Teaching Artist

Job Description Department: Museum Linde Family Foundation School and Teacher Programs -JM Pay Rate Type: Hourly Employee Type: Job Summary Art making is a vital part of the Museum’seducational mission of transforming lives through art. ColbyCollege Museum of Art Teaching Artists report to the LInde FamilyFoundation Senior Coordinator of School and Teacher Programs, andcollaborate on specific programs with other education departmentstaff. Teaching Artists work with the Linde Family FoundationSenior Coordinator of School and Teacher Programs to develop andteach age-appropriate, curriculum-based studio art activities forvisiting schoolchildren and families. Teaching Artists work closelywith the Museum’s staff to support visits by roughly 3,000 Maineschool children each academic year. They also work with the MirkenCoordinator of Campus and Community Collaboration to lead campusand community partnership programs for a wide variety of ages, bothonsite and at offsite locations. Teaching Artists play a criticalrole in creating a dynamic, positive, welcoming, and enrichingexperience for visitors, in collaboration with museum staff andvolunteers.

THE MUSEUM AND ITS MISSION

Located in Waterville, Maine, the Colby Museum opens access to artand artists for the Colby community, for Maine residents andvisitors, and for audiences beyond, creating a forum forexperimentation, research, dialogue, and connection. We grow anduse our stellar collection in ways that activate the power of artto expand imagination and forge new connections, fostering a moreopen, creative, and compassionate society. We teach to inspire andopen possibilities, so that students at Colby and other visitorscan become more curious, nimble, and able to contribute within achanging world, in keeping with Colby’s dynamic liberal artsmission. We incubate art scholarship and practice in ways thatexplore and expand how the idea of America is understood and howart is made, interpreted, and shared. We do so by supporting newresearch, providing mentorship, and convening a diversity of peopleand perspectives. The Lunder Institute for American Art and ourexhibitions, programs, and publications facilitate field-wideimpact. We are committed to our audiences, including the ColbyCollege community, residents of Waterville and the broader Maineregion, national and international visitors, and the artists,scholars, and partners with whom we collaborate. Essential Functions Teach hands-on art lessons and lead art-making activities in the Museum’s Mirken Education Center, with the goal of engagingparticipants in activities that ask them to make connections totheir art-looking (gallery) experience and to think like artists -making choices and developing their art-making skills and techniques. Under the direction of the Linde Family Foundation SeniorCoordinator of School and Teacher Programs, develop studio lessonplans that meet curricular goals, incorporate inclusive teachingpractices, and advance the mission of the museum. Under the direction of the Education and Engagement staff, develop art-making activities for community partnership programs, both onsite and at offsite locations, with the understanding thatthe projects need to work for a variety of ages and incorporateinclusive teaching practices. This may include outreach programs,open studio time, co-curricular activities, and other outreachprograms. Assist other departments as needed and assigned. Track progress, achievements, and challenges, and share withmuseum staff. Work cooperatively with fellow Education staff, and othermuseum colleagues to ensure that everyone feels welcome, respected,creative, and energized. Prepare and organize materials; including making studio artmaterials lists in collaboration with museum staff. Maintain clean equipment and a tidy studio space, reporting anyissues to the education and engagement department Attend regular training sessions. Position Qualifications Education and/or experience: High school diploma or equivalent required; professionalcoursework or post-secondary education are a plus A strong artistic background combined with the ability totranslate that into effective and engaging lessons for differentage groups. Proficient with a variety of art media and techniques that areappropriate for K-12 students or having demonstrated a willingnessto learn. Knowledge of and curiosity about artistic traditions and arthistory. Strong oral communication, interpersonal, and publiccommunication skills to interact with all levels of visitors,staff, and trustees. Excellent verbal and written communication skills, with the ability to complete clear, concise, and accurate reports and otherdocumentation. Highly motivated, flexible, and comfortable with allaudiences. Strong attention to detail and problem solving skills with the ability to handle situations with tact and diplomacy. Able to work independently as well as in a team, exercisejudgment, establish priorities, and complete projects with minimalsupervision and to adjust as new projects are assigned. Proficiency with Microsoft Office Suite (e.g. Word, Excel) andGoogle Suite (e.g., Mail, Calendar, Docs, Sheets, and Slides);proficiency and/or ability to learn Airtable, Adobe Creative Suite,EventBrite, SurveyMonkey, Workday, and others specific to ColbyCollege. Physical/Mental Demands To successfully perform the essential functions of thisposition, an employee must be able to maintain appropriateconfidentiality with regard to employee data, documents, issues,etc., and respect privacy needs of employees and past employeeswith regard to the same. The ability to comply with highly inflexible deadlines isrequired to successfully perform the essential functions of thisposition; there will be multiple occurrences of sudden, urgent taskcompletion required. There may be occurrences of employees, past employees, membersof the general public, and others who express opinions, may exhibitstrong emotions, which will require the employee to interactprofessionally, diplomatically, and appropriately in suchsituations. While performing the essential duties of this position, anemployee would frequently be required to move around the officespace as well as within hallways, meeting rooms, and other parts ofthe campus facilities. There may be multiple/daily instances of prolonged personalcomputer use which would include keyboard and/or mouse usage aswell as viewing a computer monitor. An employee must frequently lift and/or move up to 10 poundsand occasionally lift and/or move up to 35 pounds to performessential position functions. Specific vision abilities required by this position include close vision, distance vision, and ability to adjust focus. The overall work environment requires the mental ability to shift focus quickly due to interruptions; an employee must be ableto mentally track multiple projects and tasks as well. The noise level in the work environment is usually moderate;however, there may be unexpected instances of somewhat loudsounds. #J-18808-Ljbffr The Chronicle Of Higher Education, Inc.