Available Positions
Position Title – Curator of African American History and Special Projects
Closes – August 13, 2021
Salary –$55,000 – $67,000
Job Type – Full-Time
Apply – Please send a cover letter, numeric salary requirements, CV/resume, three (3) examples of previous work on the topic of African American History, references to info@famcc.org with ‘Curator’ and your first and last name in the subject line. Incomplete application packet will not be considered. No phone calls please.
Summary – The Fredericksburg Area Museum (FAM) is seeking a Curator of African American History and Special Projects position that will be directly responsible for leading a citywide interpretive initiative for African American History in the City of Fredericksburg and at the Fredericksburg Area Museum.
Background
In 2017, the City of Fredericksburg engaged the International Coalition of Sites of Conscience in a year-long study to conduct an initiative to better understand the community’s telling of their African American history. In response to this study, and the decision by City Council to remove a slave auction block from the public right away, the Fredericksburg Area Museum seeks to identify a Curator of African American History & Cultural Heritage that can lead the community through a city-wide interpretive plan for African American history. This Curator will provide professional subject matter expertise on the public interpretation of African American history by developing, implementing, and monitoring an ongoing comprehensive program for the identification, recording, and interpretation of resources through a variety of media—onsite exhibits, museum exhibits, publications, and digital.
The position works under the supervision of the President and CEO.
Primary Duties include, but are not limited to:
- Create a strategic plan for the interpretive initiative for the City of Fredericksburg’s African American history.
- Lead the development and implementation of a signature exhibition on African American history as it relates to the regional and national story.
- Coordinate and work directly with the City of Fredericksburg, community committees, and other public institutions on the research, interpretation, and implementation of interpretative materials, programming, and media.
- Contribute to a positive organizational culture based on mutual respect, a spirit of collegiality, cooperation, and openness to many perspectives. Participate in a culture of ongoing learning, collaboration, innovation, creativity, and community engagement.
General Project and Management
- Manage all aspects of project management functions related to the development and implementation of temporary and permanent interpretive materials city-wide.
- Develop and oversee project budgets and work schedules; monitor project expenditures and report against targets; track and continually revise schedules and timelines.
- Plan, lead and facilitate core and cross-functional team meetings; foster productive relationships and mutual understanding between project team members and stakeholders.
- Collaborate with community committees, history organizations, and Fredericksburg City staff as equal and pivotal members of the interpretive core team.
- Manage cross-departmental projects as assigned.
Minimum Qualifications
Master’s degree (preferred) in museum studies, public history, or closely related fields and three-year experience in the collection, synthesis, evaluation, and presentation of historical data using multi-faceted approaches. OR five-years of curatorial, exhibit development, and public interpretation beyond a bachelor’s degree. Candidate must have demonstrated knowledge of Black history and cultural heritage, cross-cultural sensitivity, and a thorough understanding of museum ethics and best practices.
Addition Qualifications
EXPERIENCE
- Experience and ability to envision, write, and implement a variety of media in interpretation—exhibits, video, digital, publications, and onsite exhibits.
- Knowledge of the process of planning public interpretation, exhibition development, and installation.
- Knowledge of the roles played by educators, developers, designers, programmers, curators, and marketers.
- Experience and ability to mobilize and lead community work groups.
- Strong communication and written skills; ability to draft plans to determine the feasibility of undertaking projects.
- MS Office (Word, Excel, PowerPoint), Adobe Creative Suite to include InDesign and Illustrator, Smartsheet, Google Apps, Filemaker.
Also Required:
- Good communication skills, both written and oral
- Ability to work both independently with minimal supervision and collaboratively in a team environment.
- A minimum of three years of progressively responsible experience working with artifact collections in a museum or other collecting institution with a public audience.
- Experience developing exhibits in a team environment, including demonstrated knowledge and experience with serving as a lead developer of content for exhibits.
- Demonstrated knowledge of museum practices working with museum collections and proven ability in processing, preservation, and digitization of artifact collections.
