Job Opportunity-Youth & Family Educator - Frist

Youth and Family Educator (Full-time, Exempt)


Date Effective: October 9, 2009

Supervised by: Director of Education and Outreach

The Environment: The Frist Center for the Visual Arts is a major art exhibition center that opened April 2001 in Nashville’s historic downtown post office building. The development of the Frist Center is the result of unprecedented community involvement and cooperation from the public and private sectors which developed this institution that now serves as a hub of Nashville’s flourishing arts community. The Center does not have a permanent art collection. Rather, the Center is committed to bringing top-quality exhibitions to the region, to community outreach, and to education programs and activities.

The Board of Trustees of the Frist Center is firmly committed to the Center. The Board is broadly diverse, comprising of corporate leaders of national renown, public school educators, working artists, community activists, and collectors.

The city of Nashville is steadfast in its commitment to the arts, as evidenced by the explosion of new galleries, important art exhibitions at the city’s existing institutions, and the formation of new visual and performing arts organizations. This growth is raising awareness of the arts to new and exciting levels in the city.

Job Summary: The Youth and Family Educator is responsible for the development and successful implementation of all programs related to youth and family learning at the Frist Center including the Martin ArtQuest, Kids Club, Family Days and Summer Art Camp. The Martin ArtQuest Gallery, the Frist Center’s interactive education gallery, is an integral component of the Frist Center visitor experience and has highly public visibility. Working with the Director of Education and Outreach, the Youth and Family educator sets the educational and philosophical approach to Youth and Family art education, supervises and directs daily operations, assessment, and renewal of the Martin ArtQuest Gallery. S/he is also responsible for developing content for other youth and family programs, budgeting, evaluation, and some grant writing, The Youth and Family Educator supervises and schedules the Assistant Educators for ArtQuest, teaching assistants, interns, volunteers, and any on-call educators or contract artists involved with these programs.

Essential Job Functions:

· Develop the art activities and learning concepts for individual stations in ArtQuest using appropriate art education principals, curriculum, or theories. These may be in support of art education principles or in support of specific exhibitions themes and concepts

· Responsible for the successful operations of ArtQuest including ordering of supplies, contracting appropriate vendors, management of technology and interactive components, and installation of temporary exhibitions and original works of art in ArtQuest.

· Plan, implement, and monitor the annual and long-range budget for ArtQuest and collaborate with development staff to seek foundational and grant support.

· Supervises ArtQuest staff and volunteers, including Teaching Assistants, interns, and on-call educators.

· Work in ArtQuest periodically to ensure direct knowledge of the daily operations and to develop appropriate assessment tools.

· Write and supervise production of all written support materials and installation texts and graphics using a variety of teaching strategies and approaches to address various learning styles, implement valid and reliable learning assessment strategies to evaluate ArtQuest.

· Develop youth and family programs in support of specific exhibitions or general art education principles using appropriate and current art education curriculum or theories.

· Manage and implement special educational events and festivals including Family Day and other related youth and family activities and events.

· Develop and manage art camps for youth – which includes identifying and managing camp personnel, overseeing content development and studio management, developing publicity materials, ordering supplies, supervising reservations, payment, and day-to-day operations of camp.

· Ensures programs are offered in a safe learning environment for visitors of all ages.

· Works collaborative with the Director of Education and Outreach, educators and curators, and has the leadership ability to ensure the successful implementation and execution of projects and to supervise a diverse staff.

· Develop and maintain positive relations with a wide range of people and organizations both inside the Frist Center and outside the Center, including visitors, volunteers, vendors, interns, contract artists and cultural organizations.

· Some evening and weekends required.

· Accept projects as assigned by supervisor.

Education: Requires a Master’s degree or above in art education, museum education, art history or related discipline, and teaching experience as visual art educator.

Work Experience: Must have 3-5 years of experience in a museum or school environment.

