Docent

DEPARTMENT: Middlesex County Office of Historic and History Services

REPORTS TO:  Coordinator of Living History Programs and Visitor Services

The mission of the Middlesex County Office of Arts & History is to develop countywide programs and promote public interest in local, county history, the arts, and in the cultural values, goals, traditions of the community, the State and the Nation.

Our commitment to the public is to bring the highest level of professionalism to countywide cultural development through grants, programs, education, and collaborative projects.

Our vision is to see that all projects and programs make significant contributions to the field of arts, to culture and history, to provide a means to present this information to the public, and to generate long lasting benefits to the people we serve.

JOB TITLE: DOCENT

JOB SUMMARY:
The Middlesex County Office of Arts and History seeks dynamic educators and visitor services staff to join the family programs team to lead Living History programs and assist with additional family programs at East Jersey Old Town and the Cornelius Low House, both in Piscataway New Jersey. This work will usually take place Wednesdays through Sundays, April to November, including holidays and special events.

Living Historians primarily lead educational experiences for school groups and the public while dressed in historical clothing. In addition to period garments, they use accessories, dialogue, and activities from the past to create impressions of individuals from certain periods in time. Impressions can be of specific and/or composite.

We are currently seeking Visitor Services staff who will primarily lead the informational experiences for school groups and the public. Visitor Services staff are not dressed in historical clothing. The duties include but are not limited to: guiding visitors, exhibit gallery data recording, gift shop management, light cleaning, etc.

We are currently seeking Living Historians to portray various eighteenth and nineteenth century trades and crafts. These trades and crafts include, but are not limited to: blacksmithing, revolutionary war, home & hearth, farming, tailoring, etc.

We are currently looking for docents to develop and give appropriate school tours associated with a 2019 exhibit on the 1950s in New Jersey at the Cornelius Low House.

Applicants must be comfortable interacting with visitors both ‘in-character’ and as educators, especially when portraying a specific individual. Composite individuals are usually portrayed by speaking about the past with present-day language, or in third-person.

In addition to the above responsibilities, Living Historians will be expected to assist with additional programs such as history holiday programming on an as needed basis.

COMPENSATION:
Compensation is based on experience.

EXPERIENCE:
Qualified candidates for living history will have:

• Experience working with children between the ages of 4 and 14.
• Paid or volunteer experience as a historical reenactor, costumed interpreter, living historian, or actor in period productions.
• Ability to provide your own historical garments preferred.
• Expertise in a historical skill, trade, or craft.
• Experience engaging visitors with disabilities a plus.
• Bilingual abilities a plus.

Qualified candidates for visitor services will have:

• Experience working with children between the ages of 4 and 14.
• Experience with retail sales.
• Experience engaging visitors with disabilities a plus.
• Bilingual abilities a plus.

ESSENTIAL JOB DUTIES:

• Must maintain flexible schedule; availability to work weekdays, weekends, holidays, and occasional special programs as needed; and ability to commit to scheduled programs months in advance.
• Educate families with children of all ages through informal, interactive, drop-in activities.
• Wear and interpret historical and reproduction garments, accessories, and/or objects.
• Be outgoing and professionally represent the Museum with excellent visitor service.
• Professionally and promptly communicate with program coordinator(s) about scheduling, preparations, and other logistics related to all upcoming programs, trainings, and other meetings.
• Attend trainings and study and review resources as needed to maintain and build your impressions.
• Prepare program materials for all programs you lead or assist with.
• Assist with additional family programs as needed.
• Additional duties as requested.

Physical Demands: The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee with or without accommodation, to successfully perform the essential functions of this job.

Work involves moving throughout the Village and Museum, lifting program materials and wearing historical garments (up to 30 lbs.), and performing other similar actions while historically costumed for long periods of time.

Visitor Services work involves light lifting, cleaning, etc.

TO APPLY:

For consideration, please send a cover letter and resume to Michael Boylan @ michael.boylan@co.middlesex.nj.us  Please reference the job title in the subject line.

The County of Middlesex, New Jersey is an Equal Opportunity Employer