"Teaching Artist"

Job Summary

Art making is a vital part of the Museum’s educational mission of transforming lives through art. Colby College Museum of Art Teaching Artists report to the Linde Family Foundation Senior Coordinator of School and Teacher Programs, and collaborate on specific programs with other education department staff. Teaching Artists work with the Linde Family Foundation Senior Coordinator of School and Teacher Programs to develop and teach age-appropriate, curriculum-based studio art activities for visiting schoolchildren and families. Teaching Artists work closely with the Museum’s staff to support visits by roughly 3,000 Maine school children each academic year. They also work with the Mirken Coordinator of Campus and Community Collaboration to lead campus and community partnership programs for a wide variety of ages, both onsite and at offsite locations. Teaching Artists play a critical role in creating a dynamic, positive, welcoming, and enriching experience for visitors, in collaboration with museum staff and volunteers.

Department

Museum Linde Family Foundation School and Teacher Programs - JM

Pay Rate Type

Hourly

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

• Teach hands-on art lessons and lead art-making activities in the Museum’s Mirken Education Center, with the goal of engaging participants in activities that ask them to make connections to their 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 Senior Coordinator of School and Teacher Programs, develop studio lesson plans that meet curricular goals, incorporate inclusive teaching practices, 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 that the projects need to work for a variety of ages and incorporate inclusive teaching practices. This may include outreach programs, open studio time, co-curricular activities, and other outreach programs.
• Assist other departments as needed and assigned.
• Track progress, achievements, and challenges, and share with museum staff.
• Work cooperatively with fellow Education staff, and other museum colleagues to ensure that everyone feels welcome, respected, creative, and energized.
• Prepare and organize materials; including making studio art materials lists in collaboration with museum staff.
• Maintain clean equipment and a tidy studio space, reporting any issues to the education and engagement department
• Attend regular training sessions.

Position Qualifications

Education and/or experience:

• High school diploma or equivalent required; professional coursework or post-secondary education are a plus
• A strong artistic background combined with the ability to translate that into effective and engaging lessons for different age groups.
• Proficient with a variety of art media and techniques that are appropriate for K-12 students or having demonstrated a willingness to learn.
• Knowledge of and curiosity about artistic traditions and art history.
• Strong oral communication, interpersonal, and public communication 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 other documentation.
• Highly motivated, flexible, and comfortable with all audiences.
• 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, 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.

Physical/Mental Demands

The physical demands and work environment characteristics described herein are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform essential functions of this position and/or may be encountered while performing essential functions. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

• To successfully perform the essential functions of this position, an employee must be able to maintain appropriate confidentiality with regard to employee data, documents, issues, etc., and respect privacy needs of employees and past employees with regard to the same.
• The ability to comply with highly inflexible deadlines is required to successfully perform the essential functions of this position; there will be multiple occurrences of sudden, urgent task completion required.
• There may be occurrences of employees, past employees, members of the general public, and others who express opinions, may exhibit strong emotions, which will require the employee to interact professionally, diplomatically, and appropriately in such situations.
• While performing the essential duties of this position, an employee would frequently be required to move around the office space as well as within hallways, meeting rooms, and other parts of the campus facilities.
• There may be multiple/daily instances of prolonged personal computer use which would include keyboard and/or mouse usage as well as viewing a computer monitor.
• An employee must frequently lift and/or move up to 10 pounds and occasionally lift and/or move up to 35 pounds to perform essential 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 able to 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 loud sounds.

To Apply:

Interested candidates should apply electronically by clicking the “Apply Now” button on the Colby College website. Please upload a cover letter and resume to your application.