Gallery Guide

 

JOB TITLE: Gallery Guide

 

DEPARTMENT: Program

 

REPORTS TO: Gallery Guide Manager

 

STATUS: Non-Exempt

 

CLASSIFICATION: Regular, Part-Time 

 

SCHEDULE: 1-3 days/week, Tuesdays-Sundays, some weekends, late mornings-evening; (minimum 7 hours per week; max 24 hours)  additional training days and special events as necessary

 

PAY RATE: $16.50/hour 

 

ABOUT YBCA

Yerba Buena Center for the Arts (YBCA) is one of the nation’s most innovative contemporary art centers. From our leading-edge exhibitions and performances, to our groundbreaking civic initiatives and community partnerships, YBCA is where creativity, people, and new ideas collide. We believe in thinking big about the role that arts organizations can play in making short, medium, and long-term/individual and collective transformation.

 

Mission: We generate culture that moves people.

Vision: A community that thrives on inspiration.

The successful candidate will embody our organization’s core values.

 

●       Abundance: We operate from a place of strength, with a spirit of empathy and generosity.

●       Authentic Collaboration: We are engaged and interconnected.

●       Personal Agency: We are empowered and accountable.

●       Boldness: We create with courage and purpose.

 

ABOUT THE ROLE

The Gallery Guide (GG) plays an essential role in providing hospitality and information to patrons who visit YBCA's exhibition spaces. As a critical part of creating a welcoming gallery experience, the GG employs skills in three areas: education, visitor services, and security. Our ideal hire is a friendly and informed individual who is passionate about contemporary art and enjoys engaging in conversations with diverse audience members. The GG will provide support to YBCA’s security team on the exhibition floor and is trained on general emergency and safety procedures by YBCA’s Facilities and Security staff.

Mission: We generate culture that moves people.

Vision: A community that thrives on inspiration.

The successful candidate will embody our organization’s core values:

• Abundance: We operate from a place of strength, with a spirit of empathy and generosity.
• Authentic Collaboration: We are engaged and interconnected.
• Personal Agency: We are empowered and accountable.
• Boldness: We create with courage and purpose.

 

PRINCIPAL RESPONSIBILITIES

• Act as an interpretive guide, enhancing visitors’ experience and understanding of the art and concepts presented in YBCA exhibitions.
• Serve as a visitor resource for questions about YBCA exhibitions, programs, facility, hours of operation, and other general information.
• Maintain a high level of professionalism, knowledge, and customer service skills when orienting visitors to gallery content.
• Work with Gallery Guide Manager to develop and lead tours of YBCA exhibitions for a variety of age groups and experience levels on an as-requested basis.
• Keep in regular communication with the Visual Arts team about security, artwork maintenance, and other issues as they arise.
• Attend information sessions with YBCA’s curatorial team and complete assigned reading on the artists, works, and themes of the exhibitions; perform additional research as needed.
• Partner with security team to assure the safety of works of art and of the visitors by enforcing gallery rules in a friendly, approachable way.
• Maintain good communication with other front line staff members (Visitor Experience, Security, House Staff, Bar Staff) in order to provide cohesive customer-facing service, and to stay updated on events within the facility.
• Activate and de-activate electronic equipment for exhibitions on a daily basis including projectors, monitors, and media players, among other items as applicable; troubleshoot technical issues in consultation with Visual Arts staff as needed.
• Assess gallery conditions and provide feedback on visitor experience to Visual Arts team, identifying technical challenges or areas of confusion that may require additional troubleshooting/context.

 

QUALIFICATIONS

• Bachelor’s degree in art history, education, fine arts, museum studies, or equivalent; or equivalent work experience; coursework or related experience in contemporary art a plus
• Minimum one year of related experience; previous work experience as a docent, in customer service, visitor services or equivalent strongly preferred
• Passion for contemporary art and willingness to work alongside contemporary works of art and performances which may present challenging and provocative subject matter
• Superior verbal and interpersonal communication skills; enjoys engaging with diverse individuals and communities
• Capable of learning new material rapidly
• Comfortable with fragile/valuable objects and communicating security protocols to the general public
• Ability to lift a maximum of 25 lbs; ability to stand for long periods of time (ADA accommodation available)
• Facility with operating and troubleshooting a variety of consumer-level A/V components, including media players, projectors, monitors, iPads, speakers, etc.
• Self-directed; proven ability to work independently as well as a member of a team 
• Secondary languages skills a plus

 

Benefits

PTO, Holiday Pay, and ability to participate in 403(b) retirement plan. Free/member admission during regular museum hours, member discounts at museum shops, & potential discounts on concert/lecture tickets at participating North American Reciprocal Museum institutions with your YBCA badge.

 

How to Apply

Send your resume and brief cover letter outlining your interest to jobs@ybca.org. Please include “Gallery Guide, your name” in the subject line of your email.

Please, no phone calls or faxes—really. While we love your enthusiasm, due to the volume of applications and our limited resources, we will respond only to applicants we intend to interview. If you receive our automated thank you, we have received your resume and there is no need to follow up.

Principals only. We do not accept resumes from third parties and we will not pay fees to any agency or firm. Any unsolicited resumes received will be considered the property of YBCA and will be processed accordingly.

We wish you the best of luck in your job search!

 

Equal Opportunity Employer

Yerba Buena Center for the Arts (YBCA) is committed to diversity in its programming and in creating a work culture and environment that is reflective of San Francisco Bay Area demography. YBCA encourages and actively recruits applicants representing dimensions of difference that include — but are not limited to — age, national origin, ethnicity, race, religion, ability, sexual orientation, gender or political affiliation.

 

 

 

YBCA will consider for employment all qualified applicants with criminal histories in a manner consistent with the requirements of the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance (SF Police Code, Article 49.