Museum Educator III, Carnegie Museum of Art

Carnegie Museum of Art creates experiences that connect people to art, ideas, and one another. We believe creativity is a defining human characteristic to which everyone should have access. CMOA collects, preserves, and presents artworks from around the world to inspire, sustain, and provoke discussion, and to engage and reflect multiple audiences. Carnegie Museum of Art is arguably the first museum of contemporary art in the United States, collecting the "Old Masters of tomorrow" since the inception of the Carnegie International in 1896. Today, the museum is one of the most dynamic major art institutions in America. Our collection of more than 30,000 objects features a broad spectrum of visual arts, including painting and sculpture; prints and drawings; photographs; architectural casts, renderings, and models; decorative arts and design; and film, video, and digital imagery. Through our programming, exhibitions, and publications, we frequently explore the role of art and artists in confronting key social issues of our time, combining and juxtaposing local and global perspectives.  With our unique history and resources, we strive to become a leader in defining the role of art museums for the 21st century. Carnegie Museums of Pittsburgh is interested in candidates who, through their experience and collaborations, will contribute to diversity and excellence of the Carnegie Museums community.
 

This Part-Time position is eligible for many of the Carnegie Museums of Pittsburgh’s Benefits. 

Please scroll to the bottom of this page to see information on the starting pay rate. 

This is a union position.

The Museum Educator III works 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.

EDUCATION & 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.
• Candidates must have successfully performed at the capacity of CMOA Museum Educator II or must have at least 4 years of prior teaching experience. 

KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS, & 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. 
• 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.  

PRINCIPAL ACCOUNTABILITIES:

• 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.
• Creating lesson plans for personal use and to facilitate 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 CMNH 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.