Posting Details
Position Information
Position Title
Director of Learning and Community Engagement
Job Description
The Anne and Henry Zarrow Foundation Director of Learning and Community Engagement reports to the Gilcrease Executive Director and CEO and will join the Museum at an exciting juncture. As Gilcrease prepares to open a new museum in late 2026, this position will play a critical role in envisioning and realizing an innovative educational program rooted in responsivity to and collaboration with communities. The Director will build and nurture relationships within the community and will serve as the principal spokesperson for the Learning and Community Engagement department to articulate the museum's educational philosophy and long-range plans.
Essential Functions (Responsibilities) :
Departmental Leadership
- Hire, supervise and guide the work of Learning & Community Engagement (L&CE) staff, fostering growth and development opportunities for individual team members as well as building capacity and teamwork across the department.
- Provide a cohesive vision for the L&CE department, synthesizing input from team members and community stakeholders, outlining and benchmarking goals.
- Prepares and manages the Learning and Community Engagement departmental budget, and works with Development staff to secure funding, grants and other financial resources to meet departmental goals.
- Participate in museum leadership planning and lead departmental planning sessions. Ensure that information is disseminated between the L&CE department and the rest of the museum, and that community voices are foregrounded in planning.
- Oversee assessment of L&CE activity impact, revise strategies in response to findings as needed, and provide regular reports to stakeholders.
- Conduct and disseminate research related to contemporary best practices and proven as well as experimental approaches to museum pedagogy, community engagement, interpretation, and programming
- Collaborate and coordinate across departments to promote and ensure smooth delivery of museum programs and educational resources.
Community Engagement
Oversee structure and facilitation of various advisory and focus groups, ensuring that there is a dialogue loop between the museum and diverse communities, and that community members' voices are heard and considered.Create a strategy for L&CE presence at local community partner events with an eye toward impact and relationship building.Initiate contact with individuals and organizations from diverse communities, supporting L&CE department and broader institution efforts to develop relationships of trust and reciprocity.Advocate for the needs of all visitors, and develop partnerships with local and national organizations that can help create equitable, accessible, inclusive and just experiences forOversee the recruitment, management, direction and enrichment opportunities for a museum volunteer corps that reflects the rich diversity of the Tulsa community.K-20 Learning Initiatives
Guide efforts to develop innovative and engaging programs for K-12 students and educators that emphasize differentiated learning techniques and are responsive to current classroom needs.With departmental and curatorial staff, create a new menu of experiences for K-12 students for the museum's core galleries, including signature grade-level programs that align with Oklahoma curricular standards, and revise as needed.Collaborate with staff from the museum's research center to offer regular educator professional development opportunities that can invigorate teaching practices and forge new pathways for object-based learning in K-12 classrooms.Oversee development and organization of digital learning resources for K-12 educators, and work with the Digital Curation and Marketing teams to create a user-friendly Learning Resources page on the museum's website.Guide the evolution of the museum's internship program, focusing on equitable and enriching learning experiences for college students and early career professionals.With staff from the Helmerich Center for American Research, develop and model object-based learning approaches for University of Tulsa students and faculty.Oversee development and implementation of new free choice learning experiences for college students, with an emphasis on University of Tulsa students.Public Programs
Oversee L&CE team development, implementation, and iteration of a new suite of public programs for various adult, teen and family audiences, including but not limited to festivals, social programs, creative workshops, demonstrations, performances, talks, youth camps, interactive gallery experiences, and innovative, multi-faceted experiences.Ensure that there are programmatic offerings in any given quarter that appeal to visitors with different motivations, interests, learning needs and lived experiences, and of a variety of ages and abilities.Develop capacity for specific programs created with and for individuals with disabilities through coordination and collaboration with local cultural institutions and strategic partnerships with organizations led by and / or serving individuals with disabilities.Identify threads in contemporary culture and community conversations that tie into the museum's core stories and mission and guide dynamic programmatic forums and public experiences to explore them.Gallery and Collection Interpretation
Work with the curatorial, exhibitions, L&CE teams and community stakeholders to conceive and develop staff or volunteer-led gallery experiences, interpretive materials, and both analog and digital interactive experiences for core galleries and temporary exhibitions.Lead efforts to develop content and gallery experiences geared toward specific audiences such as school groups and individuals with specific accessibility needs.Ideate new frameworks for creative gallery activation such as thematic tours across galleries, spot talks, drawing, performance, and mindful looking experiences.Provide collections and exhibitions-based learning resources for and train paid staff, volunteer, and student gallery educators with a focus on inquiry-based and hands-on learning approaches.Develop creative pedagogical content for social media and collections online as needed.Required Qualifications
Knowledge / Skill / Ability
Demonstrated ability to work as a team member both within and across departments in developing educational content and activities.Proven leadership and public speaking experience.Must be able to travel independently throughout Oklahoma and nationally as necessaryProficiency in PC or Mac software applications, including Word, Excel, and OutlookEquivalent Education / Experience
Master's degree from an accredited college or university in Education, Art Education, Art History, History, Anthropology, Native American Studies or Museum Studies with minimum eight years' experience in a museum or cultural institution's Education department, with at least three years as a manager.Preferred Qualifications
Broad experience working in museum or cultural institution developing programs and interpretive materials and experiences for a variety of audiences. Background in community engagement and outreach, and advocacy for diversity, inclusion, equity and accessibility initiatives. Experience working with K-12 curriculum and student and educator audiences. Familiarity with university and internship programs. Volunteer management experience. Knowledge of Native American art, history and culture. Bilingual in Spanish a plus.
Physical Demands
Special Job Dimensions :
Must be able to travel independently throughout Oklahoma and nationally as necessary.
Posting Detail Information
Posting Number
S933P
Open Date
12 / 13 / 2024
Close Date
Open Until Filled
Special Instructions to Applicants
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