The Huntington Library, Art Collections, and Botanical Gardens

Los Angeles, CA

DESCRIPTION

Job Title: Curator/Educator, Fielding Collection of Early American Art 

Classification: Exempt, Regular Limited Term (three year appointment)

Summary

The Curator/Educator, Fielding Collection of Early American Art is a three-year position, responsible for assisting the Chief Curator of American Art in the research, management, and programming of a major collection of early American art. Under the supervision of the Chief Curator and in partnership with education staff, the Curator/Educator develops educational materials that connect students and other interested audiences with the early history of the United States through collection objects. A dynamic advocate and avid researcher, the Curator/Educator thinks beyond traditional strategies of museum collection display and audience engagement, sparking new scholarship and bringing new audiences to a rich collection full of educational possibility. 

RESPONSIBILITIES

Essential Functions 

• Develops free and widely available educational programming that uses pieces from the collection to explore the early history of the United States. 
• Partners with Huntington education staff to conceive and implement collections-based materials that meet curricular standards for middle and high school students in states across the nation.
• Connects with colleagues across the museum field and beyond to ensure awareness of and increase access to the Fielding Collection.
• Conducts research necessary to support curricular development
• Assists the Chief Curator of American Art in connecting the Fielding Collection to other important collections within the Huntington that add value in the development of the curricula. 
• Works with the Chief Curator and education staff to develop and arrange docent training programs on how to use the curricula as an adjunct to their current training
• Lectures and publishes to promote the knowledge and awareness of the Fielding Collection in the field. 
• Works with the Chief Curator and the Advancement staff to prepare grant proposals on projects specifically important to the curricula and related digital informational materials directly related to the Fielding Collection. 

Other Functions

• Other duties as assigned specifically related to curriculum development and digitized information for national audiences. 

QUALIFICATIONS

• A Ph.D. in art history, history, American studies, Education, or related discipline preferred. An emphasis in early American art is preferred. 

Knowledge, skills and abilities:

• Training and experience in an area related to the Fielding Collection of Early American Art and experience in developing and facilitating the adoption of student curricula and other public facing art education materials are required.
• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills. 
• Effective organizational skills to assist with project monitoring and meeting established deadlines. 
• Proficiency in computer software and programs such as Word, Excel, PowerPoint. Ability to learn the basic operations of TMS (The Museum System) database. 
• The candidate must be hard-working and detail-oriented. 

Experience

• Experience working directly with objects of early America or developing art history curricula and public education programs is preferred. 
• Demonstrated creativity in conceptualizing and implementing novel educational programs is desirable.

HOW TO APPLY

• Visit huntington.org to apply online.  Please include a cover letter and curriculum vitae as attachments to your online application. 

ABOUT THE HUNTINGTON

The Huntington is one of the nation’s oldest independent research institutions focused on the study of the humanities.  It is also among the most active independent academic or research libraries in the country. In any given year, some 1,600 readers use the Library which contains approximately 9 million items, far surpassing the 2.4 million works left by Mr. Huntington.  Many areas of special strength offer scholars a wealth of rare books and manuscripts supporting their creation of original work, including the broad areas of British and American history and literature; history of science, medicine, and technology; and printing history.  

The Botanical Gardens include more than 15,000 kinds of rare plants from all over the world.  These plants are the heart of the botanical collections, which are landscaped into a series of 16 specialized gardens, including a 12-acre classical Chinese Garden, called Liu Fang Yuan or the Garden of Flowing Fragrance; an 11-acre Japanese Garden; and a Desert Garden containing one of the world’s largest cactus and succulent collections.

The Huntington’s art collections are also distinguished and include one of the most comprehensive assemblages of 18th- and 19th-century European art in the nation.  The Virginia Steele Scott Galleries of American Art hold a representative collection of paintings ranging from the 1740s to the 1980s, with emphasis on the 19th century.

The above statements are intended to describe the general nature and level of work being performed by people assigned to this job. They are not intended to be an exhaustive list of all responsibilities, duties, and skills required of employees in this job.