Mirken Family Postbaccalaureate Fellowship in Museum Practice

Job Description

The Mirken Family Postbaccalaureate Fellowship in Museum Practice provides an immersive, two-year professional development experience within the Colby College Museum of Art. The fellowship offers comprehensive exposure to museum administration, with a primary focus on communications, marketing, and public engagement. Reporting to the Communications Manager, the Mirken Fellow collaborates across departments including Communications, Administration, Advancement, Collections, Curatorial, and Engagement. The Fellow contributes meaningfully to advancing the museum’s visibility, accessibility, and audience engagement through digital and print communications, audience research, and marketing initiatives.

In addition, the Fellow supports student engagement and professional pathway development by coordinating the annual Mirken professional development trip for senior art majors and mentoring student interns involved in museum communications work. This position combines hands‑on administrative experience with creative and strategic communications responsibilities in a dynamic museum environment. The appointment is a two‑year term, with the possibility of a renewable third year contingent upon institutional needs and performance.

Museum Communications

Hourly

Located in Waterville, Maine, the Colby College Museum of Art opens access to art and artists, creating a forum for experimentation, research, dialogue, and joyful connection. Founded in 1959, the Colby College Museum of Art is a collecting and teaching museum dedicated to the preservation, display, and interpretation of the visual arts. We embrace within our collections works of art from diverse cultures and historical periods, with a focus on American art, and commitment to collecting and exhibiting contemporary art.

Free and open to all, with locations on the Colby College campus and in downtown Waterville, the museum advances Colby College’s educational and research mission, enriches the region’s cultural and community life, and contributes to the great field of American art. The museum and its Lunder Institute for American Art bring extraordinary art experiences to central Maine and generate new scholarship with national and international impact.

To be successful in this position, an individual should be able to perform the essential duties and bring the education, experience, knowledge, skills, and abilities that support the role. Colby College supports the Americans with Disabilities Act and is committed to providing reasonable accommodations to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions of the position. This list of duties is intended to be representative rather than exhaustive, and additional responsibilities may be assigned as needed.

• Assist the Communications Manager in executing the museum’s marketing strategy.
• Develop, schedule, and post content across the museum’s social media platforms, incorporating feedback from internal stakeholders and managing a modest budget for boosted posts.
• Support website content management and maintain profiles on external platforms such as Bloomberg connects.
• Assemble and distribute the museum’s monthly e-newsletter, What’s Happening at the Colby Museum, reaching more than 20,000 subscribers.
• Assist in the design and distribution of digital and print materials promoting exhibitions, programs, and initiatives.
• Gather, analyze, and summarize audience demographic data, campaign performance metrics, and engagement insights to inform communications strategy.
• Maintain centralized digital and print archives of photography, advertising materials, collateral, and earned media.

• In collaboration with the Registrar for Collections, research and serve as primary point of contact for incoming and select outgoing.
• Facilitate internal approvals and ensure accurate tracking and documentation of permissions and usage.

• Partner with Art Department faculty, students, arts…