Organization: Contemporary Arts Center

About the position: Visitor Experience Associate

Reports To: Front Desk & Shop Manager

Status: part-time, non-exempt

Location: Cincinnati, OH

Compensation: Starting at $13 per hour

*This is a bargaining unit position subject to collective bargaining.*

ABOUT THE CONTEMPORARY ARTS CENTER:

MISSION STATEMENT: The Contemporary Arts Center (CAC) brings art and the creative process to all people through exhibitions, performances, and experiences that open minds.

CAC BACKGROUND: The CAC was founded in 1939 by three women with their eyes on the future. Today, our purpose is to champion open minds and foster an inclusive culture by using contemporary art and mutual learning as vehicles for connecting people, cultivating creativity, and catalyzing curiosity.

The CAC now operates on a $4.2M annual operating budget and offers 4 - 5 significant exhibitions per year, including group and solo exhibitions originated by CAC curator(s), guest curators, and touring exhibition partners. It is the oldest non-collecting contemporary art center in the country and one of the largest, occupying an 80,000 sq. ft. building, with approximately 22,000 sq. ft. devoted to exhibition and performance space. With new executive leadership in place and a completed $5M+ renovation of its educational facility, the CAC is poised to continue its 85-year legacy of presenting new commissions by emerging and established artists, as well as thematic group exhibitions that foster local, national, and international resonances.

A strong emphasis on curatorial research and institutional partnerships has led to CAC generating a number of major touring exhibitions and co-commissions with entities such as Kunstraum Kreuzberg (Berlin), MIT List Visual Arts Center (Cambridge), the New Museum (New York), and FotoFocus Biennial (Cincinnati). Recent solo projects have featured the work of Tania Candiani, Ugo Rondinone, Steffani Jemison, Vhils, and Do Ho Suh, through which each artist developed significant interventions that attended to a range of timely concepts.

LOCATION: The CAC is located in an architectural gem in the heart of downtown Cincinnati, designed by Iraqi-British architect Zaha Hadid. The Lois and Richard Rosenthal Center for Contemporary Art was heralded by The New York Times as “the most important American building to be completed since the end of the cold war” and was lauded for its community-centric approach to the design process.

SCOPE OF POSITION: Working under the guidance of the Front Desk and Store Manager, the Visitor Experience Associate provides assistance for all museum visitors and staff. The Visitor Experience Associate is responsible for welcoming all visitors, processing sales transactions, answering the telephones, and connecting inquiries with the appropriate staff member(s). The Visitor Experience Associate will be an individual who demonstrates an ability to work well with others, values teamwork, and represents the museum by offering exceptional service to all visitors and staff. This is a part time position.

SPECIFIC DUTIES:

• Ensure that visitors’ needs are properly attended to and provide information for exhibitions, store products, events, programs, and memberships. Demonstrate exemplary ability to engage the public and handle customer service/ visitor challenges for positive outcomes.

• Operate the cash drawer for the CAC Store and Admissions, including opening and closing the drawers, and processing cash, credit, and check transactions through the Point-of-Sale System (POS).

• Drives store sales through engagement of customers, suggestive selling, and sharing product knowledge.

• Promptly answers incoming calls from the CAC general telephone line, appropriately directing calls to the correct people.

• Assists in tour scheduling and data collection for tours when they arrive.

• Attend CAC staff meetings and exhibition training as required, and stay up to date on current exhibits, tour information, general CAC information, and Visitor Experience staff functions.

• Maintain a clean workspace in the CAC Store and Admissions desk, including merchandise: polishes silver, washes glassware and cleans other store inventory as needed.

• Distribute as well as restock CAC print materials.

• Performs other duties as assigned.

• Maintain a clean and professional appearance and is prepared to work where assigned.

• Arrive at the designated work location promptly and in time to serve visitors and staff.

ALL OF THESE DUTIES ARE TO BE DONE WITH OVERALL CAC BUSINESS IN MIND. THE PERSON IN THIS POSITION WILL BE CONSCIOUS OF OTHER CAC PROGRAMS, EXHIBITION NEEDS, AND CAC POLICY AND PROCEDURES.

REQUIREMENTS:

• Experience in customer service.

• Exceptional people, communication, and sales skills, and an ability to multi-task and remain calm in a high pace environment.

• Self-motivated, energetic, and proactive.

• Knowledge of Microsoft Office applications, fax and copy machines, and printers.

• Experience working with a POS system.

PHYSICAL DEMANDS & WORK ENVIRONMENT:

• The person in this position needs to move about the shop and desk space to access shop merchandise and office supplies.

• Must be able to remain in a stationary position at least 75% of the time.

• Operate a computer and other office productivity machinery, such as a calculator, copy machine, and computer printer.

• Able to communicate information and ideas so others will understand. Must be able to exchange accurate information in these situations.

• Able to move objects of up to 25 lbs.

• Able to observe details at close range (within a few feet of the observer).

PAY, BENEFITS, LONG-TERM GROWTH OPPORTUNITIES: This part-time position takes place on-site at the CAC, working about 15 hours per week. The hourly pay rate starts at $13 per hour. Benefits for part-time employees include paid sick and personal days, holiday pay, access to professional development opportunities, employee assistance program, CAC membership, and CAC Museum Shop and Café employee discount.

TO APPLY: Applications, a resume & cover letter in PDF format, should be sent to hiring manager Aly Laughlin, Human Resources Director, via email at alaughlin@cincycac.org by July 14, 2023.

After applications are reviewed, selected applicants will be contacted for interviews. References may be requested and contacted only during the final interview stage and the identities of applicants will be held in the strictest of confidence.

RECRUITMENT & HIRING:

The CAC is an Equal Opportunity Employer (EOE) where all applicants will be considered for employment without attention to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, Veteran, or disability status.

More information can be found here.