Skills and Abilities:

· Knowledge of current object-based pedagogy, curriculum, and teaching strategies for art education, art history, and museum education;
· Knowledge of interactive galleries in art museums;
· Knowledge and experience in current hardware, software, and museum resources;
· Strong interpersonal skills and ability to work directly with casual museum visitors, teachers, and students;
· Supervisory experience;
· Ability to contribute creatively in a team-oriented workplace;
· Strong organizational skills and ability to organize and inspire organization in the work of others;
· Ability to work effectively with public and staff on a personal level, with tact and diplomacy;
· Well-versed and at ease in computer all current applications;

Physical Requirements for Essential Functions:

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of the job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions. Demands may include:

· Lifting materials up to 25 pounds.
· Stooping, bending, kneeling
· Standing for long periods of time.
· Working at computer for long periods of time.

Interested candidates should send their resume, references and salary requirements to:

Frist Center for the Visual Arts
919 Broadway
Nashville, Tennessee 37203
Fax: (615) 244-3339
Attention: Sheri Horn, Human Resources Manager

Or E-mail shorn@fristcenter.org

The Frist Center for the Visual Arts is an Equal Opportunity Employer

Family Day @ FRIST - FREE - 10-18-09

Family Day @ FRIST
Sunday, October 18, 1:00–5:30 p.m.
FREE

The Frist Center invites you, your friends, and your family to enjoy a fun-filled day of art activities, live music, and exciting performances!

Check out Georgia O’Keeffe and Her Times: American Modernism from the Lane Collection of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, which features amazing examples of American Modernist paintings and photographs. Stroll through Thomas Hart Benton in Story and Song to see Benton’s original illustrations for Mark Twain’s books Life on the Mississippi, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, and The Adventures of Tom Sawyer and drawings, prints, and paintings from Benton’s lifelong admiration of folk music and musicians. Top off your day with a visit to the Upper-Level Galleries to explore the exhibition Twilight Visions: Surrealism, Photography, and Paris, which includes photographs that evoke the mystery of the chance encounters experienced by the Surrealists as they wandered through the labyrinthine streets of Paris.


Events and Activities
Family Day programs are offered on a first-come, first-served basis and are appropriate for all ages.

Musical Petting Zoo with Instrument Demonstration
1:00–3:00 p.m.
Rechter Room (Main Level)
How well do you know your instruments? Join the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum as they introduce you to a world of music. Bang a drum, strum an autoharp, and pick a banjo! The Musical Petting Zoo offers budding musicians an opportunity to try unusual and familiar instruments. Instructors will be on site to offer guidance. At the beginning of the program a professional musician will demonstrate a selection of instruments.

Live Music: Westbound Rangers
1:00 p.m., 2:30 p.m., 4:30 p.m.
Grand Lobby
Be swept away into a world of music as you listen to Nashville’s own Americana band! The Westbound Rangers are an acoustic group formed here in Nashville to preserve and promote music from the past while infusing it with a new, unique sound.

Wood and Strings Theater presents Backwoods Ramblin’
1:30 p.m. and 3:30 p.m.
Auditorium (Main Level)
Come check out this main stage marionette production! Through the enchanting arts of puppetry and music, fun and humorous folklore, scenes, and music of the Appalachian hill country will spring to life!

Story Time
1:45 and 4:00 p.m.
Art Library and Resource Center (Upper Level)
Listen and let your imagination go as a Frist Center educator reads the children’s book Nature's Paintbox: A Seasonal Gallery of Art and Verse, written by Patricia Thomas and illustrated by Craig Orback.


Art Activities

The Essence of Nature
1:00–5:30 p.m.
Studio A (Upper Level)

Come explore the abstract qualities of the natural world using Georgia O’Keeffe’s paintings as your muse. Create your own nature-based imagery as you experiment with various materials and the use of light and color!

Illustrations! The Art of Telling a Story
1:00–5:30 p.m.
Studio B (Upper Level)

Grab a pen, a piece of paper, and try your hand at illustrating quotes from Mark Twain’s novels just as Thomas Hart Benton did!

Fantasy Postcards
1:00–5:30 p.m.
Studio C (Upper Level)

Take a step back to 1930s Paris and create your very own fantasy postcard just like the ones Surrealist artists produced and collected in France.

Martin ArtQuest Gallery
1:00–5:30 p.m.
Visit the Martin ArtQuest Gallery, located on the upper level, for more exciting hands-on art activities, including several that were inspired by Georgia O’Keeffe and Her Times: American Modernism from the Lane Collection of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston.
by the Surrealists as they wandered through the labyrinthine city streets of Paris.