Mystic Seaport Museum is currently looking to fill two Assistant Curator Positions:

In summer 2018 the Henry Luce Foundation awarded Mystic Seaport Museum a major grant to fund three new exhibitions from its permanent collections. As the preeminent US maritime museum, Mystic Seaport Museum stewards significant collections across all media in its mission to inspire an enduring connection to the American maritime experience. The three Luce exhibitions seek new perspectives, scholarship, and public access to objects long hidden from view, and typically overlooked within the field of American Art. As part of the grant, two assistant curator positions will be created, each to oversee the development of one exhibition (the third exhibition will be guest-curated).

Luce Project Assistant Curator I is a full-time position for an eighteen-month term beginning in fall 2018.

Purpose of Position:
The Luce Project Assistant Curator I will lead the research and development of an exhibition with the working title of “Sailor-Creators and the Sea as Studio.” The Luce Project Assistant Curator will work directly with museum staff to develop a solid foundation in the history of sailor art. The Luce Project Assistant Curator is expected to bring their own perspective and ideas to the table to expand the museum’s interpretive approach to its collections.

Essential Functions:
· Develop content and plans for the exhibition “Sailor-Creators and the Sea as Studio.”
· Assist in creating a compelling presentation of the subject matter to diverse audiences.
· Engage with established scholars and professionals in the arts and humanities to curate the collection.
· Assist with the creative organization of the collection; recommend acquisitions for the collection.
· Work with Museum Staff to ensure the proper care, access and conservation of the collection.
· Promote knowledge of the collection through writing, teaching, and public speaking.
· Foster and maintain good working relationships with sponsors, colleagues from other institutions, with the scholarly community, dealers, collectors, and other individuals involved with the interests of the Museum.
· Other duties as assigned.

Position Requirements:
· Advanced degree in a discipline relating to American art, history, or visual and material culture, and two years of curatorial experience or an equivalent education and experience.
· Knowledge of maritime history is an asset but is not required.
· Broad understanding of professional museum practices.
· Desire and ability to build relationships and work effectively and collaboratively across departments.
· Excellent written communication skills across multiple platforms.
· Effective project management skills.
· Proven ability to influence cross-functional teams.
· Collaborative team player who enjoys working closely with other departments to create tightly integrated strategies.
· Keen analytical and critical thinking skills.
· Ability to balance competing priorities.
FULL-TIME/PART-TIME Full-Time

Luce Project Assistant Curator II is a full-time position for an eighteen-month term beginning in early 2019.

Purpose of Position:
The Luce Project Assistant Curator will lead the research and development of an exhibition with the working title of “Immigrant Craftsmen and the Sea as Muse.” The Luce Project Assistant Curator will work directly with museum staff to develop a solid foundation in the history of sailor art. The Luce Project Assistant Curator is expected to bring their own perspective and ideas to the table to expand the museum’s interpretive approach to its collections.

Essential Functions:
· Develop content and plans for the exhibition “Immigrant Craftsmen and the Sea as Muse.”
· Assist in creating a compelling presentation of the subject matter to diverse audiences.
· Engage with established scholars and professionals in the arts and humanities to curate the collection.
· Assist with the creative organization of the collection; recommend acquisitions for the collection.
· Work with Museum Staff to ensure the proper care, access and conservation of the collection.
· Promote knowledge of the collection through writing, teaching, and public speaking.
· Foster and maintain good working relationships with sponsors, colleagues from other institutions, with the scholarly community, dealers, collectors, and other individuals involved with the interests of the Museum.
· Other duties as assigned.

Position Requirements:
· Advanced degree in a discipline relating to American art, history, or visual and material culture, and two years of curatorial experience or an equivalent education and experience.
· Knowledge of maritime history is an asset but is not required.
· Broad understanding of professional museum practices.
· Desire and ability to build relationships and work effectively and collaboratively across departments.
· Excellent written communication skills across multiple platforms.
· Effective project management skills.
· Proven ability to influence cross-functional teams.
· Collaborative team player who enjoys working closely with other departments to create tightly integrated strategies.
· Keen analytical and critical thinking skills.

