Lead Curator of Special Exhibitions (Preservation and Museum Specialist 4)

This posting is open until filled, however, the hiring manager reserves the right to make a hiring decision at any time. Application review will begin the week of July 3,2023. It will be in your best interest to apply as soon as possible. Schedule: Typically M-F 8 am–5 pm. Flexible hours/some telework possible. Hours are adjusted occasionally to allow for evening and weekend exhibition-related activities, support outreach, program activities, and some trainings. What you will be doing: As exhibitions and supporting aspects are a fundamental element of the Washington State Historical Society’s mission of partnering with our communities to explore how history connects us all, the interpretation of the stories, images, and objects of our state’s past helps residents and visitors to understand the present and shape the future. The Society’s strategic plan contains a focus on both permanent and temporary exhibitions that are of the highest quality while fitting within current museum trends and best practices, including community collaboration where appropriate. As the Lead Curator for Special Exhibitions (LCSE), you’ll report to the Head Curator and serve as LCSE for the Exhibitions division of the Audience Engagement Department, acting as lead to part-time gallery guides assigned to special and permanent exhibitions. You’ll work closely with other members of the WSHS team, including the Education division of Audience Engagement, Collections, and Marketing/Communications. ?With exhibition staff, you will collaborate to determine themes/topics, objectives, and outcomes for new exhibitions, as well as researching and developing exhibition content and identifying components and collections to be included in exhibitions. As part of this role, you will also develop panel and traveling exhibitions as tools for outside engagement and maintains relationships with exhibition stakeholders and community partners and also develops digital tools related to exhibitions and engagement. A little about us: Founded in 1891 and now into its second century of service, the Washington State Historical Society is dedicated to collecting, preserving, and vividly presenting Washington's diverse and storied history. Our work illuminates the past, enlightens the present, and informs the future. Our mission is to partner with our communities to explore how history connects us all. Our vision is to be the recognized destination for Washington State history. We achieve this by serving as our state's primary history educator, making history relevant to our modern lives, and supporting civic dialogue where all are welcome. The Society serves individuals and organizations statewide through publications, outreach programs, curriculum, free virtual public programs, and other online services. However, the majority of the Society's interactions with the public occur at the Washington State History Museum, located in Tacoma, Washington. The Museum traditionally serves more than 80,000 annually, including more than 15,000 K-12 school children visiting the museum on a field trip. We also welcome more than 10,000 visitors free of charge each year through a variety of access programs. We are much more than a regional museum. We continually ask ourselves how we can better serve Washingtonians across our state. Our Heritage Capital Projects grant program distributes up to $10M per biennium to fund public heritage, history interpretation, and historic preservation projects across the state. Our popular public history magazine COLUMBIA is enjoyed by readers of all ages. And the Historical Society’s collections at our Research Center, along with a digital collections database, are a resource to scholars and researchers from across the nation. The Washington State Historical Society is a dynamic place to work with a dedicated staff. We expand our impact by connecting with communities across the Evergreen State through exhibitions, heritage projects, workshops, public programs, publications, and conversations. Our goal is to bring history into focus in such a way that the participant cannot help but discover valuable insights from and feel deep connections with the people and events of the past. We have an active commitment to inclusion, diversity, equity and accessibility and are looking for team members who have a passion for professionalism and serving the public, and a desire to contribute to a positive work culture. Some of what you’ll enjoy doing:

• Conducting historical research for the development of special exhibition content, including consultation with stakeholders and community partners
• In collaboration with the Director of Exhibitions & Programs, Head Curator, and other staff, develops exhibition look and feel, topics, themes, objectives/outcomes, collections items, and potential interactives
• Working with other institutions, artists, collectors, colleagues, the Head Curator and the Collections staff to facilitate loans and permission

Apply tot his job Apply To this Job