Museum Educator Jobs

Carnegie Museum of Art creates experiences that connect people to art, ideas, and one another. Founded in 1895, Carnegie Museum of Art is arguably the first museum of contemporary art in the United States and the Pittsburgh region’s preeminent venue for presenting, collecting, preserving, and interpreting visual art. For 129 years, the museum has been committed to showcasing the art and artists of the current moment, while also building a vital archive of art from the past. Its collection of more than 110,000 objects encompasses a broad spectrum of visual arts with an emphasis on art, architecture, photography, and design from the 19th century to the present.

From its ambitious execution of the Carnegie International—the museum’s signature recurring exhibition of global contemporary art established in 1896—to compelling special exhibitions, programs, and publications, to the daily work of the entire organization, the museum seeks to build on its legacy of thought leadership through rigorous research, adventurous and artist-centered programming and partnerships, and forward-thinking contributions to museum discourse and practice. Through its artistic program, Carnegie Museum of Art frequently explores the role of art and artists in confronting key social issues of our time, combining and juxtaposing local and global perspectives. With its unique history and resources, Carnegie Museum of Art strives to be a leader in defining the role of art museums for the 21st century.

This Part-Time position is eligible for many of the Carnegie Museums' Benefits.

This is a union position.

The Museum Educator III work collaboratively with Education and Programs staff to design, implement and administer creative learning opportunities connecting art, artists and the museum to children, youth and families. Museum Educator III’s co-lead, design, and evaluate instruction for educational programs throughout the museum and offsite, such as summer camps, school programs, adult and family programs and community workshops, tours, and art classes. This position emphasizes relationship-building and requires prompt, friendly, accurate communication with program participants and coworkers.
Museum Educators are responsible for co- leading instruction for groups of 10-30 individuals, planning educational experiences based on program goals, lesson plans and other resources provided by CMOA Public Programs staff, and working collaboratively with a team of museum staff to deliver creative, multi-form, observation based, effective, engaging, and safe learning experiences.
Museum Educators work collaboratively and will give and receive constructive criticism with the goal of developing their pedagogy skills and creative practice, and the quality of museum educational experiences. This will be facilitated by participation in professional development workshops structured by CMOA Education and Public Programs.
Museum Educators are scheduled by program, availability, skill sets and teaching focus. Weekend and/or evening work may be required.
Museum Educators are responsible for building relationships with youth, families, and students and for working with a team of museum staff to deliver effective, engaging, and safe learning experiences.
Museum Educators will give and receive constructive criticism with the goal of developing their pedagogy skills and creative practice, continuously improving program quality and enhancing the visitor experience. This will be facilitated by participation in professional development structured by CMOA.
At the level 3, Museum Educators will be called upon more extensively to plan professional development activities for fellow Educators, to develop new programs, write curriculum materials and for shared use by CMOA Museum Educators while also working administratively on program organization and evaluation.

QUALIFICATIONS:EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE:

• Advanced degree in the art history, architectural design, creative art, or education or equivalent experience is preferred.
• More than 4 years of experience teaching at CMOA, in other informal settings, or external classroom teaching is required.
• Professional experience (including advanced, project-based, undergraduate coursework) in the art history, architectural design, creative arts, or education is preferred.
• Successful candidates will be asked to demonstrate their understanding of and participation in disciplinary inquiry in their field and creative learning and will be able to give examples of how they have facilitated teaching and learning with young people or adults.

KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS, AND ABILITIES:

• This position requires hands-on, dynamic and engaged individuals who are interested in learning and teaching about the processes, creation, and diverse histories of the art field, as well as the social and multi-cultural connections of art, artist and everyday life.
• Candidates must have successfully performed at the capacity of CMOA Museum Educator II or must have at least 4 years of prior teaching experience.
• Successful candidates will have consistently demonstrated their ability to apply their knowledge of art and CMOA’s exhibits and collections to guide student-directed inquiry, plan differentiated instruction, use authentic assessment and conducting learner-centered activities for large groups at CMOA or externally (determined by observation of teaching off-site or via an interview with a current or former supervisor who has observed candidate’s teaching extensively).
• Museum Educators must be comfortable adapting their approaches in a dynamic setting to meet the needs of visitors and program participants.

PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS:

• This position often requires constant mobility around the classroom and through museum exhibit halls for several hours at a time.
• If the person is not able to bend or lift items of 20 – 50 lbs., they must be willing to ask for assistance performing tasks that require these actions.

SCHEDULE:

• Museum Educator shifts are typically Monday, Wednesday, and Thursday 9:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m., Tuesday 10:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m., and Saturday 9:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.
• During Fall, Winter and Spring months with temporary full-time hours available June - August.
• Additional opportunities are available on and off-site as programming is added.

PRINICIPAL ACCOUNTABILITIES:
Leading instruction

• Working collaboratively with a team of educators, assistants, and volunteers to deliver effective, engaging, and safe learning experiences
• Applying knowledge of best practices to create welcoming, age-appropriate spaces where participants feel cared for and are excited to learn about art, creative design and one another.
• Designing and defining clear goals and creating opportunities for learners to receive feedback on progress towards goals
• Using a variety of strategies that engage diverse learners, including best practices for accessibility

Planning educational experiences based on resources provided by CMOA staff

• Creating lesson plans for personal use and facilitating communication with support staff and supervisor
• Collaborating with support staff to ensure that learning spaces and materials are prepared and returned before/after each program
• Coordinating with staff and volunteers to ensure that participants are greeted upon arrival and know what to do to get the program started
• For off-site programs, planning and preparation will include transportation of materials to the off-site location

Supporting efforts to create a safe environment for all people, facilities, and natural resources

• Following established procedures for safety, security, custodial, visitor service, and maintenance procedures. This includes providing clear safety expectations for participants in the context of educational activities.
• Using appropriate procedures in emergency situations
• Using appropriate reporting procedures for incidents and unexpected situations
• Ensuring that impact of educational activities on museum collections and exhibitions is minimized.
• Ensuring that environmental impact of educational activities is minimized.

Developing pedagogy skills through ongoing practice, reflection, and professional development structured by CMOA

• Attending CMOA Educator professional development meetings
• Modeling best-practices in teaching for newer educators
• Observing, analyzing and co-teaching with fellow CMOA educators
• Actively participate in annual review with supervisors
• Being observed by experienced CMOA educators

In addition, the following responsibilities may be assigned to museum educators on a case-by-case basis

• Developing and writing lesson plans that will be shared with other museum educators
• Creating educational materials (such as manipulatives, diagrams, posters, etc…)
• Writing descriptions for program brochures and online marketing
• Preparing materials for use in the classroom and cleaning up
• Developing pedagogy skills through ongoing practice, reflection, and professional development
• Other duties as assigned

The following PA Act 153 clearances, or proof of application of clearances, are required beginning employment and as a condition of continued employment: Pennsylvania Child Abuse History Clearance Pennsylvania State Police Criminal Record Check FBI Fingerprint Criminal Background Check Obtaining the required clearances is completed as part of the new hire process.

Carnegie Museums is an Equal Opportunity Employer

The above job description reflects the essential functions and qualifications for the position identified, and shall not be construed as a detailed description of all the work requirements that may be inherent in the position. The job description does not constitute an employment contract and does not alter the at-will relationship between CMP and the employee.

• GUIDANCE ON ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS: The Americans with Disabilities Act (“ADA”) requires employers to consider and accommodate qualified individuals with disabilities. An individual is qualified if he or she can perform the essential functions of a job with or without reasonable accommodation. An essential job function is any task that is a fundamental part of the job. When considering essentiality, one must focus upon whether the function is essential to this particular job and not to the department as a whole. Some additional guidance on essential functions follows below. Please note that the following guidelines are non-exhaustive. If you have any questions or need additional guidance, please contact Human Resources. A. Is the function required to be performed on a regular basis? If the function is rarely performed, it may not be essential. B. Is the function highly specialized? Is the incumbent hired for his/her expertise or ability to perform the function? The need for special expertise is an indication of an essential function. C. Does the position exist, at least in part, to perform the function? If so, the function is more likely to be essential. D. How much time is spent performing the function and how often? Note that even functions performed 10% of the time could be essential if they are required on a regular basis. E. Would elimination of the function fundamentally alter the job? If so, the function is more likely to be essential. F. What are the consequences of not requiring the incumbent to perform the function? If they are significant, the function is more likely to be essential. G. Are there a limited number of employees among whom the performance of the function could be distributed if the incumbent could not perform it? If so, it is more likely to be essential.