- Experience with information management techniques and database systems used in museums.
- Oversight for departmental operations, including good organizational skills, time management, budget management, meeting facilitation, and professional objectivity.
PREFERRED CANDIDATE CAN SUCCESSFULLY DEMONSTRATE:
The successful candidate will be a forward-thinking and dynamic individual who possesses a passion for preserving and sharing the past and a belief in the power of original documents/photographs/artifacts and the stories they embody to engage people in making personal connections to history through research, exhibit experiences, and educational programs. A creative imagination, the ability to recognize and deal with sensitive issues and diverse cultures, and a willingness to step outside the traditional curatorial role are highly desirable.
Additional requirements for this position:
- Ability to work occasional evenings and weekends.
- Ability to lift boxes of up to 40 lbs. from 14 ft. shelves while on a ladder.
We believe that equity, diversity, and inclusion drive our success, and we encourage candidates from all identities, backgrounds, and abilities to apply. The Fredericksburg Area Museum is an equal opportunity employer committed to building inclusive, innovative work environments with employees who reflect our communities and enthusiastically serve them. Therefore, in all aspects of the employment process, we provide employment opportunities to all qualified applicants without regard to race, color, religion, sex, disability, age, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, pregnancy, medical condition related to pregnancy, creed, ancestry, national origin, marital status, genetic information, or military status or any other protected status in accordance with applicable law.
The Fredericksburg Area Museum (FAM) is looking for a highly organized, focused, energetic individual to fill the position of a contracted (1099) Curator of Collections and Exhibitions. Term of this contract is May 1 – September 30, 2021. The contractor commits to 24 hours a week, Monday-Friday (specific days to be negotiated) and works directly with the President and CEO. This contractor is responsible for the management and maintenance of all aspects of the Museum’s collections and exhibitions. Expert knowledge of PastPerfect V.5, Microsoft office, Excel, and PowerPoint required; Adobe Suites experience preferred. Contractor will have knowledge of the process of developing exhibits to include planning, design, fabrication, and installation. In addition, candidate will understand best practices and standards of collections stewardship as set forth by the American Alliance of Museums.
Education and experience requirements:
Bachelor’s Degree in Museum Studies, Public History, History, Historic Preservation, or equivalent; Master’s Degree in Museum Studies preferred. Minimum of 5-years curatorial and exhibition experience required.
Specific duties include:
Collections:
- Oversee documentation, maintenance, and physical care of the museum’s collections.
- Monitor and record environmental systems.
- Identify and work with sources of new acquisitions, whether through purchase or donation. Perform due diligence on potential acquisitions by researching their provenance and value.
- Maintain an accurate and timely record of the Museum’s collection using PastPerfect v.5 or similar collection database.
Exhibitions:
- Independent exhibit development and team exhibit development to include a thorough understanding of exhibit contract and budget oversight, exhibit design and development, as well as the oversight of exhibit planners, designers, fabricators, and installation.
- Research and identify objects to be used in each exhibit, using the Museum’s collection, as well as those of private and public collectors and arrange with outside collectors and museums for the loan of artifacts, including insurance, appropriate paperwork, and transportation.
- Install and maintain all galleries, special exhibits, and temporary exhibition spaces. This includes building and painting temporary walls and platforms, moving object cases throughout the building, and installing objects and art in all media using accepted museum standards and practice.
- Coordinate all appropriate publicity and marketing for new and ongoing exhibits in a timely manner (e.g. press release, website and e-blast content, advertising, interviews, etc).
- Work with the Education and Public Programs Coordinator to develop exhibit interactives and education programs for diverse audiences.
Please submit cover letter, resume, three references, two writing samples, exhibition sample overseen by the candidate, and contract rate to spoore@famcc.org. NO PHONE CALLS PLEASE!
Volunteer Positions Available
Fam is seeking volunteers to assist with our Admissions Operations. Please Contact Caroline Ford for additional information at cford@famcc.org, or 540-371-3037 ext. 135