Art Museum Education Fellow

The Art Museum at Washington and Lee University is offering a nine-month Museum Education Fellowship designed for a museum professional seeking to build expertise in gallery education, faculty collaboration, and object-based teaching.

The Fellow will develop practical skills in four areas of museum education: visual thinking strategies, object-based learning, interpretation, and audience engagement, while leading university class sessions across a wide range of collection areas. The Fellow will work closely with engagement staff and curators and will participate fully in the intellectual life of the campus community.

This is a nine-month fellowship, with the possibility of extension. The role is an in-person position that requires a regular on-campus presence, including evenings and weekends as needed.

The Art Museum spans multiple sites, including the Reeves Museum of Ceramics, Watson Galleries, and McCarthy Gallery. Its holdings include 15,000 objects ranging from early American portraits and European paintings to significant works on paper, photographs, and sculptures. The collection traces its origins to a bequest in 1875, when six portraits of American statesmen laid the foundation of the art collection. It has since grown to include works by artists Elizabeth Catlett, Fernando Botero, Jacob Lawrence, Tsherin Sherpa, Mohammed Omer Khalil, William Christenberry, Sam Gilliam, Sally Mann, Charles Willson Peale, Gilbert Stuart, and Andy Warhol. Additionally, the museum boasts a substantial collection of Chinese export porcelain, ceramics spanning four centuries, East Asian prints, scrolls, and decorative arts, highlighting its global scope.

To achieve our mission as a liberal arts university, we continually strive to foster a welcoming campus community, which recognizes the value of all persons. Our department is committed to contributing to an educational environment that is rich with a wide range of intellectual perspectives and backgrounds.

Essential Functions:

• Leads and facilitates discussion-based class sessions in the museum galleries, with direct object handling of works from the permanent collection.

• Assists faculty in selecting artworks for class sessions.

• Facilitates faculty and student access to exhibitions and collections.

• Gains supervisory experience by helping coordinate museum assistants supporting educational programs.

• Builds familiarity with evolving pedagogical approaches, accessibility standards, and visitor engagement strategies through demonstrated practice.

• Contributes to data collection and evaluation of educational programs.

• Builds a portfolio of close-looking lesson plans and leads sessions throughout the fellowship.

• Assists with museum programming that engages exhibitions and the permanent collection.

• Other duties as assigned.

Minimum Qualifications:

• Master's degree in art history, studio art, museum education, or a related discipline.

• A minimum of one year of hands-on experience leading tours and educational programs in museums. Relevant professional experience includes leading sessions or teaching college students in library settings, special collections, archives, or galleries.

• Experience or demonstrated coursework handling original works of art or material culture objects.

• Demonstrated knowledge of art history and visual literacy, with the ability to interpret and teach from original works of art. Interest in or exposure to American portraiture, ceramics and material culture, or works on paper is a plus.

• Ability to make interdisciplinary connections and foster engagement with a variety of collections.

• Excellent communication, collaboration, and facilitation skills.

• Demonstrated ability to manage multiple priorities, working both independently and under mentorship.

• Ability to work during evening and weekend hours, as needed.

• Ability to lift, carry, and safely handle museum objects; comfort kneeling, standing, and working in gallery environments for extended periods.

Application Instructions

Review of applications will begin immediately and continue until the position is filled. Required materials include:

• Cover letter

• Resume

• Names and contact information for three professional references

Application instructions for internal and external candidates can be found at https://www.wlu.edu/employment-opportunities/jobs-at-w-l.

Position Type:

Exempt, Full Time, Benefit Eligible - Fixed Term (Fixed Term)

Compensation:

The expected annual salary for this posting is between $62,000 - $71,000. Offers are based on factors such as qualifications, relevant experience, skills, internal equity, and market and organizational considerations.

Washington and Lee University also offers a generous and comprehensive benefits package designed to support the well-being of employees and their families. To learn more about working at W&L, benefits, and life in the Shenandoah Valley, visit jobs.wlu.edu.

Washington and Lee is an Equal Opportunity Employer seeking candidates committed to high standards of scholarship, performance, professionalism, and to a welcoming campus community. Job description requirements are representative, but not all‐inclusive of the knowledge, skill, and abilities needed to successfully perform this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable qualified individuals with disabilities to perform essential functions.