901837

Museum Ambassador

Museum of Art

Level B (Skilled)

Primary Purpose: The Museum Ambassadors Program (MAP) trains Middlebury College students to lead in-person and virtual tours of the Middlebury College Museum of Art. Museum Ambassadors provide valuable community service as they engage school, college, and adult audiences in dialogue about art from the Museum’s permanent collection and special exhibitions. They also contribute to projects that help make the Museum’s collections, exhibitions, and programs more accessible to all visitors.

Museum Ambassadors attend weekly training sessions where they study and practice a variety of styles of museum education and read about/discuss diversity, equity, access, and inclusion in contemporary museum practice. Special emphasis is placed on peer-to-peer learning, but art historians, museum professionals, and other experts may periodically visit these sessions to offer additional context. In addition, students gain useful skills and knowledge in areas that may include community engagement, public speaking, childhood development, working with ageing populations, accessibility, and public programming.

Through their insights and work contributions, Museum Ambassadors are invaluable partners on the journey to making the Middlebury College Museum of Art more diverse, equitable, accessible, inclusive, and welcoming to the widest possible range of in-person and virtual visitors.

Please note: Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, interactions with school-age audiences may be limited in the 2021-22 academic year. Museum Staff hope that school and family programs will feature more prominently in future years.

NOTE: Due to the Museum’s strict insurance policies, all offers of employment are contingent upon a candidate’s successful completion of a criminal background check conducted by an independent agency.

Essential Functions:

• Attend mandatory weekly training sessions on Tuesdays during the academic year. Trainings will begin on Sept. 14, 2021. (Time TBD but tentatively from 4:30-6:00 PM.)
• Complete an additional 1-2 hours of work each week. This work may include completing assigned readings, researching works of art, preparing for tours, creating interpretive digital resources, and advancing accessibility initiatives. (See below for further details.)
• Lead in-person and digital tours of the museum’s permanent collection and special exhibitions at mutually agreed upon times (including on October 8 and 9 during Fall Family Weekend).
• Schedule 1-2 hours each week when you can be in the museum’s galleries to answer visitors’ questions. (This time will be dependent on your schedule, the museum’s hours, and public health guidelines.)
• Generate digital content to help contextualize artworks in the museum’s collection and special exhibitions. Resources may include (but are not limited to): blog posts, Instagram stories, thematic tours of the permanent collection for adults, and activities for children.
• Expand the museum’s accessibility offerings. This work may include (but is not limited to) writing verbal descriptions of works of art, editing interpretive labels for inclusive language, and generating large print labels.
• Hourly Commitment: 3.5-5.5 hours per week when classes are in session.

• Passion for social engagement.
• Strong interest in visual art.
• Commitment to promoting diverse and inclusive learning environments.
• Must be comfortable with public speaking in person and on camera (or willing to develop these skills).
• Strong research and writing skills.
• Must be excited to have conversations with museum visitors of all ages. Experience working with children and/or ageing populations is an asset.
• Background or interest in community organizing, community engagement, or Diversity, Equity, Accessibility, and Inclusion (DEAI) work is highly desirable.

• Students from all majors are encouraged to apply. (Coursework in Art History, Museum Studies, Studio Art, History, Disability Studies, or Education Studies is especially desirable.)
• Because of the time commitment of this program, students must have completed at least one semester at Middlebury in order to apply for MAP. We regret that First Years in their first semester are not eligible; we encourage you to apply for the 2022-2023 school year.

STU01449

Middlebury, VT Campus

Academic Year

09/14/2021

No

Special Instructions to applicants:

-Review of applications will begin on Sept. 1, 2021. Offers will be made to qualified candidates on a rolling basis until spaces are filled. -If selected, all applicants should be prepared to begin work on Tuesday, Sept. 14 at 4:30 PM.-Email Jason Vrooman with questions: jvrooman@middlebury.edu. In addition to a current résumé/CV, please submit the following materials in a single document:

1. Name
2. Pronouns (optional)
3. Date of Middlebury graduation (e.g. 2022.5)
4. Middlebury ID number
5. Middlebury College Box Number
6. Preferred email and telephone contact information
7. List of major(s) and minor(s) (indicating “intended” or “undeclared” as necessary)
8. Middlebury College Professor who can speak to your academic work and/or character
9. Optional Additional Academic or Professional Reference #1
10. Optional Additional Academic or Professional Reference #2
11. List of relevant classes (especially, but not limited to, courses in the following departments: History of Art and Architecture, Museum Studies, Education Studies, Studio Art, History, Religion, American Studies, Classics)
12. Optional additional relevant skills or experiences
13. Essays. Please offer a brief response to each of the following questions. Please answer each question in roughly 75–250 words; the content counts more than the length of your answers.

• Why do you want to be a Museum Ambassador?
• What relevant skills, unique perspectives, and/or knowledge (whether personal, professional, or academic) would you bring to the Museum Ambassadors Program?
• What role can/should museums play in today’s society?
• How do you think the Middlebury College Museum of Art can enhance our campus and local community? (Please feel free to offer specific programming ideas.)

https://middlebury.peopleadmin.com/postings/24109