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Curator, Science-Technology Exhibits & Collections

Occupations

Other: Other

Job Description

BACKGROUND

The Corning Museum of Glass, located in the Southern Tier of New York State, is a 225,000 square foot complex dedicated to the art, science, crafting and scholarship of glass. It is the only glass-focused museum in the US with robust science and technology programming. The Museum is a private AAM-accredited, 501(c)(3) institution.

The CMoG campus includes the 167,000 square foot Museum housing the world’s largest glass art collection; Rakow Research Library, considered worldwide the library of record on glass; and The Studio, a hands-on teaching facility for making glass.

From its modest beginnings in 1951, CMoG has grown exponentially, building additions in 1980 and again in 1996, when the architectural firm Smith-Miller+Hawkinson designed new wings to accommodate the increasing number of visitors. The western addition included a Hot Glass demonstration stage and the eastern addition included a theater, café, an expanded retail area and the Glass Innovation Center, an interactive and interpretive exhibit on the science and technology of glassmaking.

The vision for the Museum is never static. The expansion of the North Wing, beginning in 2012 with scheduled completion in 2014, will re-imagine the site of the former Steuben Glass building and address two key issues at the Museum. It will provide much needed space to showcase the growing collection of contemporary glass and it will increase the capacity and capabilities for glassblowing demonstrations. The new wing will include the renovation of the historic Steuben factory blowing room.

The Glass Innovation Center is a central component of Corning’s educational program. Surveys of many of the Museum’s almost 400,000 visitors annually have indicated that great synergy exists between the GIC and the art galleries. The Center has made comprehensible to the visitor the connection between the science and technology of glass and the glass art object. It is the cornerstone of the Museum’s viewing and teaching experience and the Education Department will be hiring a science educator to further enhance the Museum’s commitment to the science of glass.

To build on the dialogue between the science and art of glass, CMoG is conceptualizing a new program, which will (1) expand and enhance the science and technology-based glass exhibits; (2) develop new school tour curricula with guides for teachers; (3) design and implement professional development workshops for regional science teachers; (4) implement a new Junior Scientists program for middle school students; and (5) create distance learning materials and facilities to be used in virtual tours through the Museum’s website.

The Rakow Research Library contains the world’s finest collection of research material related to art, history and early technology of glass. The library has its own state of the art building and holds hundreds of thousands of research items in more than 40 languages. These extraordinary resources provide a remarkable foundation for scholarly and technical work in the field.

The Studio, located in the third building on the Museum campus, is famous as a hands-on teaching facility offering glassmaking classes for all skill levels and techniques taught by artists and instructors from around the world. The Studio also provides residencies and space rentals for professional glassmakers.

Corning Museum of Glass has an annual operating budget of over $40 million and a permanent staff of 140. There is an approximately $200,000 budget for maintaining and updating The Glass Innovation Center exhibits and an ample acquisitions budget includes funding for purchases.

POSITION

The Curator, Science-Technology Exhibitions and Collections combines a knowledge of the history of science and technology to the present time and experience in creating exhibitions and accompanying information that heighten and enliven the viewers’ understanding and appreciation of the science, technology and art of glass.

Reporting/Working Relationships

The position reports to the Executive Director of the Corning Museum of Glass and is a member of the Director’s senior staff. S/he will work closely with the Senior Director, Creative Services and Marketing; the Director of Marketing and Community Relations; the Director of Education and The Studio; and the three other heads of curatorial departments: Curator of American Glass; Curator of European Glass and Curator of Modern Glass. From time to time the position will also interact with the organization’s senior leadership.

The position will ensure that the content of the Innovation Center keeps pace with developing technologies and innovations in the constantly evolving science and technology of glass. S/he will coordinate with the exhibition design teams and the Innovation Center demonstration team in the design and maintenance of displays. The Curator will collaborate with the education department to develop programs for all audiences related to the science/technology areas of the Museum’s collection.

S/he will identify new acquisitions for The Corning Museum of Glass collection, oversee exhibitions from the collection within the permanent collection galleries and suggest subjects for new exhibitions that link glass art objects with glass technical innovation for the temporary exhibition spaces. His/her work will expand the Museum’s respected leadership and educational role in defining and illuminating the history of glass.

