Associate Director of Academic Engagement and Programs, Art Museum and Galleries

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Company: Washington and Lee University

The Art Museum and Galleries (AMG) at Washington and Lee University seeks an experienced and dynamic Associate Director of Academic Engagement and Programs (ADAP). This colleague will have a leading role in expanding the vision set forth in the museum’s 2021-2024+ Strategic Plan.

Reporting to the Director of AMG, the ADAP will integrate the fine and decorative art collections into the university’s curriculum and academic environment. They will develop strategies for collections engagement, assist with gallery and exhibition interpretation, and serve as the primary liaison with university faculty. The ADAP will facilitate collaborative endeavors, develop pedagogy, and lead programmatic strategies to support student and faculty engagement with the collections.

The ADAP will manage the development, implementation, and execution of diverse cross-disciplinary programs for W&L students, faculty, staff, the local community, and public visitors. These programs will leverage the AMG’s collections and exhibitions to foster shared learning and dialogue on contemporary issues. In this role, the ADAP will prioritize equity and inclusion, support W&L’s interdisciplinary teaching, learning, and research mission, and actively engage with the university community.

The ADAP is responsible for developing learning engagement strategies across multiple platforms, increasing faculty-student participation, and delivering relevant, engaging, and mission-driven experiences, both on-campus and online. They will play a critical role in making the Museums a site for creativity, critical thinking, curricular learning, and cultural engagement. Additionally, with the right qualifications, the ADAP may teach a course in the Cultural Heritage and Museum Studies minor.

The Museums at W&L are committed to the development of an inclusive environment and we strive to advance diverse perspectives and approaches in carrying out the mission of Washington and Lee University.

Visit jobs.wlu.edu to learn more about working at W&L, our benefits, community, and living in the area.

About Us:

Washington and Lee University is a small liberal arts college nestled in the Virginia mountains, with an undergraduate enrollment of approximately 1,860. W&L is the ninth-oldest college in the U.S. and a top-ranked private university. W&L is located in Lexington (pop. 7,000), a vibrant and picturesque town in Virginia’s Shenandoah Valley.

The Art Museum and Galleries at Washington and Lee University (AMG) consists of two sites, the Reeves Museum of Ceramics and Watson Galleries and three satellite galleries: the Washington Gallery, McCarthy Gallery, and Kamen Gallery. Its mission is to advance learning through direct engagement with the collections and facilitate an interdisciplinary appreciation of art, history, and culture. The AMG provides the campus and local community with opportunities to engage with a wide-ranging decorative and fine arts collection spanning centuries through exhibitions and programmatic offerings.

The art collection consists of 6,000 decorative arts and roughly 8,000 works of fine art from around the globe. It includes early American portraits by artists such as Charles Willson Peale and Gilbert Stuart, and a growing collection of 20th and 21st-century works by international artists, including Elizabeth Catlett, Fernando Botero, William Christenberry, Sam Gilliam, Sally Mann, and Andy Warhol. The art collection also includes Chinese fan paintings, 20th-century Chinese brush paintings, and Japanese woodblock prints.

The Reeves Museum of Ceramics contains three permanent galleries and one changing gallery that showcases one of the country’s finest collections of Chinese and Japanese export ceramics, including European, Asian, and American ceramics spanning some 4,000 years. The collection tells stories of history, design, technology, trade, and protest.

The Watson Galleries contain two changing galleries and the Senshin’an (洗心庵 or “Clearing-the-Mind Abode”), an authentic Japanese Tea Room. The Tea Room is open for viewing and offers public tea demonstrations throughout the year.

