site, Boston, MA) 

Director of Recreational Enterprises (The Trustees of Reservations, Boston, MA) 

Director of Development (The Bostonian Society, Boston, MA) 

Executive Director (Webb-Deane-Stevens Museum, Wethersfield, CT) 

Head of Design (Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY) 

Registrar and Collections Manager (Vassar College, Poughkeepsie, NY) 

Assistant Curator of Exhibitions and Programs (Katonah Museum of Art, Katonah, NY) 

West: 

Curator of Contemporary Art (Colorado Springs Fine Arts Center at Colorado College, Colorado Springs, CO) 

Curator (US Olympic & Paralympic Museum, Colorado Springs, CO) 

 Education Specialist (Idaho State Historical Society, Boise, ID) 

Director of Development (Tacoma Art Museum, Tacoma, WA) 

Development Officer (The Getty, Los Angeles, CA) 

Volunteer Manager (Oakland Museum of California, Oakland, CA) 

Head of Conservation (Asian Art Museum, San Francisco, CA) 

Senior Membership Coordinator (The Walt Disney Family Museum, San Francisco, CA) 

Weekly Jobs Roundup!

Northeast: 

Head of Visitor Experience and Services (Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of Art, Hartford, CT) 

Education Program Director (Yale University, New Haven, CT) 

Special Assistant to the Director and Chief Curator (Rose Art Museum at Brandeis University, Waltham, MA) 

Senior Preparator (Colby College Museum of Art, Waterville, ME) 

Development Manager (Tower Hill Botanic Garden, Boylston, MA) 

Engineering Education Associate I (Museum of Science, Boston, MA) 

Live Animal Curator (Museum of Science, Boston, MA) 

Associate Director, Donor Relations (Museum of Science, Boston, MA) 

Production Manager/Audio Specialist (The Institute of Contemporary Art, Boston, MA) 

Associate Registrar (The Institute of Contemporary Art, Boston, MA) 

Prospect Research Manager (Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, Boston, MA) 

Assistant Preparator/Collections Care Specialist (Wellesley College, Wellesley, MA) 

South: 

Executive Director (Museum of Texas Tech University, Lubback, TX) 

Senior Curator (The Chinati Foundation, Marfa, TX) 

Conservator (Vizcaya Museum and Gardens, Miami, FL) 

Chief Curator (Perez Art Museum Miami, FL) 

Corfrin Curator of Asian Art (Harn Museum of Art, Gainesville, FL) 

Curatorial Assistant (Cummer Museum of Art & Gardens, Jacksonville, FL) 

State Museum of History Associate Director (North Carolina Museum of History, Raleigh, NC) 

Curator of Education, Engagement, and Learning (Jule Collins Smith Museum of Fine Art at Auburn University, Auburn, AL) 

Director of Customer Success, Exhibits and Environments (Solomon Group, New Orleans, LA) 

West: 

Curator of Education & Exhibits (Grace Hudson Museum & Sun House, Ukiah, CA) 

Vice President, Education and Engagement (San Diego Natural History Museum, San Diego, CA) 

Departmental Curatorial Assistant (Santa Barbara Museum of Art, Santa Barbara, CA) 

Registrar and Exhibitions Manager (Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, San Francisco, CA) 

Archivist/Research Historian (Lane County Historical Society, Eugene, OR) 

Non-Profit Partner Executive Director (Fort Collins Museum of Discovery, Fort Collins, CO) 

Associate Director (The Getty, Los Angeles, CA) 

Manager of Campus Partnerships (Stanford University, Stanford, CA) 

Manager of Exhibitions and Publications (Frye Art Museum, Seattle, WA) 

Mid-Atlantic: 

Historic Site Manager (The Maryland National Capital Park and Planning Commission, Rockville, MD) 

Education Program Manager (The Maryland National Capital Park and Planning Commission, Rockville, MD) 

Executive Director (Lee-Fendall House Museum & Garden, Alexandria, VA) 

Special Events Manager (Army Historical Foundation, Fort Belvoir, VA) 

Librarian (Baltimore Museum of Art, Baltimore, MD) 

Director, University Galleries (Montclair State University, Montclair, NJ) 

Director of Development (Woodlawn Conservancy, NY) 

Exhibit Developer/Project Manager (The Wild Center, Tupper Lake, NY) 

Collections Associate (Vassar College, Poughkeepsie, NY) 

Associate Registrar and Coordinator for Exhibitions (Vassar College, Poughkeepsie, NY) 

Curator of Jewish Culture/Judaica (The Jewish Museum, New York, NY) 

Relationship Manager (Carnegie Museums of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA) 

Midwest: 

Curator and Collections Manager (The History Center, Cedar Rapids, IA) 

Executive Director (Rocky Mount Historical Association, Piney Flats, TN) 

Collections Manager (First Division Museum at Cantigny Park, Wheaton, IL) 

Executive Director (Ephraim Historical Foundation, Ephraim, WI) 

Community Arts Program Director (John Michael Kohler Arts Center, Sheboygan, WI) 

Executive Director (Ohr-O’Keefe Museum of Art, Biloxi, MS) 

Curator (Cleveland Clinic Art Program, Cleveland, OH) 

Deputy Director for Curatorial Affairs and Curator of Modern/Contemporary Art (University of Michigan Museum of Art, Ann Arbor, MI) 

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