Position Title:  Associate Curator of Exhibits and Engagement

Reports to:  Chief of Exhibits and Interpretive Services

Location:  MOHAI, at Lake Union Park’s historic armory building

Classification:  Exempt; Full-time; Salaried

Schedule:  Monday - Friday, with occasional evenings and weekends

Rate of Pay:  $68,000 - $78,000 per year

Benefits:  Medical, dental, vision, and life insurance; vacation; sick leave; 403(b) savings plan

Employment Period:  Estimated as January 2025 - December 2027

Museum Vision and Mission:

MOHAI is treasured locally and respected nationally as a vibrant resource where history inspires us to build a better future. To serve our region, we bridge the past, present, and future by collecting, preserving, and sharing stories through compelling, innovative exhibits and community engagement. 

Position Description:

The Associate Curator of Exhibits & Engagement will assist with exhibition content development and interpretation. This position works with the Chief of Exhibits & Interpretive Services and the Curator of Exhibits & Engagement in facilitating multiple stages of exhibit development for both in-house and online exhibitions. They will help develop exhibit themes, content, objectives, and outcome, and will conduct research for this purpose.

MOHAI is undertaking a strategic reimagining of the museum’s core exhibits, set to open in mid-2027. The project will prioritize marginalized stories, introduce bolder design elements and technologies, and provide a more impactful and coherent visitor experience. This Reimagining project is part of a longer-term commitment to elevate marginalized stories, create exhibitions that are accessible to broad audiences, and offer comprehensive and critical assessments into areas of our past and our world. The Associate Curator will support these interpretation strategies.

MOHAI is developing a stronger community-centered practice by adopting new approaches to curating exhibition content involving community outreach, collaboration, and engagement. Community Advisory Committees (CACs) will inform the exhibition process by amplifying the voices of community members and facilitating community contributions to content development. This position will assist in assembling and facilitating CACs, coordinating meetings, gathering/collating information and research, conducting research, and writing summaries. This is a time-limited engagement, with the position terminating after the completion of the Reimagining project.

Key Responsibilities:

• In collaboration with the Interpretive Services team and Community Advisory Committees, assist in:
  • conducting historical research and/or cultivating content for the development of exhibits
  • selecting artifacts, photos, film/video
  • writing and editing label copy for exhibits
  • developing techniques to communicate exhibit topics, including participating in interactive and online exhibition development.
• Work to elevate and amplify the voices of multiple stakeholder communities, including various BIPOC, LGBTQ+, disability, neurodiverse, and multigenerational communities.
• Consider how visitors will be best served, challenged, and represented by the museum’s exhibitions, so they are designed to be thought-provoking and accessible to broad audiences.
• Ensure that all interactions are culturally responsive, respectful, and based on a foundation of MOHAI’s commitment to inclusion, diversity, equity, and accessibility.
• Assist with coordinating CACs for the purpose of participating in exhibition development and the Reimagining process. Serve as liaison and point of contact between MOHAI and the CACs.
• Establish meaningful relationships, foster sustainable dialogue, and strengthen existing long-term relationships with community members from diverse groups across the region.
• Uphold the museum’s standards of excellence, helping to ensure that the integrity of core messages is maintained throughout the design, fabrication, and installation stages.
• Assist the Interpretive Services team and other departments with requests for information regarding exhibits and history, answering queries from the public and preparing documentation for grants or awards.
• May occasionally be required to represent the museum in a public forum.
• Opportunity to serve on IDEA (Inclusion, Diversity, Equity and Accessibility) Committees.
• Attendance at museum-sponsored events may be required.
• Other duties as assigned.

Qualifications:

• 1-3 years of museum experience, including experience with curating exhibitions in a cross-team, collaborative fashion. Success in assisting with the completion of exhibitions.
• Bachelor’s degree or any equivalent combination of experience and/or education from which comparable knowledge, skills, and abilities have been achieved. Master’s in history or museum studies preferred.
• Knowledge of material culture and ability to apply it to thoughtfully and sensitively tell stories.
• Curiosity/willingness to learn about the historical contexts of the collections used for exhibits. Knowledge of research methods and procedures a plus. 
• Ability to work on complex issues. Appreciation that building relationships and systemic decolonization will take time.
• Enthusiasm for participating in a community-centered practice of exhibition development. Experience working with community on cultural heritage projects preferred.
  • Knowledge of, and experience with: racial equity strategies; audience engagement best practices; and the regional arts, heritage, and culture organizational landscape all a plus.
• Grasp of institutional processes and their relationship to project-oriented details.
• Ability to collaborate and develop trusted relationships with diverse stakeholders. Responsive to community questions and concerns. 
• Ability to assist and work with museum staff/volunteers with a patient, respectful, and supportive approach.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills, including public speaking.
• Proficiency with MS Office software.
• Willingness and ability to travel between museum locations and work nights/weekends as required.
• Bilingual and multilingual skills valued.
• Enthusiasm for MOHAI’s exhibits, programs, and mission.

Find yourself checking many of these boxes but doubting whether you should apply? If you meet some of the requirements and you share MOHAI's values and support our mission, we encourage you to apply. As part of our ongoing commitment to a diverse, equitable, and inclusive workplace, we’re invested in building teams with a wide variety of backgrounds, identities, and experiences.

Museum Overview:

For 70 years, MOHAI has been dedicated to enriching lives by preserving, sharing, and teaching the diverse history of Seattle, the Puget Sound region, and the nation. With a collection of 6.5 million artifacts, photographs, oral histories and archival items, and an expansive schedule of exhibits and programs, MOHAI is the region’s premier history center. MOHAI operates a dramatic and award-winning museum in Seattle’s vibrant South Lake Union neighborhood and a resource center in Seattle’s Georgetown neighborhood. MOHAI also hosts the Bezos Center for Innovation, focusing on the history and future of innovation in the Puget Sound region. MOHAI is accredited by the American Alliance of Museums, is an affiliate of the Smithsonian Institution, and has been selected by USA Today as one of the Top Ten History Museums in the nation. For more information, please visit mohai.org.

To Apply:

Please e-mail letter of interest and resume to Human.Resources@mohai.org. No phone calls, please.

MOHAI is a 501(c)(3) organization and an Equal Opportunity Employer. We are committed to building a team and an organizational culture that fosters inclusion, diversity, equity, and accessibility. We encourage candidates of color to apply.