Associate Director for Learning, Engagement, and Public Practice

JOB DESCRIPTION

Museum Search & Reference is leading the search for the newly created position of Associate Director for Learning, Engagement, and Public Practice at the widely respected Sheldon Museum of Art (Sheldon) on the campus of the University of Nebraska–Lincoln. This progressive new position has been created to shift the paradigm of Sheldon’s community engagement, campus engagement, and visitor experience by implementing innovative strategies that center stakeholders and catalyze meaningful engagement with Sheldon’s world-class collection of American Art.

Supported by the wealth of dynamic resources at the University of Nebraska, the individual in this role will have the opportunity to forge new interdisciplinary and creative programming with the leadership of Sheldon’s recently appointed director, Susan Longhenry, and to serve in one of three key senior management roles alongside the Chief Curator and Associate Director for Curatorial Affairs, another newly created position.

ABOUT SHELDON MUSEUM OF ART

The mission of Sheldon Museum of Art is to utilize its extraordinary collection as a springboard to develop relevant and compelling exhibitions and public programs that inspire inquiry and discovery, serving the University of Nebraska–Lincoln, the state of Nebraska, the larger regional community, and beyond. Following the intentions of the Sheldon Art Association (SAA), founded in 1888, the visionary estate gifts of Mary Frances Sheldon and her brother resulted in the construction of Sheldon’s landmark Philip Johnson–designed museum in 1963. That same year, the Junior League of Lincoln established the museum’s docent program, whose forward-thinking ties to school curriculum remain a model today. In 1970, Sheldon dedicated the nation’s third sculpture garden—after the Museum of Modern Art’s in New York and the Franklin D. Murphy Sculpture Garden in Los Angeles. In 1972, Sheldon was among the earliest institutions to receive accreditation from the American Alliance of Museums.

Today, Sheldon holds one of the nation’s leading academic art collections, which includes nearly 13,000 objects in diverse media owned by the SAA and the university. The collection comprises prominent works of 19th-century landscape and still life, American impressionism, early modernism, geometric abstraction, abstract expressionism, and minimalism, as well as more than 3,000 photographs spanning the history of the medium. Additionally, thirty-three outdoor sculptures from Sheldon’s collection are exhibited across campus, including major works by Gaston Lachaise, Jacques Lipchitz, Claes Oldenburg and Coosje van Bruggen, Richard Serra, and Mark di Suvero.

The SAA continues its mission as the museum’s membership-based support organization focused on funding exhibitions, acquisitions, learning, and engagement. A 501(c)(3), the SAA owns part of the museum’s collection. Alongside the SAA, Sheldon’s support and advisory groups include the University of Nebraska Foundation, a private foundation; the Sheldon Advisory Board, a committee appointed by the chancellor of the university; and the Sheldon Student Advisory Board. Sheldon’s current strategic plan supports the university’s core aspirations: 1) Nebraska students co-create their experience, 2) research and creativity transform lives and learning, 3) every person and every interaction matters, and 4) engagement builds communities. Sheldon Museum of Art reports to the office of Chancellor Rodney Bennett, a governance structure that elevates the status of the museum on campus, in Lincoln, and across the state.

Director Susan Longhenry, an innovative leader in academic art venues, came on board in August 2023 following the retirement of Wally Mason, who led the museum for nine years. Inherent in this opportunity is the potential to advance Sheldon under Longhenry’s progressive agenda. Prioritizing an experiential and inclusive approach to audience development and engagement, Longhenry has put into place a forward-facing strategic blueprint around the tenets of the Empathetic Museum, toward the realization of a welcoming museum that is visitor-centered, civic-minded, diverse, inclusive, responsive, and participatory. Central to Sheldon’s strategic plan is the re-alignment and categorization of key staff positions to reflect this framework, and the creation of this impactful opportunity for an innovative, experimental, and proactive museum learning professional.