The Curator of Science-Technology Exhibitions and Collections will begin immediately to familiarize her/himself with the Innovation Center’s history, displays and goals and to develop ideas for future exhibitions, to learn about the Corning Museum of Glass as a whole, including its staff, collections and programs and to establish rapport with the professional colleagues with whom s/he will have close working relationships.

 

Ongoing Responsibilities

• Overseeing the management and development of current displays and the future exhibition planning within the Innovation Center
• Conducting research and staying current with latest developments in technology as they relate to the science of glass and the mission of the Innovation Center 
• Writing didactic material, including signage and labels, for the Innovation Center 
• Acquiring new works related to glass science 
• Developing the ideas and the curatorial program for temporary exhibits 
• Researching and cataloguing the collection related to glass science and technology 
• Answering visitor and scholarly inquiries about the science of glass and the displays in the Innovation Center 
• Collaborating with the Innovation Center’s demonstration team on display development and demonstration strategies 
• Collaborating with the Museum’s education department on the development of educational programming and materials for the Innovation Center and glass science, for use in the galleries as well as externally and on the web 
• Training docents to lead tours in the Innovation Center 
• Disseminating the history of glass science and technology through lectures, tours and publications 
• Developing grant proposals to support the Innovation Center and other CMOG science?based initiatives

Job Requirements

The successful candidate will have at least five years of senior level experience in program development, curatorial or similar leadership position in a science or multi?disciplinary museum, educational or other organization with a significant science and technology focus. A Master’s Degree in physics, chemistry, science education, history of science or similar field is required. In addition, she/he will have:

• Demonstrated interest in science and technology education
• Demonstrated management skills 
• Excellent verbal and written skills 
• Excellent presentation skills for all audiences and the ability to represent the Museum in a professional manner 
• Demonstrated ability to work as part of a team 
• Demonstrated ability to conduct original research 
• An appreciation for the interrelatedness of art, science and technology 
• Ability to plan strategically and creatively 
• An instinct for marketing the Innovation Center to a variety of audiences; the personality to enjoy social and community interaction 
• A commitment to invention, creativity and new ideas
• High energy, strong motivation and a hands-on work ethic 
• A collegial personality and positive outlook 

LOCATION

Corning is a small historic and artistic city in Steuben County, in the geographic region of New York State known as the Southern Tier. Most famous for its glassmaking past and present, the town of Corning welcomes more than half a million people every year from all over the world. Visitors to Corning enjoy its rich culture and history, and the beauty of its surroundings in the Finger Lakes wine making region.

The historic Gaffer District is Corning’s restored downtown, where the annual GlassFest as well as music festivals, parades and a regular farmers market take place. Rockwell Museum of Western Art and Corning Incorporated’s headquarters are located in the Gaffer District as is the Corning Museum of Glass.

Corning’s population is 10,200. The largest nearby cities are Rochester and Syracuse, both about 75 miles away, with populations of 200,000 and 130,000 respectively. Both cities are important academic centers and have thriving cultural institutions. Cornell University and Ithaca College are located in Ithaca, New York, 45 miles from Corning. The Clemens Center at nearby Elmira College hosts touring Broadway shows and other major entertainment. Elmira is also home to the Arnot Art Museum.

The Corning-Painted Post public school system is known for its excellence. Corning-Painted Post East High School was named to Newsweek’s list of “America’s Best Public High Schools” in 2008. Corning’s per-student public school expenditure is 30% higher than the national average and its student-to-teacher ratio is 14-to-1. There are several parochial schools in and near Corning and the Alternative School for Math and Science, a high-performing small private middle school, is in Corning.

Corning’s cost of living is 22% lower than the national average and is also significantly lower than New York State’s average.

Corning is served by the Elmira/Corning regional airport, 20 minutes away, with daily Delta non-stop service to Detroit and daily USAir non-stop service to Philadelphia. Delta will offer daily non-stop service between Elmira/Corning and JFK international airport in NYC in the coming months. Larger airports are in Rochester and Syracuse.

There is one hospital in Corning and several more are in the region.

 

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