FULL-TIME/PART-TIME Full-Time
EOE STATEMENT Mystic Seaport Museum, Inc. is an equal opportunity employer. The Civil Rights Act of 1964 and state and federal laws prohibit discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, or national origin. In addition, state and federal laws prohibit discrimination on the basis of race, color, national origin, gender, Veteran’s status, age (40 years and over), physical or mental disability, religious affiliation or other protected status. It is our policy to comply fully with these laws and information requested on this application will not be used for any purpose prohibited by law.

CAMM and its member institutions have lost a great friend, former administrator, diligent researcher, author and historian with the passing of J. Candace Clifford.

Known to her friends as Candy, Clifford joined the staff of the National Park Service’s National Maritime Initiative in 1988, and among other accomplishments, compiled an Inventory of Historic Light Stations, released in 1994. Her work for the Park Service inspired further research, and she collaborated with her mother, Mary Louise Clifford in the publication of Women Who Kept the Lights: An Illustrated History of Female Light Keepers, which she published under her own imprint, Cypress Communications, in 1993. The two went on to write and publish six more books, most of them on lighthouse history. Prior to her book collaborations with her mother, Clifford co-authored Great American Ships with James P. Delgado.

She served as the part-time administrator of the Council of American Maritime Museums, coordinating communications for the maritime field and capably executing logistics for CAMM’s annual conference. She stepped down from the position with CAMM in 2016 to take the role of Historian for the U.S. Lighthouse Society.

In addition to her books, Clifford shared her prodigious research online on her blog at uslhs.org/news and her website, LighthouseHistory.info, which, among other treasures, includes finding aids she developed for lighthouse and lifesaving service records in the National Archives.

The maritime preservation community is richer for Candace Clifford’s meticulous work, and her loss will be deeply felt across the field.

Executive Director

Door County Maritime Museum (DCMM)

The DCMM, founded in 1969, is a well-known Door County Wisconsin destination with museum sites in Sturgeon Bay, Cana Island, and Gills Rock. An overview of responsibilities and requirements include but are not limited to:

Management of Staff and Oversight of All Museum Locations

• Provide leadership to a staff of thirty full and part-time employees
• Train and coach employees to support and preserve the culture, values and ethics of the organization.
• Manage day-to-day functioning of the employee group working toward the achievement of goals and objectives of the museum. Maintain accountability toward that end.
• Oversee the curation of exhibits, events and operations on a day-to-day basis.
• Oversee the maintenance and functioning of all museum sites.

Board of Directors Initiatives, Plans and Programs

• Provide input to the short and long-range goals of the museum.
• Regularly meet with members and committees of the Board to report on progress toward meeting goals and objectives. Participate in annual, regularly-scheduled and other meetings as needed.
• Apprise them of need-to-know information and circumstances as it pertains to the management of staff and resources of the museum.
• Operationalize projects, decisions and plans made at the Board level.
• Manage the financial resources of the museum including contributing to the development of the annual budget and being accountable for adhering to the budget.

Serve as Community Liaison for the Museum

• Meet with donors and community members for the purpose of maintaining exemplary relationships in the Door County community.
• Attend meetings, community and museum-sponsored events.
• Serve as the staff face of the museum to promote DCMM programs, initiatives and events.

Required Experience and Education

1. An advanced degree or equivalent work experience in business management, non-profit management, museum studies and/or historic preservation.
2. Proven track record in human resource management, meeting strategic goals and objectives and program management.
3. Knowledge of maritime history, the maritime transportation systems/industry and the military sea service would be a plus.

Required Skills – Abbreviated List of High Priority Competencies

1. Success and experience in effectively leading and working as part of a team.
2. Good verbal, written, networking and interpersonal communication skills. Skill as a professional communicator for community and leadership purposes.
3. Exemplary organizing and planning skills
4. Sound analytical, thinking and problem solving skills including those pertaining to financial management.
5. Must have a valid driver’s license

Apply by August 24, 2018 with resume and cover letter to Crowley & Lautenbach, PO Box 112, Green Bay, WI 54305-0112 or email to emcrowley@crowleylautenbach.com

Mystic Seaport Museum Announces Grant from the Henry Luce Foundation to Support Curatorial Expansion
Award of $735,000 Will Fund New Collections Installations, Research, and Related Public Programming

Mystic Seaport Museum announced it has received a $735,000 grant from the Henry Luce Foundation to support the curation and development of three new collections installations and related programming. These projects will provide new perspectives on the art and ensure the continued preservation and refinement of the collections while also promoting public access.

