Woman's Board Fellow in the Ryan Learning Center

MISSION

The Art Institute of Chicago shares its singular collections with our city and the world. We collect, care for, and interpret works of art across time, cultures, geographies, and identities, centering the vision of artists and makers. We recognize that all art is made in a particular context, demanding continual, dynamic reconsideration in the present. We are a place of gathering; we foster the exchange of ideas and inspire an expansive, inclusive understanding of human creativity.

We Offer a Competitive, Comprehensive Benefits Package

• Generous paid time off
• Paid holidays (up to 14 days)
• Medical, dental, and vision insurance
• Generous parental, caregiver, and medical leave benefits
• Competitive retirement plan (up to 9% matching contribution)
• Tuition remission and Tuition Exchange Program
• Great employee discounts
• Complimentary general admission to participating cultural institutions
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Salary Grade 6

ART INSTITUTE OF CHICAGO - VALUES

All staff members are expected to embrace the museum’s commitment to creating an inclusive and equitable institution and to adhere to the museum’s shared values.

• Our museum reflects and deepens our collective humanity; the arts are integral to an inspired and just society.
• We respect and acknowledge each of our colleagues’ contributions and expertise across all roles within our organization.
• We share in the responsibility to create an antiracist culture built on equity, inclusion, and justice for all, acknowledging that these efforts are intersectional and ongoing.
• We encourage and advance a culture of hospitality, empathy, and gratitude for each visitor, supporter, and member of our staff.
• We embrace innovation and foster change with a progressive understanding of—and obligation to reconsider—our past.
• We sustain an open and dynamic civic platform, inviting and advancing the diverse perspectives of our city, staff, visitors, and supporters.
  
  

About The Department

The Patrick G. and Shirley W. Ryan Learning Center is a platform for culturally responsive experiences that bring young people and the adults around them into dynamic and inspiring encounters with art and creativity. The Ryan Learning Center team:

• champions the role of art and culture in people’s lives,
• promotes access and equitable participation in art and the museum,
• fosters critical and creative thinking.
  
  

As a result, youth, teens, families, students, and educators from various backgrounds and abilities engage with each other and with works of art from across time, cultures, geographies, and identities, activating the museum as a place for learning, insight, inspiration, and community. These museum experiences enable young people and the adults around them to feel more connected and confident in their capacity to imagine, create, and make sense of art and their world.

About The Position

The Woman’s Board Fellow in the Ryan Learning Center offers an aspiring museum education professional the opportunity to explore and contribute to a range of projects and programs in the museum’s learning department, with a special focus on contributing to the work of two teams: Creative Spaces and Learning Partnerships and Resources.

The Creative Spaces team designs learning installations and multigenerational artmaking programs for visitors to the Ryan Learning Center. Working with members of this team, the fellow will be involved in the design, production, and facilitation of programs including Family Studios, Family Days, and the Artist’s Studio; contribute to collection research; and actively work within the Art Exchange, the museum’s public artmaking and learning space for multigenerational visitors.

The Learning Partnerships and Resources team designs resources and learning experiences for educators in connection with key civic partnerships including Chicago Public Schools, the Chicago Public Library, and the Chicago Park District. Working with this team, the fellow will contribute to the development of a range of accessible collection-based resources that support teachers and informal educators to integrate works of art and the museum into classroom and other instructional environments.

The fellow may be invited to contribute to other programmatic areas within the Ryan Learning Center, as opportunities and needs arise. The fellow may also have the opportunity to identify and pursue a special-interest project, under the guidance of their supervisor. Additionally, the fellow will join a museum-wide cohort of interns and fellows and will have access to a range of programs to support their professional development. Mentorship is provided throughout the experience, and the fellow will join a network that includes alumni and museum professionals that can support their career pathway in future years.

SCHEDULED HOURS

This onsite role is 35 hours a week and holds a standard Tuesday - Saturday schedule. Occasional evening work may be required.

This position will run from September 2024 through September 2025. There is the potential that the position could extend for up to 1 additional year; a determination about extension will be made by March 1, 2025.

Primary Responsibilities

Art-Making and Teaching

Actively design and teach in art-making programs for families and multigenerational audiences; write studio lesson plans, collaborate and co-design programs with RLC staff and teaching artists, work as needed in the Art Exchange; contribute to K-12 teacher professional learning workshops.

Educational Resource Development

Contribute to the development of learning resources for teacher, student, and family audiences including genre and artist-based materials that provide historic and cultural context and protocols for looking, engaging, and making.

Permanent Collection Learning

With the Director of Creative Spaces and Senior Educator, develop and co-lead the Ryan Learning Center’s permanent collection learning series; meet and plan with curators, create learning guides, co-facilitate bi-monthly in-gallery learning sessions

Project Management and Evaluation

Contribute to the coordination and event planning for Creative Spaces live artmaking programs, maintain efficient administrative processes and procedures; identify evaluation opportunities, gather data and documentation, contribute to analysis and assessment of Creative Spaces programs

Qualifications

• Bachelor's required. BFA preferred. Degree in various fields of Arts or Education a plus.
• Minimum 1 year of experience with artistic practice, art materials, and designing art-making curriculum required.
• 1-3 years of experience working with teachers, students, and/or multigenerational family audiences in formal or informal learning settings preferred.
• Excellent interpersonal, verbal, and written communication skills, including ability to communicate with audiences of different backgrounds, levels of knowledge, and types of ability.
• Proficiency in MS Office, Google suite, using database systems, and managing data across multiple platforms.
• Strong organization and planning skills with the ability to manage multiple projects simultaneously.
• Spanish language fluency is an asset in this position.
• Demonstrates energy and enthusiasm for the mission of the Ryan Learning Center department and museum.
  
  

Physical Requirements

The physical demands described are representative of those that must be met by a teammate to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

• Daily standing or active movement for periods of 2-3 hours
• With training and under the supervision of staff, operates cutting equipment such as paper cutting guillotines, X-acto knives, and scissors
• Frequently lifts and moves packages of up to 25 pounds
• Operates computers, printers, and other standard office equipment
  
  

APPLICATION INSTRUCTIONS

To apply for this fellowship, the following materials are required:

• Résumé
• In lieu of a traditional cover letter, please respond to the following questions in short essays (no more than 300 words per answer.) We encourage you to provide specific examples to support your answers or to illustrate your ideas:
• What about this job description interests you the most?
• How do you envision this opportunity helping you towards your professional goals?
• What do you see as key priorities for successful, multi-generational, museum education programs and resources?
• What do you appreciate about working with children, and what approaches might you bring to working with families and multigenerational audiences in an art museum?
  

To submit your application: Visit artic.edu/careers to find this job posting and apply online. We would appreciate it if you could upload all of the requested materials as one pdf document (résumé and essay responses) and list your last name and “WBF_FY25” in the title of the file (example: [LAST NAME]_WBF_FY25.pdf.) Please upload your materials where the application asks for a “résumé/cover letter.” PLEASE NOTE: You will not be considered if any requested application element is missing.

Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis, so early application is suggested. Selected applicants will be asked to interview via video call.

CLOSING STATEMENT

The Art Institute of Chicago is an Equal Opportunity Employer that recruits, hires and promotes qualified individuals without regard to race, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, national origin, ancestry, veteran status or citizenship. The Institute complies with federal and state disability laws and makes reasonable accommodations for applicants and employees with disabilities. If reasonable accommodation is needed to participate in the job application or interview process, please contact the Department of Human Resources at apply_help@artic.edu.

UNION INFO

This position is part of a bargaining unit represented by AFSCME Council 31