Essential Functions:

• Establish a long-range vision, annual goals, objectives, and priorities for the Academic and Engagement unit.
• Manage the strategic direction of the Academic and Engagement unit, ensuring alignment with museum and university strategic plans.
• Support the mission of the university and coordinate pathways for the academic community to connect with the collections in support of teaching and research by working closely with the Dean, faculty, and students to foster significant and sustained curricular engagement.
• Lead and supervise the design and implementation of academic and community programs to build audience participation, enhance visitor engagement and learning, and encourage repeat visitation.
• Direct the development of promotional materials for educational and programmatic initiatives.
• Develop university and public programs related to the collection and exhibitions.
• Engage W&L faculty to utilize the museum’s collection for research and teaching.
• Establish and oversee the docent program in partnership with Curatorial Affairs.
• Reimagine and advise the student museum group.
• Facilitate faculty research of the collections in support of courses, research, and class visits.
• Collaborate with curators on projects involving faculty, students, artists, guest scholars, and educators to develop lesson plans, training sessions, and new interpretive approaches.
• Provide input during the development of exhibitions, playing an active role in planning and developing educational and interpretive components.
• Assist curators with designing engaging interpretive materials and experiences such as texts, videos, audio, web content, response stations, participatory learning spaces, and other digital platforms.
• Demonstrate commitment to university DEIA initiatives and ensure that engagement and educational programming are welcoming, equitable, and accessible for all audiences.
• Recruit and supervise student employees and interns.
• Lead the development and implementation of creative educational and auxiliary programming for diverse audiences, including seminars, lectures, and workshops.
• Manage documentation and evaluation of museum visitation through programs and tours, including statistics and program evaluation.
• Integrate assessment tools, gather and analyze qualitative and quantitative data, and other engagement metrics for evaluations, board reports, and funding proposals.
• Identify funding opportunities for programs and unit staffing, draft grant proposals, develop and oversee portions of the annual budget in collaboration with the director, and track expenditures to ensure adherence to set goals.
• Participate in peer committees within the university and in the larger professional field.
• Collaborate with colleagues to support their work related to education and engagement.
• Represent the museum by participating in community building, presentations to VIPs and external stakeholders, donor development, public relations, and special events as needed.
• With appropriate qualifications, the ADAP may teach one three-credit bearing course annually in the interdisciplinary Cultural Heritage and Museum Studies minor. https://my.wlu.edu/art-and-art-history-department/cultural-heritage-and-museum-studies/cultural-heritage-and-museum-studies-minor-requirements
• Other related duties as assigned.

Minimum Qualifications:

• Master’s, MFA or Ph.D. in art history, museum studies, history, or related field.
• Five or more years of experience working in a museum or similar environment. Museum education experience is preferred.
• Experience supervising staff, students, and/or volunteers is preferred.
• Applied knowledge of professional museum principles, practices, and procedures.
• Knowledge of research tools and education methodology.
• Self-directed and motivated.
• Ability to interpret the collection and to communicate knowledge about it in a manner relevant to distinct audiences.
• Ability to engage and interpret scholarly research in the fields of museum and art education or informal learning.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills, strong interpersonal skills, emotional intelligence, cross-cultural competence, professionalism, and a demonstrated ability to work individually and in a team environment.

Minimum Pay: $71,762 – Salary commensurate with experience. Candidates with fewer years of experience/qualifications than those listed in the Minimum Qualifications may be considered for the role at the Assistant Director level with its corresponding pay grade.

Application Instructions:

Review of applications will begin October 8 and continue until the position is filled. Please upload a resume and cover letter in your application. You will be asked to provide names and contact information for three professional references.

Application instructions and information about Washington and Lee University can be located at jobs.wlu.edu.

Physical Requirements:

• Fingering: Picking, pinching, typing or otherwise working, primarily with fingers rather than with whole hand or arm as in handling.
• Grasping: Applying pressure to an object with the fingers and palm.
• Repetitive motions: Making substantial movements (motions) of the wrists, hands, and/or fingers.
• Walking: Moving about on foot to accomplish tasks, particularly for long distances or moving from one work site to another.

Working Conditions: The worker is not substantially exposed to adverse environmental conditions (as in typical office or administrative work).

Types of Work: Light work: Exerting up to 20 pounds of force occasionally, and/or up to 10 pounds of force frequently, and/or a negligible amount of force constantly to move objects. If the use of arm and/or leg controls requires exertion of forces greater than that for Sedentary Work and the worker sits most of the time, the job is rated for Light Work.

Position Type:

Exempt, Full Time, Benefit Eligible