Downtown Gallery Assistant (Part-Time)

Job Summary

The downtown gallery assistant position at Colby College Museum of Art provides a positive and welcoming presence for visitors of all ages at the museum’s Joan Dignam Schmaltz Gallery, located in the Paul J. Schupf Art Center, located in downtown Waterville, Maine. In addition to being the museum’s primary day-to-day presence in the space to welcome and support public visitors to the gallery, the downtown gallery assistant is also responsible for ensuring smooth logistical and administrative operations as well as effective adherence to security and safety protocols in the space. The successful candidate will work under the direction of the Museum’s Learning and Engagement Coordinator and also will work closely with the museum security manager and members of the engagement team. This position is up to 20 hours per week that will require work on weekends and evenings, reflective of operating and programmatic hours. The ideal candidate will be punctual, friendly, detail oriented, and adaptable to changing situations. This person should feel comfortable asking questions in order to prioritize a wide variety of tasks.

THE MUSEUM AND ITS MISSION

Located in Waterville, Maine, the Colby Museum opens access to art and artists for the Colby community, for Maine residents and visitors, and for audiences beyond, creating a forum for experimentation, research, dialogue, and connection. We grow and use our stellar collection in ways that activate the power of art to expand imagination and forge new connections, fostering a more open, creative, and compassionate society. We teach to inspire and open possibilities, so that students at Colby and other visitors can become more curious, nimble, and able to contribute within a changing world, in keeping with Colby’s dynamic liberal arts mission. We incubate art scholarship and practice in ways that explore and expand how the idea of America is understood and how art is made, interpreted, and shared. We do so by supporting new research, providing mentorship, and convening a diversity of people and perspectives. The Lunder Institute for American Art and our exhibitions, programs, and publications facilitate field-wide impact. We are committed to our audiences, including the Colby College community, residents of Waterville and the broader Maine region, national and international visitors, and the artists, scholars, and partners with whom we collaborate.

Essential Functions

• Offer a positive and welcoming presence for visitors of all ages at the museum’s Joan Dignam Schmaltz Gallery of Art, providing excellent customer service and informational assistance related to exhibitions and programs in the museum’s gallery and the Schupf Art Center.
• Monitor activity in the gallery and ensure that all visitors adhere to museum protocols and policies.
• Maintain an alertness for unusual or suspicious activity and deal with various levels of incidents as necessary, including first response in an emergency; report security violations and write incident reports when necessary.
• Serve as a liaison and primary point of contact to the Schupf Art Center’s building manager to ensure smooth operation of gallery space and report any facility-related needs or emergencies, keeping the museum’s security manager and deputy director informed and/or seeking additional guidance when issues arise.
• Work closely with learning and engagement staff on logistics for public and academic programs in downtown gallery, communicating and sharing information with internal stakeholders; preparing resources; and tracking visitor information.
• Assist in program execution by providing logistical support as needed towards setting up event spaces and communicating with guests, visitors, and colleagues. This includes evening and weekend events.
• Contribute to a hospitable environment for guest speakers, tour groups, and pre K-12 groups by assisting with logistical arrangements, and attending to speakers; and school visit needs during their visit to the gallery.
• Provide logistical support for downtown programs, workshops, and training sessions that involve community members , students, teaching artists, interns, and other student workers.
• Participate in regular meetings with engagement colleagues at the museum and Waterville Creates partners downtown to maintain effective communication and coordination of operations and events at the Schupf Art Center.
• Assist the Mirken Director of Learning and Engagement and Mirken Coordinator of Campus and Community Collaboration with special projects as needed; work could include data compilation and preparation for grant reports, presentations, updating documents for internal stakeholders, material preparation for programs, and other needs as assigned.
• Support the engagement team with administrative office tasks, which includes ensuring office and artmaking supplies and interpretive elements for the gallery are fully stocked and in good working order.
• Support the work of the engagement team through the use of software, data management, and registration tools.

Position Qualifications

Education and/or experience:

• High school diploma or equivalent required; professional coursework or post-secondary education are a plus
• Three or more years of previous professional experience
• Relevant engagement and/or administrative experience preferred
• Highly motivated, flexible, and comfortable with all audiences
• Unwavering commitment to fostering an antiracist, equitable work environment supportive of people from different cultures, backgrounds, and life paths
• Outstanding interpersonal, and organizational skills, with a high level of motivation and initiative
• Attention to detail and accuracy are critical
• Excellent verbal and written communications skills, with the ability to complete clear, concise, and accurate incident reports and other documentation
• Experience in a professional environment, able to work collaboratively within a team and a diverse organization and to collaborate effectively with students, faculty, art center and community partners
• Able to work independently as well as in a team, exercise judgment, establish priorities, and complete projects with minimal supervision and to adjust as new projects are assigned
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office Suite (e.g. Word, Excel) and Google 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 Colby College.