Skip to content

Arts & Culture Educator

Arts & Culture Educator

Date: Thursday, May 19, 2022

Position Description: 

Boston Children’s Museum is seeking an individual with a passion for arts and cultural experiences to join our Educator team. The Arts and Culture Educator (ACE) reporting directly to the Senior Director, Arts and Culture will work with team members and others within the Museum to create and support delivery of child- and family-centered performing arts, culture and identity-based programming, and other educational experiences that reflect the goals and philosophies documented in Boston Children’s Museum’s Learning Framework, which emphasizes play and exploration in service of learning. Experience development may include: organizing or facilitating performances, workshops/classes, activities, programs, exhibit components, school trips, curricular materials, digital content or other resources for use by educators outside of the Museum.  The ideal candidate has a strong experience working with young children age’s birth to 10 and their caregivers and educators, an understanding of informal educational settings, the ability to share knowledge with other colleagues, and the desire to reflect on their own work and implement changes based on feedback. In addition to the ability to build strong working relationships with internal colleagues, as well as a proven record of networking and working with community organizations.  The ACE plays a key role in supporting the oversight of Arts & Culture programming spaces, including the Japanese House, KidStage, the Common, and a variety of exhibits that incorporate overlapping content. The ACE will also have the opportunity to work with Collections staff to leverage collection materials in service of educational programming, and work with a wide variety of external partners in order to showcase their work for visitors. In addition, Educators are responsible for ensuring their assigned exhibit spaces are functioning properly, and periodically participating on relevant exhibit teams to develop new exhibit components. As well as support and/or take the lead on organizing Museum events, such as school vacation weeks or festivals. 

CORE RESPONSIBILITIES

  • In collaboration with the Arts & Culture team, develop and lead engaging, educational, and play-based programs and activities for children, families, and caregivers. This includes, but is not limited to:
    • Participate in or lead team and cross-departmental planning meetings to identify engaging topics and developmentally appropriate experiences 
    • Identify prospective new partnership opportunities and conduct general research related to existing and new content areas
    • Create developmental and meaningful learning experiences that support the Museum’s Learning Framework and the Arts & Culture department’s focus areas
    • Draft and edit programmatic related documents, inclusive of lesson plans, program descriptions and reports 
    • Support iterative testing of activities, including scheduling testing sessions within the Museum and in educational settings outside of the Museum, participating in activities and reporting out on observations
    • Incorporate feedback from colleagues, observations, teachers, students, and evaluation professionals into programming considerations and design
    • Deliver programs across various stages of programmatic development (from first-time pilots to established programs)
  • Work closely with the Senior Director, Arts & Culture to support cross-departmental activities related to an identity and anti-bias focused exhibit opening in the summer 2022; drive ongoing activation of this exhibit space with programming aligned with the Museum’s Religious Literacy initiative vision.
  • Compile, update and implement resources and strategies for supporting caregiver engagement in their children’s learning, as well as their own learning; with a particular focus on challenging but necessary topics
  • Lead programs for the public directly, as well as training and mentoring Visitor Experience Ambassadors in the delivery of educational activities; teach other Programs and Exhibits colleagues how to deliver programs.
  • Develop and lead school/group/community/camp programs 
  • Assist with planning and delivery of major team and Museum events, such as programming for school vacation week, summer camp, and other large-scale celebrations, as well as train and mentor Visitor Experience Ambassadors in the delivery of Arts & Culture activities 
  • Work collaboratively with colleagues within the Arts & Culture team and on other teams within the Programs and Exhibits department
  • Support day-to-day functionality of exhibit spaces assigned to the Arts & Culture department and ensure a quality visitor experience; develop programming and other educational experiences related to exhibit content
  • Communicate information about Arts & Culture programming to appropriate staff within the Museum, including Visitor Experience staff, and to external audiences (teachers, community partners, etc.)
  • Serve as a Museum liaison to community partners outside of the institution and Arts & Culture related inquiries, building and maintaining strong relationships
  • Other duties as assigned

Qualifications: 

  • Some college experience or relevant work experience 1-2 years preferred.
  • Demonstrated experience working in the field of arts, culture, music education, civic engagement, creative youth development or public programming
  • Experience working with and designing experiences for children ages 0-10; museum educating or classroom teaching is a plus
  • Confident coordinating and executing arts and culture related public programming, including but not limited to large-scale events, ongoing activities, collaborations with community partners and presentations to visitor groups
  • A dynamic workshop facilitator capable of engaging diverse groups of visitors that range in age, cultural/socioeconomic background, gender, abilities and interests 
  • A highly motivated individual that takes initiative to advance program objectives and goals, while strategically navigating complex internal and external processes and dynamics
  • A committed advocate for child/youth voices and intentionally promotes a sense of belonging at the museum
  • Foundational knowledge of DEI related and systemic challenges within the arts, cultural and education sectors
  • Eager to support increasing pathways for BIPOC children and families to benefit from arts engagement
  • Familiarity with or interest in identify-based pedagogy and how these principles intersect with religious beliefs, anti-bias and empathy for children, families and caregivers
  • Hyperlocal knowledge of Boston area community-based organizations and artistic ecosystems is a plus
  • Fluency in a second language is preferred 

WORKING CONDITIONS
Physical Demands: While performing the duties of this position the ACE is required to sit, stand, and walk at varying intervals, sometimes for extended periods of time. Use of multi-line phone, desktop and occasional lifting, pushing and pulling of materials of up to 40 lbs. may be required.

Work Environment: Ability to work in a lively, often noisy, and sometimes crowded environment with the public and with young children. Work is performed routinely within the Museum setting, but on occasion may require work performed outside. General office environment, shared common office space and equipment. 

Other Factors: Work schedule requires flexibility as needed to accommodate the demands during Weekends, school vacation and holidays. Uniform/dress code required when staffing the museum floor. Business casual dress code preferred for meetings and public-facing work. 

OUR MISSION
Boston Children’s Museum engages children and families in joyful discovery experiences that instill an appreciation of our world, develop foundational skills, and spark a lifelong love of learning.

OUR VISION 
Boston Children’s Museum is a welcoming, imaginative, child-centered learning environment that supports diverse families in nurturing their children’s creativity and curiosity. We promote the healthy development of all children so they will fulfil their potential and contribute to our collective well-being and future prosperity.

OUR VALUES
Creativity. Respect. Excellence. Accountability. Thoughtfulness. Equity.

Boston Children’s Museum is a curious, experimental, and creative learning organization. We have a child and family centered focus, welcoming and respecting all Museum audiences. We collaborate and show mutual respect and support for our colleagues. We recognize that each person has equal, intrinsic worth and deserves to be treated with dignity. We are a culture that innovates, changes, and pushes boundaries to keep the museum relevant. We are responsible to each other and strive to keep our commitments to our colleagues. We have a commitment to high ethical standards. We recognize the importance of work-life balance, respecting the importance of personal growth and family. We have an ongoing commitment to fairness in all aspects of the Museum and we embrace alternative ways of thinking. 

HOW TO APPLY: Send a copy of your resume and letter of interest to job@bostonchildrensmuseum.org with the subject line: ACE

Application Closing Date: June 09, 2022

Hours: 

REGULAR-FT, EXEMPT-SALARY, 35.00hrs./wk