Department: Block Museum
Salary/Grade: NEX/10

Job Summary:

The Block Museum of Art seeks a Terra Foundation Engagement Fellow to be a key member of the collaborative exhibition team for Woven Being: Indigenous Art Histories of Chicagoland (working title). This is a 30-hour/week, 15-month term, grant-funded position. Reporting to the Associate Director of Campus and Community Education and Engagement, the Engagement Fellow will contribute to the presentation of the exhibition through programming, supporting community engagement, research, writing, planning, and administrative support.

The Engagement Fellow will work with the exhibition team to establish additional goals on the road to the project's completion.

Preferred Application Deadline is Sunday, May 12, 2024.

PLEASE NOTE: The Engagement Department and the Engagement Fellow will support and oversee programming outside of regular business hours, the majority of which will occur while the exhibition will be on view from Jan-July 2025. Occasional evening and weekend hours are required.

Specific Responsibilities:

Woven Being will be on view at The Block from Jan-July 2025. Through partnerships with four collaborating artists, the exhibition explores factors that have shaped and continue to shape Indigenous creative practices in Chicago, putting the present in conversation with the past and weaving together multiple perspectives. The project is being developed through a process that upholds Indigenous curatorial methodologies of inclusivity, reciprocity, and research shaped by community priorities. With this work and the exhibition more broadly, we hope to:

• Deepen our understanding of the strengths, needs, and priorities of intergenerational Indigenous communities in the Chicagoland area
• Identify ways The Block can best support the goals of our local Indigenous community members as an institution going forward
• Build a network of intergenerational Indigenous community members and allies for continued programming, reciprocity, and platform-sharing

Working closely with the Woven Being project team and Block's Engagement Department, the Engagement Fellow will support the planning, implementation, and assessment of exhibition-related public programs, intergenerational community engagement that includes youth and elders, and visitor experience. Key activities and responsibilities may include:

• Collaborating with community partners to support visits to the exhibition, including designing engagement programming and gallery activities that meet partner goals. Hosting and welcoming exhibition visitors.
• Assisting with outreach, audience development, and campus and community engagement strategies for the exhibition. Strategies may include:
• Working with the interdepartmental project team to create a Community Resource and Programming area to welcome intergenerational groups of visitors. This space may offer resources such as a list of local Indigenous community organizations, library of selected resources, and videos of project advisors, and a flexible design to allow for programming such as making activities, gatherings, informal visits, rest, and conversations.
• May Convene a Youth Visioning Session in Spring/Summer 2024 with Indigenous youth in Chicago to learn from their perspectives on the exhibition, priorities for programming, and to build relationships for continued engagement with The Block going forward.
• Partnering with The Block's Manager of Public Programs on at least 2 exhibition programs designed with and for community partners that center local issues, concerns, and questions. At least one program to focus specifically on youth.
• Assessing the impact and effectiveness of our community-engaged practice and collaborative work for this project. Sharing the Block Museum as a continued resource for campus and community partners after the exhibition concludes.
• Administrative support as needed to support the coordination of public programs and associated payments, group visits, and other exhibition-related campus and community engagement.

REQUIRED KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS, AND ABILITIES:

• 1-3 years related work experience. Preferred: Experience working with Indigenous youth.
• Familiarity with Chicagoland/Great Lakes Indigenous communities
• Prior work experience organizing programs with and for intergenerational audiences and engaging with community partners with a focus on building sustained relationships
• Interest in working with youth or youth-serving organizations
• Familiarity with Indigenous research methodologies, including oral histories or Indigenous languages
• Interest in Indigenous arts, culture, and cultural art forms
• Strong project management, administrative, and organizational skills

The target hiring range for this position will be between $18.00 - $21.00 per hour. Offered salary will be determined by the applicant's education, experience, knowledge, skills and abilities, as well as internal equity and alignment with market data.

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