 Mystic Seaport Museum, the preeminent U.S. maritime museum, preserves the most significant public collections of marine art and artifacts in the western hemisphere. Through this initiative, the Museum will reimagine the artistic merit and educational potential of its permanent collections of decorative, folk, and self-taught art. These objects – not always considered as works of art and substantially hidden from public view – will be placed on display so they can be appreciated and studied afresh through the eyes of a new generation of scholars, artists, and curators.

 The proposed installations and associated research and public program activities will encourage new scholarship around the themes of “The Sea as Muse,” a window into the world of immigrant craftsmanship and decorative arts; “The Sea as Studio” for folk art such as scrimshaw; and “The Sea as Commons,” through a curatorial investigation by contemporary artist Mary Mattingly.

 “The Henry Luce Foundation is pleased to support Mystic Seaport Museum in this effort to expand the scholarship and knowledge around parts of its collections that will benefit from a fresh perspective,” said Teresa A. Carbone, program director for American Art at the Henry Luce Foundation. “We are excited to offer new audiences access to compelling art objects and introduce new voices into the Museum’s continuing research and interpretation of its collections.”

 “This grant will enable Mystic Seaport Museum to bring rarely-seen collections to light and augment our curatorial capacity. Our staff has expertise largely in maritime history and the humanities. Introducing differing disciplinary perspectives will invite complementary yet distinct presentations and generate new narratives around selected objects. This plan reaffirms the Museum’s commitment to research, in recognition of our role as a nexus for public discourse on the American maritime experience,” said Steve White, president of Mystic Seaport Museum.

 The grant will support a guest artist-curator and two scholar-curators, emerging career professionals who will gain from interaction with Museum staff while also introducing new voices to the Museum. In addition, two pre-professional inclusive internships will offer promising young students immersive professional experiences at a major museum; and three teacher-fellows will adapt the exhibit content into “resource sets” that will be archived and made available for Museum and classroom teachers beyond the exhibit installations. Teachers will use the content to encourage their students to dig deeper into the stories of the objects and their creators and make connections to their own lives.

 The grant was inspired in part by a two day “think tank” hosted at the museum earlier this year, and sponsored by the Luce Foundation and the Chipstone Foundation of Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The event brought together museum staff with scholars from several disciplines to consider how the museum’s collections can be reinterpreted for future audiences.

 The three installations are scheduled to open on the museum’s McGraw Gallery Quadrangle in 2019 and 2020.

 

About Mystic Seaport Museum
Mystic Seaport Museum, founded in 1929, is the nation’s leading maritime museum. In addition to providing a multitude of immersive experiences, the Museum also houses a collection of more than two million artifacts that include more than 500 historic vessels and one of the largest collections of maritime photography. The iconic Thompson Exhibition Building is a state-of-the-art gallery that is hosting The Vikings Begin: Treasures from Uppsala University, Sweden through September 30, 2018. Mystic Seaport Museum is located one mile south of Exit 90 off I-95 in Mystic, CT. For more information, please visit www.mysticseaport.org  and follow Mystic Seaport Museum on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and Instagram.

 About the Henry Luce Foundation
The Henry Luce Foundation seeks to bring important ideas to the center of American life, strengthen international understanding, and foster innovation and leadership in academic, policy, religious and art communities.

 About the American Art Program
A leader in arts funding in the United States, the Henry Luce Foundation’s American Art Program was established in 1982 to support museums, arts organizations, and universities in their efforts to advance the understanding and experience of American and Native American visual arts through research, exhibitions, publications, and collection projects.

FULL-TIME SHIPWRIGHTS & APPRENTICES

Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum is currently accepting applications for experienced Shipwrights and Shipwright Apprentices.

Requirements:
EXPERIENCED SHIPWRIGHTS:  Minimum 5 years’ experience in traditional wooden boat construction and/or restoration.

APPRENTICES:  Wooden boat school graduate or wooden boat with repair and/or building experience.

• Proficiency in use and maintenance of wood shop machinery.
• Basic rigging and metal fabrication skills a plus.
• Must provide all necessary hand tools.
• Good communication skills.  Ability to work on display, interpreting and interfacing with volunteers, apprentices and the general public.

