The Mount Holyoke College Art Museum seeks applications for a full-time Communications and Stewardship Coordinator, a crucial twofold support position working closely with the Director to help communicate the Museum’s varied programming in support of its teaching mission as well as provide coordination and assistance in stewarding the Museum’s membership and donor base. This position requires productive collaboration not only with Museum staff members but with varied partners across the College. Thus, the successful candidate will be a diplomatic and resourceful person who communicates effectively no matter the platform, in a fast-paced mission-driven work environment.

The Mount Holyoke College Art Museum is a dynamic cross-curricular resource for the College through its Teaching with Art program that advances object-based learning with the Art Museum and Skinner Museum collections. Last year the Museum served 112 different courses, for a total of 40 disciplines, 218 class sessions, 3,324 student visits, and 1,025 objects pulled from storage. The Museum mounts exhibitions and offers programs for its campus and surrounding communities. The position of Communications and Stewardship Coordinator requires a firm commitment to the teaching goals of the Museum and the College.

CORE DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:

COMMUNICATIONS

Content creation and distribution

• Draft content for MHCAM programs and customize written content for various outlets and audiences, such as monthly Museum eblast mailings, Mount Holyoke College calendar, College Staff Council newsletter, student-facing emails, and social media
• Draft content and manage production of printed biannual calendar of events
• Manage Museum website, develop new content in collaboration with Museum staff, and supervise part-time Website Manager (offsite) who uploads content
• Gather content and produce internal Annual Report for Museum archives
• Collaborate with Museum photographer on event photography and develop shot lists
• Oversee design and content of Museum banner, in collaboration with Curatorial
• Oversee production of Museum event posters
• Serve on campus-wide communications group
• Collaborate with College’s Office of Communications and Marketing on stories about Museum for College website and printed College Quarterly magazine
• Manage distribution and mailing of both printed and digital materials to various constituencies
• Manage free listings and paid advertising (local/regional/national; print and digital)

Press releases and external relations

• Draft and send press releases in collaboration with Museum staff and College’s Office of Communications and Marketing
• Respond to press inquiries in collaboration with College’s Office of Communications and Marketing
• Serve as primary contact for communications or community-relations requests
• Pitch stories to artworld press contacts and maintain contact list

STEWARDSHIP

Art Museum Advisory Board and Museum Membership

• Support Museum Director in board stewardship, from coordinating all logistics of biannual board meetings to drafting meeting minutes and maintaining board handbook
• Draft and coordinate biannual membership appeal letter mailings, in collaboration with College’s Office of Advancement; generate thank-you gift letters
• Field gift processing queries in collaboration with College’s Office of Advancement
• Develop ongoing strategy for Museum membership in collaboration with Museum Director, Museum’s Financial Coordinator and College’s Office of Advancement, and maintain membership brochure

Stewardship and donor cultivation support

• Draft content and oversee production and distribution of printed annual Stewardship Report, in collaboration with College’s Office of Advancement
• Assist Director in coordination and logistics of donor cultivation events, such as annual Director’s Circle art tours, in collaboration with hired tour company
• Design engaging invitations for various donor-centric events
• Enter donor activity in College’s database of record, currently the Ellucian Colleague Advancement platform
• Maintain paper files tracking donor activity
• Approve credit line with donor names and endowed funds in all printed and digital platforms
• Draft event briefings for College colleagues

Alumnae Association collaborations

• Coordinate planning of reunion class tours and other reunion offerings in collaboration with College’s Alumnae Association
• Coordinate special requests from alumnae for museum tours throughout the year

  Other Duties

• Other duties as assigned
• Occasional weekend and evening work required

QUALIFICATIONS/SKILLS:

A bachelor’s degree, at least three years of communications, marketing, and/or development experience, at least one year of administrative experience, and:

• Excellent written and verbal skills as well as fluency to draft coherent and concise content for a variety of platforms
• Superior interpersonal skills, in order to be diplomatic and effective with Museum donors and all external requests, whether on the telephone, in-person and via email
• Proven ability to develop strong working relationships with students, staff, faculty, and Museum donors
• Ability to prioritize, anticipate deadlines, exercise good judgment and manage multiple projects and tasks simultaneously
• Outstanding organizational and problem-solving skills with a strong track record of reliability and efficient follow-through on tasks and projects
• Flexibility and adaptability in a fast-paced environment
• Ability to work independently as well as collaboratively on a team
• Strong customer service commitment
• Excellent attention to detail combined with creativity and innovation
• Ability to craft and design fresh and engaging content for various platforms and audiences
• Passion and commitment to the Museum’s teaching mission at the College
• Demonstrated commitment to principles of community and diversity, and the ability and desire to work effectively with a diverse constituency
• Ability to carefully follow confidentiality procedures
• Computer literacy and proficiency with Microsoft Office, G Suite, Adobe Creative Suite, Constant Contact, and an aptitude for learning new software and features, including but not limited to CRM software and basic database tools

WORKING CONDITIONS*

Standard workweek of 8:30 am to 5:00 pm as well as occasional evening or weekend hours for Museum events

*  Consistent with its obligations under the law, the College will provide reasonable accommodation to any employee with a disability who requires accommodation to perform the essential functions of the job.

COMPLIANCE/BACKGROUND CHECKS/CERTIFICATION/LICENSURE REQUIREMENTS 

CORI (Criminal Offender Record Information) background check

SORI (Sexual Offender Record Information) background check

SPECIAL INSTRUCTIONS FOR APPLICATIONS

Review of applications will begin on February 10, 2020. Application materials must include 1) a cover letter summarizing interests and qualifications; 2) a complete resume or curriculum vitae; 3) contact information for 3 professional references; 4) writing samples upon request

About Mount Holyoke College Art Museum

The Mount Holyoke College Art Museum (MHCAM) is defined by its innovative program of teaching with art and material culture. The number of faculty and students deeply engaging with original works of art continues to grow each year. As a part of that unprecedented activity, 80 faculty members from 40 different disciplines taught not only with the art on view in the galleries but also with 1,025 objects pulled from storage.

The permanent collection at the Mount Holyoke College Art Museum comprises objects from five continents and across thousands of years of history. Particular strengths within the Museum’s 24,000 holdings are ancient Mediterranean art and artifacts, paintings, sculpture, and decorative art from Europe and the United States, and modern and global contemporary art. Categories of significant depth include photography, glass, ceramics, prints and drawings, and numismatics.

Since its founding in 1876, the Museum has been the recipient of sizeable and specialized collections. The earliest such collection comprises a group of objects that came from various donors—the so-called Missionary Collection. This group was formed during the late 19th and early 20th century through a series of gifts from alumnae of Mount Holyoke College working as missionaries in foreign countries. Other more recent gifts by single individuals, such as the Richter Collection of Netsuke, and the Fellows Collection of Silver and Snuff Bottles, have allowed the Museum to attain depth in unique areas that might not otherwise be represented in its collections. The most significant “collection within the collection” is the Joseph Allen Skinner Museum, boasting 7,000 objects acquired over the lifetime of one visionary local collector.