Exhibition Coordinator
Lougheed House Re-Imagined
The deadline for this opportunity has passed.
Position: Exhibition Coordinator for
Lougheed House Re-Imagined
Duration: 14 hours/week for a term of 50 weeks
Location: Online and in-person
Applications Deadline: November 6, 2020, 11:59pm MST
There is some flexibility on days worked but the candidate will be expected to work an average of 14 hours/week.
The selected candidate will need to be able to work from home but is also required to be available for in-person meetings at Lougheed House and with community partners. Please note that this is a part-time term position that is grant-funded.
It is an exciting time to join Lougheed House as we continue to grow as a cultural hub for Calgary and our Beltline community. We are evolving our organization and are looking for individuals interested in being a part of this journey. Lougheed House was built in 1891 and is a Provincial and National Historic Site. Designed by Ottawa architect James R. Bowes for Senator James and Isabella Lougheed, it is one of the earliest surviving mansions of its kind on the Canadian prairies today. Located in the Beltline district of Calgary amid several acres of heritage gardens and green space, the House is also an accredited museum and significant Calgary landmark. It features a regular exhibition program, and hosts events, tours, and learning opportunities for visitors of all ages.
Please visit our website for more information: lougheedhouse.com.
Background
In the last three years, Lougheed House has undergone a radical transformation of how we develop exhibits and programs to become focused on the arts as a pathway to understanding and learning, to be more community-oriented, and to tell more diverse stories. This transformation includes working with diverse communities to facilitate the telling of community-based stories through a process of co-creation. We are doing this because we believe that history belongs to everyone, not just those in positions of institutional authority.
Out of this came Lougheed House Re-Imagined (LHRI), which is a re-imagining of the stories we tell and the way we tell them. We are planning to redevelop the permanent exhibits at Lougheed House to tell our city’s history through the diverse stories and perspectives of the people who made this place.
For more information on the project, please visit lougheedhouse.civilspace.io.
Project Objectives
The redevelopment of the permanent exhibitions and interpretation in Lougheed House to meet the following outcomes:
- Implement an innovative model of co-creation.
- Provide a welcoming space where Calgarians can explore an aspect of Calgary’s social history that may offer a surprising and new perspective on their city.
- Create space for dialogue about Calgary’s past, present, and future civic identity.
- Connect Lougheed House history to Calgary history by positioning Lougheed House as a witness to Calgary’s history.
- Create a space where people can actively engage with history through interactive displays and technology.
- Provide learning opportunities and curriculum connections for students K-12.
- Refresh the House’s reputation in the community as a cultural hub and a place for everyone.
Job Description
The exhibit coordinator for Lougheed House Re-Imagined will support all aspects of the redevelopment of our permanent exhibits. The exhibit coordinator will work in close collaboration with the curator of Lougheed House, who serves as the project manager and lead curator of LHRI.
Responsibilities will include:
- Advocate for the visitor experience and the story; help define the exhibit’s messaging, determine interpretive strategies, and ensure that the content is clear, concise, and compelling in all design and communications.
- Facilitate team meetings with community partners identified through our community engagement project as well as local researchers and museum professionals.
- Undertake research in local archives and collections and building off the exhibit plan and preliminary interpretive plan will assist in developing the interpretive master plan, exhibit outline, and visitor experience narrative.
- The exhibit content will include all stories to be told in the exhibit; sourcing of objects, photographs, and archival documents that can be used to illustrate these stories; interpretive strategies used to communicate in the exhibit; interactive and audio/visual elements; and recommendations on content for an audio guide
- Help manage timelines for the design, communications, and marketing of the project and work closely with a communications consultant and exhibit and graphic designer(s).
- The exhibit coordinator will report to the curator of Lougheed House. Project milestones and deliverables are to be completed in collaboration with the project team.
Qualifications
- A master’s (preferred) or bachelor’s degree in museums studies, history, curatorial studies, or similar discipline; or a combination of equivalent education and experience related to museums, programming, education, and collections.
- Experience in project coordination and administration.
- Demonstrated curatorial and exhibition development experience.
- Familiarity with museum interpretation strategies that emphasize the visitor experience, interactivity and participation, and accessibility.
- Familiarity with community engagement methodology and best practices.
- Previous experience working in consultation with Indigenous elders, community members, and artists.
- Experience presenting to members of the public, including diverse audiences and children.
- Ability to use Microsoft Office Suite software (Word, Excel, PowerPoint) a must.
Competency Requirements
- Exceptional organizational and planning skills and the ability to work independently.
- Ability to deal and communicate effectively both orally and in writing and to deal courteously, tactfully, and diplomatically with other employees, volunteers, board members, and the general public.
- People-oriented, skilled at relationship building and community engagement.
- Good team player and a self-starter.
- Excellent collaboration skill.
In your cover letter please respond to the following question:
What role can heritage sites play in explorations of Calgary’s community history as it relates to contemporary issues? How should the community be involved in the telling of those histories?
Please send a cover letter and resume by November 6, 2020, 11:59 p.m. MST to Caroline Loewen, Curator cloewen@lougheedhouse.com.
