Job Description:
All applicants must submit the following:
- Cover Letter
- A statement outlining applicant’s commitment to Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Justice (maximum 500 words)
- Links to relevant samples of curatorial, project management, and/or scholarly work
- Name and contact details for 3 references
PRIMARY PURPOSE/GENERAL DESCRIPTION:
The Gabrielle Jungels-Winkler Director, an endowed position since 2019, leads and manages the Ruth Chandler Williamson Gallery (RCWG) program at Scripps College. The Director collaborates with faculty, students, and staff to present an educational program that enhances teaching and learning at Scripps. The Director communicates the RCWG’s academic mission and oversees its major educational initiatives, exhibitions, related lectures and publications, and management of the paid internship program. The Director also oversees the growth and stewardship of the Scripps permanent collection, which includes more than 15,000 objects spanning 3,000 years of Asian, North American, and European art, with significant holdings in textiles, Japanese works on paper, ceramic arts, and photography.
The Director envisions and executes an exhibition program that complements and expands the curriculum. The position advocates for the collection and the value of learning directly from art and material culture in the arts, humanities, and sciences. To that end, the Director creates exhibitions and educational programs, including lectures and symposia, that enrich learning across the curriculum.
This position manages the growth and care of the Scripps College permanent art collection. The Director works with RCWG staff to create and implement appropriate policies relating to the conservation, documentation, security, and safe storage of art. In addition, the Director makes the collection accessible for learning through the digital catalog, which has an international audience, and through class visits by students at Scripps and the Claremont Colleges.
The Director oversees all gallery staff and student employees. To fulfill the program’s teaching mission, the Director also manages a program of paid internships, which include part-time opportunities during the academic year and full-time during the summer. The Director coordinates internships for students to learn directly from art works, gain personalized training, and acquire marketable skills in museum practice.
ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS:
This information is intended to be a descriptive of the key responsibilities of the position. The list of essential functions below does not identify all duties performed by any single incumbent in this position. Perform other duties as assigned.
- Engages effectively with faculty, as well as students, staff and administrators, to realize the RCWG’s goal of enhancing learning and fostering curricular connections to the collections.
- Commits, as an engaging and experienced museum professional, to exhibiting, collecting, and promoting excellent visual art on campus through inspiring, inclusive, and effective leadership.
- Collaborates with our External Relations and Institutional Advancement (ERIA) Office to ensure the gallery’s mission and long-term sustainability.
- Possesses expertise in managing staff, relationship building, and stewardship of the permanent collection.
- Executes the existing strategic plan and develops a new strategic plan to complement the college’s new strategic themes and initiatives.
Management of Staff and Resources
- Reports to the Dean of Faculty/Vice President for Academic Affairs on the operation and performance of the RCWG.
- Manages and supports the gallery staff to create a collaborative team that works together effectively and efficiently.
- Prepares budgets in collaboration with the Scripps College administration.
- Supports a program of paid internships, during both the academic year and summers, to train a diverse array of students in best museum practices.
Communication and Relationship Building
- Serves as the public spokesperson for the RCWG both internally and externally for the College.
- Creates effective partnerships with the Core Program, Humanities Institute, and Denison Library in addition to collaborations with cultural institutions throughout Southern California.
- Liaises with faculty members across disciplines to support the use of the permanent collection and the development of contemporary programming.
- Makes the collection accessible for faculty members’ classes, students’ research, and Art History and Art Conservation senior thesis projects.
Fundraising
- Raises funds to supplement the limited operating budget in collaboration with ERIA.
- Writes grants to support conservation, preservation, cataloguing, and exhibitions.
- Raises funds to continue the robust paid student internship program.
- Strengthens the College’s collections through cultivating gifts and bequests of art works.
REQUIRED KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS, ABILITIES:
Individuals must possess knowledge, skills and abilities to successfully perform the essential functions of the position or be able to explain or demonstrate how the essential functions will be performed, with or without reasonable accommodation, using some other combination of skills and abilities.
- Experience working with and managing collections and overseeing exhibition development
- Successful budgetary management skills and a proven track record in advancing development and fundraising efforts
- Demonstrated commitment to the College’s goal of improving diversity, equity, and inclusion on campus
- Excellent oral and written communication skills, interpersonal skills, and an ability to work in partnership with a wide range of communities and constituencies (e.g., students, faculty, donors, the wider arts community)
- Demonstrated track record of innovation
- Capacity to cultivate new patrons and audiences
QUALIFICATION STANDARDS:
EDUCATION, EXPERIENCE, AND SKILLS:
Advanced degree in an appropriate field such as Fine Arts, Art History, or Museum Studies, or any combination of education, training or experience that provides the required knowledge, skills, and ability required.
Minimum 5 years of experience in a museum, gallery, or arts non-profit setting is required.
LICENSES / CERTIFICATES:
None.
OTHER:
CLASSIFICATION AND STATUS:
This is a regular status, full-time, exempt, benefits-eligible position.
The regular hours for this position are 8 a.m. – 5 p.m. This position may require weekend and evening availability based on the Gallery schedule and needs of the College.
Applicants must be authorized to work for any employer in the US. We are unable to sponsor employment visas at this time.
SUPERVISORY RESPONSIBILITY:
Supervises a staff including a full-time Registrar/Collections Manager, three part-time positions (Administrative Assistant; Visual Resource Specialist; and Gallery Installer), a part-time Gabrielle Jungels-Winkler Curator of Academic Programs, and a head guard, who works during exhibitions.
Work Environment
The work environment characteristics described here are representative of those an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of the job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions. The noise level in the work environment is quiet to moderate.
Physical and Mental Requirements
Ability to maintain good concentration level while dealing with interruptions; attention to details with emphasis on accuracy; capable of giving, receiving, and analyzing information, formulating work plans, and articulating goals and action plans.
Sitting in a normal seated position for extended periods of time. Standing for extended periods of time. Reaching and extending hand(s) or arm(s) in any direction. Finger dexterity required to manipulate objects with fingers rather than the whole hand(s), or arm(s), for example, using a keyboard. Communication skills using the spoken word. Ability to see within normal parameters. Ability to hear within normal parameters. Ability to bend and stoop, for example, to file. Ability to move about. Ability to lift and carry short distances up to 20 lbs., for example to lift or move office supplies, files, books, and packages.
At-Will Employment
Regular employment at the College is for no specified period of time; conditions and status of employment (hours, pay, title, duties, etc.) are subject to change at any time. Scripps College is an At-Will employer. Employees, and likewise the College, are free to end the employment relationship at any time, for any reason, with or without notice or cause, unless otherwise prohibited by law.
With the goal of providing the safest campus possible for our community, the College is requiring faculty and staff to have their COVID-19 vaccines up to date within two weeks of hire date or within two weeks of when employee becomes eligible to receive a booster, whichever is later. The College considers a vaccine to be up to date if (i) the individual has previously received two doses of the Pfizer or Moderna vaccine and receives either a third dose of one of those vaccines or one dose of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine or (ii) the individual has previously received one dose the Johnson & Johnson vaccine and receives either a second dose of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine or one dose of the Pfizer or Moderna vaccine. Exemptions for documented medical reasons or a sincerely held religious belief may be requested.
