In the beginning there was a need. Fifty years ago the MFA opened an exhibition of The Treasures of King Tutankhamen which drew thousands of school children as visitors. The Department of Education quickly trained a small group of Volunteer Guides from the Ladies Committee to lead these young visitors through the exhibition. This group of volunteer professionals, now called Gallery Instructors trained by and working within the Department of Education grew from year to year. Over time as audiences, demographics and teaching styles have changed so too did the training of the Gallery Instructors: students are now more diverse from many different countries and teaching has become more interactive.
The idea for a published history of the Gallery Instructor Program was conceived in 2006. Since then, a committee of Gallery Instructors has been gathering research, reading material in the MFA archives, interviewing all but the newest class of GIs and written a time-line. We are eager to have someone write a spirited, detailed and intriguing history of our program.
Responsibilities:
• Write a summarizing history of the Gallery Instructor program
• Organize archival materials including notes from interviews, past histories, and press clippings
• Conduct new research, including interviews with current and past Gallery Instructors
Requirements:
• Demonstrate excellent writing skills
• Demonstrate strong interpersonal skills
• Demonstrate excellent organizational skills
• Proven ability to meet deadlines
• Proven ability to work as part of a team as well as independently
• Flexibility and a sense of humor
• Graduate students are welcome to apply
• Ability to commit to 10-15 hours per week through mid August
• Ability to attend orientation n Tues, May 28 (9am-12pm) or Tues, June 11 (9am-12pm)