Excellent benefits.  Salary commensurate with experience.

To apply, please send cover letter and resume to hr@cbmm.org.

Do you enjoy teaching history as a hands-on interactive subject? The Erie Maritime Museum is looking for an experienced educator to develop and oversee the museum’s educational programs, integrating the museum’s shore-based activities and exhibits with the waterborne sailing programs of the US Brig Niagara and the Lettie G. Howard.

A ship’s deck has often been the stage for intense drama, set against a backdrop of awesome scenery.  The US Brig Niagara is a replica War of 1812 warship, operated as a US Coast Guard inspected Sailing School Vessel. The restored 1893 fishing schooner Lettie G. Howard is also a Sailing School Vessel. These ships sail from the berth at the Erie Maritime Museum, the Niagara on voyages of several weeks, the Lettie G. Howard on short day sails. Our goal is to introduce new audiences to the region’s maritime history through the development of new interactive exhibits and programs for the museum and its sailing ships. The educator is shore-based but will be expected to sail occasionally. Prior sailing experience is not required, willingness to learn is.

The Educator will be responsible for overseeing and managing all aspects of museum education and visitor services operations for the museum, developing interpretive programs for the museum and the ships for visitors of all ages.  The Educator will train museum staff and volunteers in interpretive techniques and customer service skills.  Planning and implementing programs both indoors and outdoors, and ensuring outstanding visitor experiences, are key to the work of this position.  The Educator assists with public relations activities, manages intern and student workers, and assists with the preparation of various types of museum plans.

Application materials can be found here:
https://www.governmentjobs.com/careers/pabureau/jobs/2104351/museum-educator-2?keywords=museu&pagetype=jobOpportunitiesJobs

Closing date July 19, 2018.

The National Maritime Historical Society (NMHS) is honored to present NMHS trustee Dr. Timothy J. Runyan with the NMHS David A. O’Neil Sheet Anchor Award on Thursday, October 25, 2018, at the New York Yacht Club. Dr. Runyan is being recognized for his extraordinary leadership in building the strength and outreach of the Society.

In his long career as a professor and leader, first at Cleveland State University, and later at Oberlin College and East Carolina University, he guided countless college and graduate students through their academic programs and later in their professional careers.

If you are interested in sponsorship opportunities, tickets, Dinner Journal messages of support, or something to help honor Dr. Runyan please contact Wendy Paggiotta at 914-737-7878 ext 235 or vicepresident@seahistory.org.

Courtesy of: The National Maritime Historical Society 

While this is not a maritime focused symposium, CAMM members may find the US transportation history thread of interest.

The National Park Service at Friendship Hill National Historic Site and Fort Necessity National Battlefield, in partnership with Washington & Jefferson College and the National Road Heritage Corridor, seeks proposals for presentations at the  National Road Bicentennial Symposium, which is to be held Saturday, October 27, 2018, at Washington & Jefferson College in Washington, Pennsylvania. 2018 marks the bicentennial of the opening of the Eastern Legacy portion of the National (or Cumberland) Road from Cumberland, Maryland, to Wheeling, Virginia (now West Virginia). To commemorate this important milestone and to recognize the National Road’s significance and legacy, this symposium will look beyond the National Road to examine the larger role of internal improvements and transportation in United States history.

The keynote presentation will be given by Dr. John Lauritz Larson, author of Internal Improvement: National Public Works and the Promise of Popular Government in the Early United States and The Market Revolution in America. The symposium will also feature a special presentation by Secretary of the Treasury Albert Gallatin, President Thomas Jefferson, and President James Madison, portrayed by Ronald Duquette, Tom Pitz, and Kyle Jenks, respectively.

Academic and public historians, graduate and undergraduate students, and independent scholars are invited to submit proposals for presentations or papers focused on the National Road, internal improvements, and United States transportation history. Alternate session formats, including roundtable discussions, film viewings, and hands-on programs, will also be considered. The proposals should include a 250- to 500-word abstract for the presentation and a CV/résumé.

Authors of books on related topics may submit a request to hold a book signing during the symposium.

Please send all submissions to Hilary_Miller@nps.gov.

Deadline for submission of proposals: July 31, 2018

For more information, visit https://www.nps.gov/frhi/nrbs.htm or call 724-329-2501.

