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Job Description:
Title: Exhibition Designer
Division: Exhibitions and Collections
Classification: Salaried, regular full-time exempt
Directly supported by: Sr. Curator of Exhibitions and Collections
Directly supports: Will supervise staff as this position grows
Salary Range: $62k+DOE
About us
The High Desert Museum opened in Bend, Oregon in 1982. As an interdisciplinary museum, it shares the stories of the High Desert region through cultures, art, history and the natural world to convey the wonder of the High Desert region, which spans across 11 states of the Intermountain West. The Museum features 100,000 square feet of indoor space, which includes two permanent exhibitions and three changing galleries, and outdoor exhibits beyond the main building that include the Autzen Otter Exhibit, the Donald M. Kerr Birds of Prey Center and the 1904 High Desert Ranch. The Museum also offers a range of programs, from summer Kids Camps to wildlife photography workshops. In FY2023-24, which ended on June 30, 2024, the Museum welcomed nearly 225,000 visitors, more than double the size of Bend.
The Museum is a private, 501(c)3 nonprofit organization. It has become the largest cultural institution in Oregon east of the Cascades over the last four decades and today is accredited by the American Alliance of Museums, is a Smithsonian Affiliate, was the 2019 recipient of the Western Museums Association’s Charles Redd Award for Exhibition Excellence and was a 2021 recipient of the National Medal for Museum and Library Service.
About this job and what you’ll do
This position creates inspiring gallery experiences for our audiences that are rooted in the Museum’s mission to wildly excite and responsibly teach. With an incredibly talented team of visionary curators, you’ll be designing exhibitions in the Museum’s temporary galleries. You’ll be part of the dynamic and award-winning exhibitions team and part of the interdisciplinary approach the Museum is known for. You’ll be part of a passionate Museum team and community that enjoys learning and participating in areas beyond designing exhibitions.
In addition to our strong health and welfare benefits, the museum also provides full-time employees with 10.5 paid holidays, your birthday off, plus three personal days per calendar year (this will be prorated based on hire date). You will also accrue two weeks of paid vacation per year for the first year of employment.
About who you are
The Exhibition Designer is a visionary and inspired creator of immersive, dynamic exhibitions that deeply tell the stories of the High Desert region. Our curatorial and exhibitions team works with you to vision, plan, and execute a robust changing exhibitions schedule to connect our audience with the Museum’s mission and create a vibrant visitor experience. You ideally have exhibition design experience with 2D, 3D and immersive exhibits in your portfolio. You are passionate about telling diverse stories from the past and conveying how they help us learn about the present and think about the future using art, cultural objects, immersive scenes, video and audio assets and things we haven’t tried yet. You might have some knowledge of collection practices or object handling experience in a museum or gallery. The successful candidate will be a creative problem solver, have strong organizational skills, embrace a team-oriented perspective and work collaboratively in a multidisciplinary museum. A positive demeanor and the ability to learn new skills quickly are essential traits. We look at each candidate in terms of combined skills; different combinations of skills can serve to qualify for the position.
Want to learn more?
For a detailed job description listing the essential functions of this position and the education, experience, and skills requirements, click here.
Importantly, we recognize and honor that the qualifications required to excel in this position can come from a range of both professional and lived experiences. In the job description we describe what we believe to be important qualifications for a candidate to have while remaining open to the diversity of experiences that can lead to these skill sets. Position descriptions are often presented in a way that leaves qualified candidates feeling unwelcome, intimidated, uncomfortable and/or unqualified to apply. Recognizing that, we strongly encourage anyone who feels passionate about this work and believes they have what it takes to thrive in this role to apply.
Want to apply?
Please send PDFs of your resume & cover letter to: jobs@highdesertmuseum.org
The Museum provides an equal employment opportunity to all persons without regard to race, color, national origin, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity/transgender status, age, disability, veteran or marital status, genetic information or any other characteristic protected by applicable law.
