Visual Information Specialist, Exhibits - Smithsonian (Washington, DC)
Application Deadline: 1 November 2024
Department: National Museum of Asian Art
Employment Type: Full Time
Location: Washington, DC
Reporting To: Head of Exhibitions
Compensation: $82,764 - $91,039 / year
OPEN DATE: October 21, 2024
CLOSING DATE: November 1, 2024
DUTY LOCATION: Washington, DC
What are Trust Fund Positions?
Trust Fund positions are unique to the Smithsonian. They are paid for from a variety of sources, including the Smithsonian endowment, revenue from our business activities, donations, grants and contracts. Trust employees are not part of the civil service, nor does trust fund employment lead to Federal status. The salary ranges for trust positions are generally the same as for federal positions and in many cases trust and federal employees work side by side. Trust employees have their own benefit program, which may include Health, Dental & Vision Insurance, Life Insurance, Transit/Commuter Benefits, Accidental Death and Dismemberment Insurance, Annual and Sick Leave, Family Friendly Leave, 403b Retirement Plan, Discounts for Smithsonian Memberships, Museum Stores and Restaurants, Credit Union, Smithsonian Early Enrichment Center (Child Care), Flexible Spending Account (Health & Dependent Care).
Conditions of Employment
Pass Pre-employment Background Check and Subsequent Background Investigation for position designated.
Complete a Probationary Period.
Maintain a Bank Account for Direct Deposit/Electronic Transfer.
The position is open to all candidates eligible to work in the United States. Proof of eligibility to work in U.S. is not required to apply.
Applicants must meet all qualification and eligibility requirements within 30 days of the closing date of this announcement.
To view this job and apply, click here.
OVERVIEW
The Smithsonian’s National Museum of Asian Art is committed to preserving, exhibiting, researching, and interpreting art in ways that deepen the public and scholarly understandings of Asia and the world. Currently responsible for some 46,000 objects, the museum stewards one of the world’s most important collections of Asian art, with works dating from antiquity to the present. The collections include works from China, Japan, Korea, South Asia, Southeast Asia, the pre-Islamic Near East, and the Islamic world (inclusive of Central Asia, the Middle East, and North Africa). The museum also stewards an important collection of nineteenth- and early twentieth-century American art. Its rich holdings bring the arts of Asia into direct dialogue with a focused American collection, providing a compelling platform for creative collaboration and cultural exchange.
Beginning with a 1906 gift that paved the way for the museum’s opening in 1923 as the Freer Gallery of Art—the United States’ first national art museum—the National Museum of Asian Art has long been a national and international resource for visitors, students, and scholars. Located on the National Mall in Washington, DC, its collections, galleries, laboratories, archives, and library form part of the world’s largest museum complex, which attracts tens of millions of visitors annually. The museum is free and open to the public 364 days a year. Its exhibitions, programs, learning opportunities, and digital initiatives are accessible to local, national, and global audiences. Each year, hundreds of students, fellows, interns, scholars, and researchers access the museum’s resources and expertise.
This position serves as Exhibition Project Specialist in NMAA’s Exhibitions department. The department is responsible for planning, coordinating, designing, producing, and maintaining long-term and changing exhibitions and interior and exterior art installations. The incumbent, under the supervision of the Head of Exhibitions supports the transformation of visual concepts into design ideas that are relevant, accessible, and engaging; provides design skills and technical knowledge to conceptualize, communicate, and document, 3D designs for museum exhibitions and art installations; and participates in the exhibition development process as a pivotal member of cross-departmental teams, working simultaneously on multiple projects in various stages of design.
DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES
Serves as designer on exhibition project teams; works with the team to develop exhibition themes, exhibit structure and content, spatial planning, object selection, and visual and technical design.
Works to develop appropriate and attractive visual ideas for exhibition presentations in consultation with curators and program officials, translating ideas into viable exhibition layouts and designs.
Prepares technical and architectural drawings and specifications for the construction of exterior and interior exhibition spaces.
Manages all phases of the design process, including conceptual design, schematic design, design development, and implementation.
Manages assigned exhibition projects, from planning to implementation, including budget estimation, procurement, reviewing and approving contractor work, and material delivery.