Courtesy of the National Park Service.

 

Position:  The Executive Director of the Cape Cod Maritime Museum will have an  opportunity to lead a small and growing maritime museum located in the Cape’s commercial and tourism center. The Executive Director will report to and work with the Board of Trustees.

Responsibilities include:

• Provide leadership in developing short – and long – range goals for CCMM and effectively carry out plans and policies established by and with the Board.
• Manage available resources to ensure CCMM is a fiscally sustainable entity.  This includes the establishment of an annual budget, reporting, and meeting financial targets.
• Daily oversight to ensure that CCMM is adequately staffed for hours of operation, programs, and events.
• With the Trustees, cultivate friends and solicit donors. Ensure strong membership and visitor relationships.

Required Skills & Personal Characteristics:

• Experienced professional with the confidence to effectively address challenges and constructively manage both strategic and interpersonal issues.
• Demonstrated leadership/managerial skills.
• Proactive and capable of suggesting new alternatives to current practices which will involve the development of strategic and tactical plans.
• Able to influence others and be influenced in order to build consensus and meld diverse viewpoints.
• Strong communication and written skills.
• BA/BS or equally relevant experience with 501(c)(3) organizations.

Please send resume to: ccmmjobapp@gmail.com

Courtesy of Cape Cod Maritime Museum

The Steamship Historical Society of America (SSHSA) announced today that it will go live tomorrow, Tuesday, May 22, with its new interactive educational website, STEAMing Into The Future. Located at www.shiphistory.org, the site will share some of the organization’s vast archives with a worldwide audience and give students the chance to work with primary sources related to the country’s transition from sail to steam in the early 19^th century.

The Warwick-based nonprofit has been working on the program since 2013, and was assisted by grants from the National Maritime Heritage Grant Program and the Heritage Harbor Foundation.

“We’ve been working for several years now to create a resource to educate students about this critical period in American history while promoting the subjects of science, technology, engineering, arts and math,” SSHSA Executive Director Matthew Schulte said. “We’re excited that lesson plans are already in use in New England schools and that this interactive experience is on a student-friendly platform.”

The innovative website focuses on a period beginning in 1807 when the first commercially viable American steam engines were successfully powering ships. This began the transition from sail to steam power, and transformed shipping, commerce and travel across America. This had a wide-ranging effect on many aspects of the country, including immigration, trade and leisure.

In addition to archival content, the site includes full lesson plans for teachers who are interested in participating. So far, several school districts around the country are reviewing the curriculum so that they may include aspects of STEAMing Into The Future into their classrooms. Schools in East Greenwich, North Providence, Easton and Sandwich, Mass., and Pensacola, Fla., already have plans underway to utilize this resource.

“STEAMing Into the Future contains a wealth of educational resources for any educator,” said Darshell Silva, a librarian and technology integration specialist. “Whether you are looking for lesson plans, blended learning resources, primary sources, or maker resources you will find something to engage your students. Pairing the site information with a visit to the Ship History Center will provide an educational experience that your students will talk about for years to come.”

Work on this program began five years ago, when SSHSA won a grant from the Rhode Island Council for the Humanities to bring in a team of teachers and educational consultants to select artifacts and documents from its collections and provide feedback regarding what items and concepts were best aligned with 11^th and 12^th grade curricula. The additional grants that were secured allowed the scope to be broadened and shared beyond Rhode Island.

President Franklin Roosevelt, a well-known advocate for seafarers, former assistant secretary of the Navy, and an honorary member of SSHSA, established May 22 as National Maritime Day. Introduced to recognize the first transatlantic steamship crossing by the Savannah in 1819, celebrations have evolved over the years. Today, the day is largely known for paying special tribute to the sacrifices of the U.S. merchant marine and to the benefits that the maritime industry provides the country.

A national organization dedicated to the history of engine-powered ships, SSHSA’s Ship History Center on Post Road allows the public to experience all the bells and whistles of the steam era through its extensive archive of images, artifacts, periodicals, artwork, official records and memorabilia.

If you are interested in SSHSA’s education program, want to learn more about upcoming new content or field trip opportunities, or would like to provide feedback, please contact Education Coordinator Aimee Bachari at steam@sshsa.org.

Courtesy of SSHSA.