American Museum of Ceramic Art

Pomona, CA

Position Description

Reports to the Executive Director

30 hours per week

About the American Museum of Ceramic Art (AMOCA)

AMOCA’s mission is to champion the art, history, creation, and technology of ceramics through exhibitions, collections, outreach, and studio programming.

Founded in 2001 and opened in September 2004, AMOCA is the largest museum in the United States devoted exclusively to ceramic art and historic innovations in ceramic technology. A nonprofit organization, AMOCA’s volunteer board of directors is responsible for policy, direction, and appointing the executive director. Its permanent collection includes more than 7,000 works. The Museum has 50,000 square feet of space for exhibitions, storage, a museum store, offices, educational areas, and a ceramics studio. It is located in an area rich in ceramic history and home to internationally recognized clay artists from the Arts and Crafts Movement, the 1960s Clay Revolution, and the current ceramic community.

AMOCA is located in an urban downtown district where art is an important element of a continuing and successful community revitalization program. The City of Pomona has a rich ethnic mix and a large academic constituency with The Claremont Colleges, the University of La Verne, and California State Polytechnic University, Pomona, all within a five-mile radius. The Museum is located 35 miles east of downtown Los Angeles. www.amoca.org

Essential Tasks

The Education & Public Programs Manager serves as an active member of AMOCA’s senior management team. The Manager’s primary responsibilities are listed below:

General Public

• Deepen participation of visitors by producing dynamic public programs related to the museum's exhibitions and/or focused on the museum's target audiences.
• Identify and grow new audiences for educational and public programs.
• Develop strategic relationships with stakeholders in Pomona and neighboring communities.
• Develop educational materials for every major exhibition to inform self-guided and docent-led tours.
• Work collaboratively with Ceramic Studio staff on all educational programs that include a hands-on component.

K-12 Schools

• Identify curricular connections between exhibitions and the needs of K-12 educators; with this knowledge, design and develop on- and off-site programs for their students.
• Cultivate, develop and maintain key relationships with teachers, principals and superintendents to make sure that the Museum continuously meets the needs of local schools.
• Expand the reach of museum programs by cultivating strategic partnerships with the Los Angeles and San Bernardino County educational communities.
• Develop and produce teacher guides and other educational material.

Colleges and Universities

• Cultivate, develop and maintain key relationships with faculty in ceramic and sculpture programs at Southern California colleges and universities.

Docents, Volunteers and Interns

• Manage the docent, teen docent, intern, and volunteer programs, including recruitment, training and oversight.

Assessment and Impact

• Develop and implement evaluation tools to measure, interpret, and analyze the outcomes of education and public programs relative to strategic goals.

Administration

• Prepare and oversee annual budget, analyze and evaluate revenue producing activities, and implement strategies for multi-year budget activities.
• Participate in strategic planning as it relates to education and public programs and implementation of its priorities in this area.

Advancement and Promotion

• Assist advancement department with grant writing, reporting to funders, identifying sustaining and new support, and cultivating donors for education programs.
• Collaborate with marketing staff to ensure that all education and public programs are appropriately and actively promoted to relevant contacts.
• Represent AMOCA to donors, community groups, organizations, and others to increase awareness of the museum as an educational resource.

General

• Stay abreast of research in the field of museum education and public programming.
• Perform other duties as assigned.

Desired Characteristics

• Personal commitment to AMOCA’s mission, vision and values.
• Proven ability to think strategically and creatively.
• Attention to detail.
• Strong writing, editing, and presentation skills.
• Intellectual curiosity, maturity and sound judgment.
• Ability to communicate in an articulate manner with diverse audiences.
• Strong interpersonal and listening skills.
• A “doer” with a willingness to work hands-on with limited resources to execute a variety of advancement programs and activities.
• Finely honed organizational skills.
• Proven ability to work independently and with a team, manage multiple concurrent projects, and meet deadlines.
• Sense of humor.

Qualifications

Degree in arts education, museum studies or other related area, with working knowledge of the visual arts and/or ceramics; three or more years professional experience in arts education including curriculum and program design; prior budget management experience; excellent organizational and computer skills; ability to develop constructive and cooperative working relationships with others. Knowledge and understanding of modern and contemporary art/ceramics. Excellent communication and writing skills. Knowledgeable about current practices in museum/ community/ informal education. Highly developed public speaking skills. Fluency in Spanish preferred.

Working Conditions

The manager will work in general office and museum conditions with some participation in the ceramic studio. Responsibilities will require evening and weekend hours consistent with the museum's schedule of events and activities.

The position involves a significant amount of contact with museum staff, volunteers, donors and the public that may be of a sensitive or confidential nature. Discretion and sound judgment are essential. The manager must be able to relate well to individuals from a variety of backgrounds and positively represent the museum in these relationships.

Compensation

Salary is commensurate with experience. AMOCA is an equal opportunity employer.

HOW TO APPLY

Please send a letter of interest and resume to: [email protected]. Position will be open until filled. AMOCA is an equal opportunity employer.