At Lake Champlain Maritime Museum, we are committed to using our skills as historians to help make systemic change in our work and in the museum field. As part of this, we have spent the past two years working to remove barriers to access and pursuing new research projects that shine a light on untold stories of women and people of color in the Champlain Valley. Yet, we recognize that there is more work to do to create space, challenge bias, and dismantle systems that reinforce inequality.
In 2022, we are excited to introduce a Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Summer Interpretation Fellowship. The primary goals of the fellowship are to make our exhibitions and visitor experience more accessible and inclusive for visitors, and to provide opportunities for early career scholars and museum professionals to have an impact with the public.
The DEI Summer Interpretation Fellow position has three main objectives: to build upon the current exhibitions and collections at the Lake Champlain Maritime Museum for the visitors’ experience; to develop new museum interpretation and interactive experiences based on the Fellow’s area of expertise, interest, and previous research; and to help make exhibitions more accessible and engaging for a wide range of audiences, with a specific focus on incorporating previously underrepresented perspectives into Museum interpretation. The Fellow and the interpretation team will be exploring questions including: How do we make our collections/exhibits more relevant to what is going on in today’s world? How do we connect visitors of all ages and backgrounds to the history of the region in ways that are meaningful to them, and support learning a more inclusive, comprehensive history?
The Fellow will also spend significant time interpreting the exhibitions onsite with visitors, exploring meaningful connections between the content and the visitor. Through their research and onsite experiences, they will develop training materials for volunteer interpreters and staff. The Fellow will also gain experience in the day-to-day logistics of Museum operations and work closely with staff in Admissions, Visitor Experience, and volunteers.
This opportunity is open to anyone self-identifying as underrepresented in the museum and archaeology fields. Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) and individuals from underrepresented groups are encouraged to apply.
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