Blog and Newsletter

The Castine Historical Society (CHS) continues our search for an energetic leader and historian who can share our passion for Castine and its rich history. Located in two historic buildings on the Town Common, CHS is dedicated to engaging residents and visitors of all ages in the exploration of Castine’s diverse historical resources. The Abbott School building now houses permanent and seasonal exhibits and a community meeting space. In 2008, CHS purchased and carefully restored the Grindle House, a mid-19^th century, three-story home of the Greek Revival style which now serves as the research center and archival storage for the Society’s historical collections. Governed by an active volunteer board of 15 members, and guided by a strategic plan that was completed in 2016, CHS is ready to welcome its first Executive Director. CHS has an endowment currently valued at $5.4 million, a 2017 budget of approximately $270,000, and employs a full-time curator and a part-time administrative assistant to support the engagement of an active corps of volunteer docents, guides, and event volunteers. Interested candidates should submit a cover letter and résumé to Starboard Leadership Consulting at the following address search1@starboardleadership.com. The cover letter and résumé should contain detailed information concerning work experience, past successes, leadership experience, qualifications, and fundraising capabilities.  Review of applications will begin on July 10, 2017.

Now accepting session proposals through June 15, 2017.

Click here to submit your session proposal. 

In 2020 Maine will be observing its bicentennial, a milestone that commemorates and celebrates the establishment of our statehood, and our journey before and since. The occasion will also provide a forum to reflect on our history and culture, both traditional and transitioning, and where we’ve come from and where we are headed as people and institutions in the great State of Maine.

In anticipation of this milestone, MAM seeks conference session proposalsthat address the commemoration and interpretation of Maine’s upcoming bicentennial, as well as various other topics such as educational and event programming, advocacy, diversity and inclusion, preservation and collections care, fundraising, and governance.

Share your knowledge, generate dialogue, and discuss ideas with colleagues from throughout Maine!

The Association of Maine Archives and Museums is seeking qualified presenters to submit session proposals that fit this theme and advance MAM’s mission to support and promote Maine’s collecting institutions. Session proposals will be considered in the following formats:

• Panel Sessions—90-minute session block with two or more presenters discussing a topic that can inform or inspire participants in their work.
• Workshops—90-minute block with one or more presenters offering hands-on opportunities for skill building.
• Poster Exhibits—Display material presenting a project or exhibit that your institution would like to share with a larger audience that has relevance to the field at large.

The MAM Program Committee seeks proposals that will inspire organizations of various sizes and disciplines and are especially visionary. Case studies will be considered, but proposals that are clearly more applicable to the field at large will have priority. Topics may include but are not limited to:

• Attracting new volunteers and members
• Case statements, grant writing and other fundraising appeals
• Effective marketing initiatives
• Youth initiatives
• Innovative educational or interpretive programming

Click here to submit your session proposal.  Proposals will be reviewed in mid-June and applicants will be notified by mid-July, 2017 about whether their proposal was accepted.

Please note:  MAM is unable to offer stipends, honorarium, or travel reimbursement to presenters.  Presenters who plan to attend other sessions during the conference must register and will receive the discounted Early Bird MAM member rate.

The Brick Store Museum seeks Visitor Services Associates, (part-time) responsible for initial visitor engagement, administrative support, and retail operations during the hours he/she works. Museum is seeking help to fill specific hours, as follows:

Hours: Wednesdays 5:00pm – 8:00pm; Saturdays 1:00pm – 4:00pm; Sundays 12:00pm – 4:00pm

Hourly Pay: $10/hr

Essential Duties:

• Welcome and provide information to visitors about their Museum visit
• Greet, direct and assist visitors
• Perform cashier duties at the Front Desk, including admission ticket sales and Museum Store sales
• Routes phone calls to correct staff phones, and/or responds to caller questions
• Assists Engagement Coordinator with web presence, including archiving Museum press releases online
• Takes visual inventory of shop items and replenishes shelves when necessary
• May assist in special events and special museum projects in down time
• Assists with other projects as assigned

Abilities:

• Knowledge of Kennebunk/Kennebunkport/Wells area to assist guests with travel questions
• Understanding of general Museum environment and its mission in the community
• Proficient in Microsoft Office applications and knowledge of how to use iPad point-of-sale system
• Highly motivated and self-directed
• Ability to work on a flexible schedule which may include evenings or weekends
• Able to work with a wide variety of visitors, including all age groups and learning levels
• Friendly, informative and welcoming demeanor; should be community-oriented and enjoy promoting Museum’s educational mission

To apply, please email cover letter and resume to Executive Director Cynthia Walker, cwalker@brickstoremuseum.org.

The Abbe Museum is looking for a Producer whose focus will be creating and launching the annual Abbe Museum Indian Market (inaugural event is May 18-20, 2018). This position will coordinate the activities, tasks, and events leading up to AMIM and will lead planning efforts with the support of the Abbe team and a volunteer AMIM Committee. The Producer will work closely with the President/CEO and will implement policies established by the President/CEO and the Trustees. This is a part-time (20 hours) contract position. 

