Media Assistant, Art & Art History Operations

Overview

Overview

The Art History New Media Assistant directly supports art history faculty in planning, producing and implementing art historical engagement experiences through a range of new media approaches, including multimedia, AR/VR, immersive audio, and more. This role is a part of the Department of Art and Art History, and contributes to larger departmental discussions, strategizing, and assessment of the department’s work in relation to the evolving new media landscape.

This is a project-centered role that includes both art historical research and new media research and production. The position is part-time and complements, rather than duplicates, the work of Academic Technology Services by offering content- and discipline-focused expertise alongside familiarity with new media technologies. As such, this role serves as a bridge and liaison to related campus resources including ITS, Digital Liberal Arts, and Library Archives, in addition to undertaking production and implementation work on faculty projects as needed.

Finally, this role is responsible for the training and management of a cohort of work‑study student employees who assist with project production, implementation, and research, as well as handle routine Art History support tasks.

This is a 0.5

FTE (26 hours/week) over the 9-month academic year (September through May).

About The Department:

The Art and Art History Department at Macalester College is a dynamic community of artists and scholars dedicated to exploring the multiple pasts, presents, and futures of artistic expression. Situated at the intersection of the fine arts, humanities, and a liberal arts context, we foster interdisciplinary exploration, critical thinking and hands‑on making. The expansive cultural and artistic legacies of the Twin Cities metropolitan area, along with the vibrant natural environments of the upper midwest, support our strong sense of interconnectedness and community.

Through collaborative teaching and learning, we engage with visual culture to interpret and contribute to the growth of our multicultural and global society. Guided by a belief in the transformative power of art, we strive to inspire curiosity and inquiry while serving and connecting with students, College faculty and staff, and local and regional communities.

• The key responsibility of this role is direct faculty support, including but not limited to:
  • Proactively partnering with faculty to assess their syllabi and course content to determine potential new media applications for specific courses, subject areas, and/or research interests;
  • Initiating and participating in ongoing conversations around developing and/or locating new media adaptations for pedagogy; working directly with the faculty member on project research and production;
  • Collaborating with faculty to develop and implement new tools with the goal of innovating classroom engagement with art objects.
• This is a project‑oriented position, and research, ideation, fabrication, development, and implementation may all be requested.
• Other responsibilities include managing student staff, limited student project support, and other duties as assigned.

• Bachelor’s Degree in art history, image‑based new media (i.e., animation, AR/VR, digital media, interactive art, game design), computer science, or a related field.
• Minimum 1 to 3 years of experience working with digital media, educational technology, or related areas. (Preferred:
  Familiarity with academic and research environments, ideally within the context of a liberal arts college.)
• Specialized Knowledge: Familiarity with art historical methodologies and frameworks, and ability to critically integrate these with digital processes. The ability to quickly adapt to changing needs and technologies, especially relating to art history pedagogy and scholarship.
• Computer/Technical: Candidate must have demonstrated experience in at least three of these digital media areas:
  • Augmented and Virtual Reality (AR/VR) Examples: building AR/VR environments for historically accurate simulations, historical event recreations, or architectural reconstructions.
  • Interactive Timelines,…