Schedule: Varies according to training and tour dates
This is an onsite, Boston-based position. Local candidates strongly preferred. No agencies, please.
Applications for this position are due July 7, 2024.
Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum Core Values
Isabella Stewart Gardner believed that art had the power to change lives and she built a beautiful, personal, and immersive Museum setting to do so. Today the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum (ISGM) is a living embodiment of her bold vision; it’s a dynamic place where ideas and creativity in all its forms inspire visitors. Through exhibitions, music, programs, and performances we strive to tell new stories and challenge assumptions by engaging diverse voices and community members.
Our Core Values Are
Creativity is our Legacy
Community is our Purpose
The Collection is our Catalyst
Diversity, Equity, Accessibility, and Inclusion are our Commitments
The Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum seeks to connect past with present, develop and sustain mutually beneficial partnerships with our local communities and artists, expand and diversify our audiences, and generate opportunities for creativity. We are firmly committed to creating both an inclusive work culture and a welcoming visitor experience. Our five-year strategic plan outlines the Museum’s core values, goals, and initiatives that serve as a renewal of Isabella’s promise for the Museum to be a place for “the education and enjoyment of the public forever.”
Position Summary
Museum Teachers have an essential role in connecting visitors to the Gardner Museum, its collection, and its changing special exhibitions. Museum Teachers are flexible, visitor-centered, curious educators who are able to meet the needs and interests of a wide range of visitors. They encourage inquiry, close looking, slowing down, making personal connections, and bringing multiple perspectives into interpretation of the Museum and its artworks.
Important Information
Interested applicants are strongly encouraged to attend an information session on Thursday, June 27, 2024, 6:00 - 8:00 p.m. This is an opportunity to meet Museum staff and current Museum Teachers, learn more about the program, and participate in small group gallery discussion. Please RSVP at https://forms.gle/hu7iWorurfudVbSk6 by June 25, 2024.
Applications for this position are due July 7, 2024.
Training: Museum Teachers are responsible for leading interactive tours for all audiences (including adult, university, and K-12). To prepare for this visitor-facing role, Museum Teachers begin as trainees, completing a 10-month course encompassing teaching practice and Museum content areas. This course will run weekly September 2024 - June 2025 on Tuesdays, 9:30 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. There is an additional required extended training on Tuesday, October 1, 9:30 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.
During this period, Museum Teachers in training will also be expected to frequently observe tours, co-lead or lead tours, and spend time independently researching the Museum collection.
All Museum Teachers are also required to complete ongoing training, including attending monthly meetings, special exhibition trainings, and twice-annual Diversity, Equity, Accessibility, and Inclusion (DEAI) trainings. There are additional optional learning and social opportunities, including a DEAI reading group, enrichment lectures, parties, coffees and happy hours.
Tours: Upon successful completion of the New Museum Teacher course, Museum Teachers are required to lead a minimum of 3 tours per month. Tours take place on weekdays between the hours of 8:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. Some evening and weekend tours may be available.
We require a two-year commitment: Museum Teachers who begin training in fall 2024 will be expected to lead tours actively through at least August 2026.
Essential Functions And Primary Responsibilities
Lead interactive tours of the Museum’s collection, galleries, and exhibitions.
Attend required trainings.
Perform other duties as assigned.
Requirements
Required
English fluency is a requirement. Excellent communication skills.
Comfortable with email and digital communication.
Lifelong learner interested in equitable and inclusive education practices as well as art and museums.
Commitment to advancing the ISGM’s diversity, equity, accessibility, and inclusion (DEAI) initiatives.
Reliable and prompt.
Legal authorization to work in the United States.
Desirable
Museum and/or non-profit experience. Familiarity with the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum is a plus.
In addition to English fluency, we are particularly interested in candidates who are also fluent in Spanish, Chinese, Haitian Creole, Cape Verdean Creole, and/or ASL.
Prior experience in retail, customer service, or other public-facing positions.
Some college-level work in education, art education, and/or art history.
Competencies
Active, empathetic listener who is curious about others, themselves, and the world around them.
Warmly engage visitors and ask open-ended questions that prioritize visitors’ perspectives.
Enjoys working as part of a team, sharing knowledge and multiple perspectives.
Ability to problem solve and think flexibly in the moment to troubleshoot minor problems.
COVID-19 Protocols
All employees of the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum are required to provide their COVID-19 vaccination status. If you are not vaccinated, you will need to participate in an interactive process to request a religious or medical accommodation and to submit weekly test results, in addition to following other federal, state and CDC recommendations.
Equal Opportunity Employer
Diversity, Equity, Access, and Inclusion is one of the core values we hold close to our business practices. The Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum is committed to affording equal opportunities to qualified individuals regardless of race, color, gender, gender identity, genetics, military/veteran status, pregnancy, religion, sexual orientation, age, national origin, ancestry, disability, or any other basis prohibited by applicable laws.
Request an Accommodation
Applicants with disabilities who are unable to fully access ISGM's online application system may contact us at hr@isgm.org for assistance with a reasonable accommodation.
Seniority level
Internship
Employment type
Part-time
Job function
Education and Training
Industries
Museums, Historical Sites, and Zoos
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