About The Rockwell Museum

The Rockwell Museum is a nationally recognized museum devoted to American art. Accredited by the American Alliance of Museums and an affiliate of the Smithsonian Institution, the Museum serves as a conduit to Smithsonian collections and scholars in New York’s Southern Tier. Beyond stewarding a growing collection of American art, The Rockwell is an active cultural and community hub in the heart of Corning, New York. Housed in Corning’s historic former City Hall, the Museum is a distinctive place where locals and visitors alike connect with art and ideas through an ambitious program of exhibitions, educational initiatives, and public events. Through its mission, The Rockwell engages visitors with diverse perspectives and illuminating experiences that foster curiosity, dialogue, and connection.

The Museum’s permanent collection includes more than 2,500 objects spanning the early nineteenth century to the present, with strengths in historic and contemporary Native American, Western American art, the Hudson River School, early Modernism, the Taos Society of Artists, and contemporary art.

The Rockwell’s exhibition programming invites close looking, inspires creativity, and fosters dialogue. Through a thoughtful balance of exhibitions drawn from the permanent collection and those featuring significant loans, the Museum presents American art through new perspectives while exploring the nation’s complex histories, diverse cultures, and evolving narratives.

The Rockwell Museum | Corning, NY

Salary Range: $80,000–$90,000 annually

Full-Time | 40 Hours per Week | Exempt

Inspire Learning. Connect Communities. Shape the Future of Museum Education.

Are you a passionate, visionary leader who believes in the power of art to inspire curiosity, spark conversation, and create meaningful connections? The Rockwell Museum is seeking a dynamic Director of Education to lead and advance its educational vision, expand community engagement, and shape how audiences of all ages and backgrounds experience American art.

This is an exciting opportunity to join the Museum's leadership team and make a lasting impact on how art connects people, ideas, and communities. Reporting to the Executive Director, the Director of Education will provide strategic direction for the Museum's educational programs, interpretation, and visitor engagement while leading a talented team of education professionals.

From inspiring the next generation of artists and art enthusiasts through K–12 and family programs to creating meaningful experiences for adult learners, teachers, and lifelong learners, this role will help ensure that The Rockwell Museum remains an essential educational and cultural resource in New York’s Southern Tier.

About the Opportunity

The Director of Education will bring vision, creativity, and strong leadership to a broad portfolio of educational initiatives, including school and teacher programs, public and family programming, visitor engagement, volunteer development, and community partnerships.

As a key member of the Museum's leadership team, you will have the opportunity to:

• Shape the vision: Develop and lead a comprehensive education and audience engagement strategy that advances the Museum's mission and strategic priorities.

• Lead and inspire a team: Mentor and develop a dedicated education staff, fostering a collaborative, inclusive, and innovative department.

• Create meaningful learning experiences: Guide engaging educational and interpretive programs that connect audiences with American art, history, culture, and contemporary life.

• Build community connections: Strengthen relationships with schools, colleges, artists, cultural organizations, and community partners to expand access and participation.

• Champion innovation: Advance inclusive, accessible, and engaging approaches to museum learning, interpretation, and visitor experiences.

• Measure impact: Use audience research, evaluation, and meaningful outcomes to continually strengthen programs and demonstrate the Museum's educational impact.

What You'll Lead

The Director of Education provides strategic oversight and leadership across several key areas:

Educational Strategy & Visitor Engagement

• Establish educational and interpretive priorities that connect the Museum's permanent collection, exhibitions, and visitor experiences.

• Promote innovative approaches to museum learning that encourage curiosity, dialogue, and critical thinking.

• Collaborate across departments to integrate education into exhibition planning. collection installations, and the overall visitor experience.

Programs & Lifelong Learning

• Oversee educational experiences for K–12 students, teachers, families, adults, and lifelong learners.

• Guide signature initiatives such as the Art Lab and Great Circle Artist-in-Residence program.

• Advance teacher professional development, curriculum-aligned school programming, and educational resources, including Learning Trunks for secondary schools.

• Support the continued growth of public programs, family learning, gallery experiences, and volunteer engagement.

Community Partnerships & Engagement

• Cultivate meaningful partnerships with educational institutions, artists, cultural organizations, and community groups.

• Expand opportunities for audiences to engage with art, particularly those who have historically experienced barriers to participation.

• Represent the Museum within local, regional, and national educational and cultural networks.

Leadership & Institutional Collaboration

• Lead departmental planning, budgeting, staffing, and resource allocation.

• Partner with Curatorial, Development, Marketing and Communications, Finance, and Visitor Services to advance institutional goals.

• Support fundraising, grant development, and communication of program outcomes and impact.

• Guide the work of the Board's Education Committee.

What We're Looking For

We are looking for an experienced museum education professional who combines strategic vision with a collaborative leadership style and a passion for making art accessible and meaningful to diverse audiences.

Qualifications include:

• A master's degree in museum education, art education, art history, museum studies, or a closely related field.

• At least seven years of progressively responsible experience in museum education, interpretation, or related cultural and educational programming.

• At least five years of direct professional staff supervision and management experience, including performance management, mentoring, and professional development.

• Demonstrated experience overseeing the development, management, and evaluation of educational programs within an art museum or comparable cultural institution.

• Strong knowledge of art museum education, audience engagement, interpretive practices, and museum learning strategies.

• The ability to build collaborative relationships, lead cross-departmental initiatives, and translate institutional priorities into impactful educational experiences.

• Familiarity with American art and its historical, cultural, and contemporary contexts is preferred.

The ideal candidate will also bring:

• Excellent leadership, supervisory, and team-building skills.

• Outstanding written, verbal, and presentation abilities.

• A collaborative, inclusive, and forward-thinking approach to leadership.

• Strong organizational, planning, and budget management skills.

• A genuine appreciation for the arts, museums, and the role they play in building stronger communities.

• Flexibility to work occasional evenings, weekends, and holidays.

Why Join The Rockwell Museum?

At The Rockwell Museum, education is about more than sharing information—it's about creating connections, encouraging new perspectives, and making art meaningful for everyone.

As Director of Education, you'll have the opportunity to shape the future of museum learning, lead innovative programming, build lasting community partnerships, and make a meaningful contribution to an institution dedicated to connecting people through American art.

If you're an inspiring leader who is ready to make an impact through art, education, and community engagement, we encourage you to apply.

POSITION DESCRIPTION – ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

PHYSICAL DEMANDS AND WORK ENVIRONMENT

The physical demands and work environment described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodation may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

While performing the duties of this Job, the employee is regularly required to remain in a stationary position, operate/use equipment, communicate, and detect/distinguish. The employee is occasionally required to move about and reach. Specific vision abilities required by this job include close, distance, and peripheral vision, depth perception and the ability to distinguish color and adjust focus.

The employee is occasionally required to move or transport up to 25 pounds (assists with events and programs set up).

The work environment is regularly indoors and climate-controlled and occasionally outdoor weather conditions. The noise level in the work environment is usually moderate.

SAFETY RESPONSIBILITIES

The employee shall be fully acquainted with and comply with all safety policies and procedures of The Rockwell Museum

CONFIDENTIALITY

Maintain confidentiality of information related to The Rockwell Museum and employees that may be encountered, either formally or informally, during the normal course of business.

DISCLAIMER

Employees assigned to work at The Rockwell Museum are employed by The Corning Museum of Glass. The duties listed above are intended only as illustrations of the various types of work that may be performed and are not an inclusive summary of job duties and responsibilities. The omission of specific statements of duties or responsibilities does not exclude them from the position. This job description does not constitute an employment agreement between the employer and the employee and is subject to change by the employer as the needs and requirements of the job change.