Teaching Fellowship
Department: Department of Education and Public Engagement
Employment Status: Part-Time
Union Position: No
Stipend: $600 monthly
Fellowship overseen by: Associate Director of Education
Position Overview
The New Museum Teaching Fellowship provides an opportunity for individuals to facilitate gallery experiences with New Museum exhibitions. The Fellowship is ideal for people looking to develop their teaching practice with contemporary art. Teaching Fellows lead drop-in public gallery experiences, which each fellow develops through independent research and consultation with New Museum staff. These gallery experiences feature close looking at the objects and installations on view, zooming in on artists’ practices and intersecting with relevant social, political, historical, technological, or cultural conversations. Candidates who are interested in developing creative and experimental tour formats and other gallery experiences are encouraged to apply. Teaching Fellows will learn a variety of techniques that encourage participants to creatively view, analyze, and discuss art through training sessions and gallery observations.
Teaching Fellows will use their specialized knowledge and skills to offer creative, enriching, and accessible gallery experiences of the New Museum’s exhibitions to the public. In turn, the New Museum will provide an immersive experience for developing pedagogical skill as well as opportunities to research exhibition artists and their work. The Associate Director of Education oversees Teaching Fellowships; fellows will also have a close working relationship with the Manager of Gallery Interpretation and Access.
Qualifications
The New Museum is searching for two (2) Teaching Fellows, each with a distinct skill set, to begin in summer 2020.
- One (1) Teaching Fellow must have an MA in Art History (or a related field) and be enrolled in a doctoral program. Graduates who have completed a PhD within the past three years may be considered.
- One (1) Teaching Fellow must have a BA in any field and at least one year of prior experience with participatory teaching, preferably with objects and/or artworks. The position is particularly well suited for those who have taught in non-traditional and/or community settings.
All candidates must be comfortable with public speaking and have an enthusiasm for engaging a variety of audiences in close looking and critical thought. Candidates should share the ethos of the Department of Education and Public Engagement: to link people with art and ideas, cultivate growth, and develop stronger relationships. (More details about the department’s mission, values, and methods are here.)
Responsibilities
Duties include the following:
- Research, plan, facilitate, and iterate participatory gallery experiences with current Museum exhibitions for public audiences.
- Engage a diverse public with a wide range of contemporary art experience.
- Learn and share information about the New Museum’s institutional history, exhibitions, public programs, Membership, and visitor services.
- Design one new experience/tour each month. 45-minute to one hour tours are offered to the public free of charge Tuesday through Sunday at 3 p.m. and Thursday, Saturday, and Sunday at 12:30 p.m. Teaching Fellows lead one experience per week during these times and additional individually scheduled private tours, as needed.
- Participate in continued training sessions, including exhibition walkthroughs (one per exhibition), occasional meetings with department staff members (as needed; approximately three per year), tour assessments (two times per year), and monthly Gallery Teaching Lab for professional development.
Support
Teaching Fellows are required to commit to the position for a one-year period from June 2020 through July 2021. Teaching Fellows will receive a monthly stipend of $600 as well as a free standard museum membership (membership benefits here). This position does not include healthcare or insurance benefits.
To Apply
Please send a cover letter detailing how the candidates’ experience meets or exceeds the position requirements identified above along with a professional resume and cover letter to: hr@newmuseum.org with the subject line “Gallery Teaching Fellow” by January 31, 2020.
The New Museum is committed to enriching its educational experience and its culture through the diversity of its staff. The entire Department of Education and Public Engagement serves as leaders in developing a more inclusive museum for our staff and the people we engage. Our expectation is that the successful candidate will be at ease with if not excel at working with people who are broadly diverse with regard to race, ethnicity, socioeconomic status, gender, age, ability, nationality, sexual orientation, and religion. Applicants with relevant experience building, working with, and supporting broadly diverse communities are encouraged to apply. Please discuss your experiences engaging with and facilitating access and inclusion as a portion of the cover letter.
No phone calls or solicitations please. Due to the volume of applications anticipated, we will only contact candidates who most directly meet the position requirements.