Coordinates with exhibition registrars, collections managers, and exhibition preparators, ensuring aesthetically and technically correct installations
Develops proposed budgetary and other production requirements for exhibitions assigned for design and supervises their adherence.
Participates in assembling recommendations for the solicitation, selection, and award of basic contracts in support of specific programs and serves as the contracting officer’s technical representative (COTR), assisting in the development of appropriate and comprehensive scopes of work, assembling procurement documents, monitoring the progress of contracts, certifying deliverables and approving payment
Performs other duties as assigned.
QUALIFICATION REQUIREMENTS
You qualify for this position if you have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the GS-09 level in the Federal Service. For this position, specialized experience is defined as:
Assisting in the transformation of visual concepts into design ideas that are relevant, accessible, and engaging.
Providing design skills and technical knowledge to conceptualize, communicate, and document, 3D designs for museum exhibitions and art installations.
Participating in the exhibition development process as a pivotal member of cross-departmental teams, working simultaneously on multiple projects in various stages of design.
The successful candidate will possess the following qualifications:
Knowledge of and skill to apply visual design principles and visual communications into museum exhibition plans.
Knowledge and proficiency in computer-aided design (CAD programs such as Revit, AutoCAD, Vectorworks, SketchUp, Adobe Creative Suite, GIS, and Project Management software.
Knowledge of and skill to manage the preparation of gallery space for exhibits (planning, constructing, installing, and operating exhibits).
Ability to work on various design projects simultaneously considering best project design methods, considering budget, staff resources, and timeliness.
Education completed outside the United States must be deemed equivalent to higher education programs of U.S. Institutions by an organization that specializes in the interpretation of foreign educational credentials. This documentation is the responsibility of the applicant and should be included as part of your application package.
Any false statement in your application may result in rejection of your application and may also result in termination after employment begins.
The Smithsonian Institution values and seeks a diverse workforce. Join us in "Inspiring Generations through Knowledge and Discovery."
Resumes should include a description of your paid and non-paid work experience that is related to this job; starting and ending dates of job (month and year); and average number of hours worked per week.
What To Expect Next: Once the vacancy announcement closes, a review of your resume will be compared against the qualification and experience requirements related to this job. After review of applicant resumes is complete, qualified candidates will be referred to the hiring manager.
Relocation expenses are not paid.
Commitment to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
The Smithsonian Institution provides reasonable accommodation to applicants with disabilities where appropriate. Applicants requiring reasonable accommodation should contact nmaa@si.edu. Determinations on requests for reasonable accommodation will be made on a case-by-case basis. To learn more, please review the Smithsonian’s Accommodation Procedures.
The Smithsonian Institution is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We believe that a workforce comprising a variety of educational, cultural, and experiential backgrounds support and enhance our daily work life and contribute to the richness of our exhibitions and programs. See Smithsonian EEO program information: https://www.si.edu/oeesd.
About National Museum of Asian Art
Established a century ago, the National Museum of Asian Art was the Smithsonian’s first art museum. Committed to preserving, exhibiting, researching, and interpreting art in ways that deepen our collective understanding of Asia and the world, the museum stewards one of North America’s largest and most comprehensive collections of Asian art.
Its rich holdings bring the arts of Asia into direct dialogue with an important collection of nineteenth- and early twentieth-century American works, providing an essential platform for creative collaboration and cultural exchange between the United States, Asia, and the Middle East.
Beginning with a 1906 gift that paved the way for the museum’s opening in 1923, the National Museum of Asian Art is a leading resource for visitors, students, and scholars in the United States and internationally. Its galleries, laboratories, archives, and library are located on the National Mall in Washington, DC, and are part of the world’s largest museum complex, which typically reports more than 27 million visits each year. The museum is free and open to the public 364 days a year, making its exhibitions, programs, learning opportunities, and digital initiatives accessible to global audiences.
When you visit our galleries or delve into the stories of our collections online, we hope you find a portal to different ways of interpreting our world. We invite you to learn and explore in your own way—to look deeply into the past to better understand the present and to break through the artificial barriers that can separate us.