THE OPPORTUNITY

Sheldon Museum of Art’s Associate Director for Learning, Engagement, and Public Practice (ADLEP) will develop and implement inclusive strategies that center museum stakeholders and engage them in meaningful ways with Sheldon’s collections, exhibitions, programs, and overall visitor experience. This opportunity will appeal to an innovative and aspirational museum learning professional who is excited about experiential learning, and strategically minded to hold the big-picture potential of this role while developing accessible and relevant interpretive programming. They will serve as a critical thought partner in advancing Sheldon in all respects, further defining Sheldon’s active role in campus and community life and activating its potential as a hub for engagement and learning.
Reporting to the Director and working in close collaboration with the Chief Curator and Associate Director for Curatorial Affairs, the ADLEP is one of three leadership positions responsible for collaboratively establishing and assessing Sheldon’s direction and strategic priorities. Advancing the hallmarks of the Empathetic Museum, the ADLEP will lead and synthesize academic and community engagement, develop Sheldon’s social impact initiatives, and establish and maintain meaningful bidirectional partnerships with collaborators on campus, in the Lincoln community, and throughout the state of Nebraska. The ADLEP will design and envision an interpretive plan that guides the museum’s strategies for orientation, wayfinding, and in-gallery interpretation and experience, leading a ten-person museum division and providing direct supervision to three positions: Curator for Academic and Campus Engagement, Manager of Community Learning and Engagement, and Manager of Visitor Experience.

DUTIES & RESPONSIBILITIES

The broad strategic priorities of this position include community and academic engagement, interpretation, and strengthening the visitor experience. Within these categorical “buckets” the ADLEP will be adept at developing and navigating a cohesive engagement plan that encompasses all these overlapping priorities and advances a holistic and multi/interdisciplinary approach throughout, attracting and bringing together regional, local, and academic communities at all levels.
• Partner with the Chief Curator and Associate Director for Curatorial Affairs and the Associate Curator for Exhibitions to generate interpretive strategies for museum exhibitions utilizing both digital and traditional vehicles for communication and engagement.
• Build and implement a robust schedule of adult public programs—including lectures, symposia, and gallery talks—featuring visiting scholars, critics, artists, and influencers.
• Deepen Sheldon’s curricular alignment with university faculty and students through experiential learning, innovative teaching, and deep research.
• Cultivate, create, and sustain inclusive bidirectional partnerships with community leaders and organizations in the Lincoln and statewide Nebraska communities.
• Develop, implement, and continually assess interpretive planning strategies related to orientation, wayfinding, and in-gallery interpretation.
• Spearhead outcome-based evaluation strategies that measure the impact of museum exhibitions, learning initiatives, programs, and the visitor experience.
• Evolve visitor experience strategies and tools to ensure that the museum is a welcoming, safe, peaceful, and inviting place that cultivates a sense of belonging and inspires repeat visits.
• Embody an inclusive, collaborative, and respectful supervisory mindset providing key support to direct reports and indirect leadership to Sheldon’s volunteer docent program.
• Monitor and develop annual operating and multi-year project budgets.
• Represent the museum in regional and national professional organizations and regularly participate in and present at professional events and conferences.

QUALIFICATIONS

• M.A. in art history, art education, museum studies, or related field and 5–7 years’ experience working in an art museum, or equivalent, with a focus on learning and community engagement. Experience in an academic art museum preferred.
• Experience establishing and maintaining impactful, bidirectional partnerships with community organizations, associations, and leaders.
• Successful supervisory experience along with organizational, communication, and cross-cultural team-building skills. Comfortable with delegation, evaluation, and mentorship, utilizing a collaborative and generous mindset.
• Emotional intelligence and outstanding written and verbal communication skills that engage diverse audiences.
• Knowledge of current best practices for art museums as articulated by the American Alliance of Museums, the Association of Art Museum Directors, and other related professional organizations.

TO APPLY

To apply in confidence, submit the following materials via email to Suzanne Tan, Senior Search Consultant, Museum Search & Reference at searchandref@museum-search.com.

1) A letter expressing interest in this position and giving brief examples of past related experience
2) A résumé or C.V.
3) The names of three references with contact information

Submit application by September 11, 2024. Applicants are encouraged to apply early as candidates will be considered on a rolling basis. References will not be contacted without prior authorization. Nominations are welcome.

COMPENSATION：$82,000 – $95,000