Description:
The Museum Associate – Temporary Exhibition Support is a student position at the Southern
Utah Museum of Art. The Museum Associate serves in the Visitor Services department with
opportunities to support activities in Education, Collections, Exhibitions, Development, and
Marketing.
This position is to expressly support the run of an upcoming exhibition to be held at SUMA from
JANUARY 10 - MARCH 19, 2022; as such, it is designed to be temporary, however there may be
the opportunity to extend the role to any hires that display superb Visitor Services skills when
the exhibition closes. Students hired for these roles will be on-boarded and trained 2 months in
advance of the exhibition start date.
The Museum Associate position is an entry-level position that requires a collaborative, dynamic
individual to be instrumental in helping SUMA achieve its mission to “foster engagement and
experiential learning for students of Southern Utah University, as well as communities across
the region through its permanent collections, diverse exhibitions, and participatory
experiences”. While Visitor Services is a significant portion of the responsibilities of this
position, Museum Associates are also given opportunities to assist in all areas of the museum,
including Education, Collections, Exhibitions, Development, and Marketing, gaining knowledge
and experience in how SUMA operates. The ideal Museum Associate will be hands-on,
collaborative, energetic, and possess a positive, friendly attitude.
VISITOR SERVICES Meet and greet visitors; provide information on current and upcoming
exhibitions and programming; gather visitor demographics; offer member benefit information;
process transactions and complete daily cash / credit reconciliation; answer phone calls; assist
with events; answer questions and give directions to tourists. Responsible for the physical
appearance of the Front Desk and Gift Shop. Monitor galleries; engage in conversations with
visitors on works of art currently on exhibition. Additional responsibilities in the following areas
may be provided based on the Museum Associate’s record of reliability and follow-through.
Skills and interests will be considered when additional responsibilities are requested:
EXHIBITIONS Works with the Exhibitions staff with various tasks including: preparations for
upcoming exhibitions, installation, research, and object condition reporting.
EDUCATION Lead groups of visitors (children and adults) through the galleries for pre-
scheduled, inquiry-based tours and assist staff with hands-on workshops. Ongoing training
provided.
DEVELOPMENT Assist Development staff with various tasks including: SUMA’s Annual Art
Auction, data collection and entry, updating SUMA’s Customer Relationship Management
software Past Perfect, assisting with mailings and special event support. Museum Associates
may also join Development meetings to learn how SUMA creates and executes its development
plan.
MARKETING Assist Marketing staff with various tasks including: poster distribution, social
media content creation, ensuring brand integrity, PR and advertising. The Museum Associate
may also join Marketing meetings to learn about the strategies and rationale behind SUMA’s
marketing activities.
FINANCE Assist the Manager of Finance with various day-to-day finance tasks such as daily
cash reports and deposits, check requisitions, interdepartmental transfers, account
reconciliation, quarterly reports, budget updates and tracking, inventory management, and
expense tracking.
Qualifications:
REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS Possessing a welcoming and enthusiastic demeanor, being
dependable and punctual, having excellent communication skills, general knowledge of
Microsoft Office suite, Google Drive, miscellaneous office equipment, and basic math skills.
Some heavy lifting may be required. Must be able / willing to work some nights and weekends.
PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS An interest and enthusiasm in the arts, experience working in a
retail setting, experience interacting with the public or in customer service, and an ability to
speak a language in addition to English.
AVAILABILITY We schedule Museum Associates between 11am-6pm, Monday through
Saturday. SUMA is closed on Sundays. Museum Associates can work an entire 11am-6pm shift
or work smaller shifts, depending on others’ availability, from 11am-2pm or 2pm-6pm. Museum
Associates may also support after hours events on occasion.
Position start date is December 1, 2021.