For more information, including details on how to apply, please visit our website. 

The Wendell Gilley Museum in Southwest Harbor, Maine seeks people who love to interact with visitors of all ages to represent the museum at our front desk and gallery space. As a Visitor Services Associate, you are responsible for greeting museum guests and groups in a friendly manner and sharing the museum’s unique story; engaging guests with our exhibits and activities; processing fees, memberships, and sales in the gift shop and providing program support as needed. 

This is a seasonal position available part-time from May 23 through October 28, 2017.  The position includes Saturdays and may include some holidays, special event work, or occasional evening hours. Ideal candidates for this position will have exceptional customer service and interpersonal skills. Retail experience including merchandising and handling sales transactions is preferred. A high school diploma and interesting life experience are required for this position, a bachelor’s degree or coursework preferred. See a full job description on our website. To apply, please send a brief letter describing your interest and qualifications for the position along with a resume to: info@wendellgilleymuseum.org. EOE.

The Wendell Gilley Museum celebrates the life and work of Wendell Gilley, a pioneer in the field of decorative bird carving. It teaches the art of bird carving and presents art exhibitions and educational programs with a special focus on people, nature, and art. To learn more visit our website at www.wendellgilleymuseum.org. 

The L.C.Bates Museum has a paid summer intern position for a college student or recent college graduate. The position will support the educational and collections work in the museum. The project will involve working with visitors including school field trips and some museum collections work.

Please contact the museum at lcbates@gwh.org or 207-238-4250 for more information or to apply.

The Old York Historical Society welcomes applicants for its Perkins Fellowship. The 2017 fellowship will concentrate on the curatorial research of 3-dimensional objects under consideration for deaccession. The project will include inventory management, provenance research, collections record management in PastPerfect and a final report and presentation of findings. The fellowship pays a $3000 stipend for a commitment of no less than 15 hours per week, 200 hours in total. Schedule can be flexible, must be agreed upon in advance. Most work will be carried out at the organization’s collection storage facility in Kittery, Maine but may also include some hours at the museum and archives in York Village, Maine. Candidates should have prior museum and/or decorative arts experience, must be able to work independently, and should be proficient in Excel.  Familiarity with PastPerfect is helpful, but not required. Preference will be given to graduate and post-graduate students. To apply, please send a letter of interest and resume to collectionsmanager@oldyork.org. Applications will be accepted on a rolling basis until a candidate is selected.

The Old York Historical Society seeks an intern to assist with library/archives projects at the organization’s Research Center in York Village, Maine. Interns gain hands-on experience in manuscript collections processing, photograph collection processing, or reference and research. This year’s project may include maritime history, York Maine history, historic postcards, or a collection of 20^th century family papers. Preference will be given to graduate level students or recent graduates in library science, archives management, American history or museum studies. Proficiency with use of MS Office applications, especially MS Word and MS Excel is required. Experience using PastPerfect or other library/archives software is helpful. The ability to bend, reach and lift boxes weighing up to 40 lbs is required. Internships may be completed for credit and are voluntary/unpaid. Schedule is flexible, must be agreed upon in advance. To apply, please send a letter of interest and resume to research@oldyork.org. Applications will be accepted on a rolling basis until a candidate is selected.

The Old York Historical Society seeks an intern to assist with collections management projects at the organization’s collections storage facility in Kittery, Maine and its museum campus in York Village, Maine. Interns gain hands-on experience in collections care, storage and record management. Students with a special interest and/or experience in historic textiles and clothing are encouraged to apply, but other interests and focuses will be considered. Preference will be given to graduate level students or graduates of museum studies, art history, American history, or archaeology/anthropology programs. Internships may be completed for credit and are voluntary/unpaid. To apply, please send a letter of interest and resume to collectionsmanager@oldyork.org. Applications will be accepted on a rolling basis until a candidate is chosen.

Castine Historical Society (CHS) annually offers a paid internship opportunity for a graduate student preparing to enter the job market in museum studies, public history, archival science or a related field. The internship is full time (35 hours per week) for 10 weeks in the summer of 2017 with a stipend of $2,800.

The Castine area saw millennia of use by Native Americans before European contact and changed hands repeatedly from the outset of the colonial period through the War of 1812. The peninsula’s development in the nineteenth and twentieth century’s represents a microcosm of American commercial and cultural history. As its mission states, CHS seeks “to invigorate our community through collaborative exploration and stewardship of our region’s rich history, engaging residents and visitors of all ages in Castine’s extraordinary past and, through it, that of New England and North America.”

The intern will work as a member of a professional team on collections and education projects central to the CHS mission. Goals include preparing and implementing public walking tours of Castine. The program also offers the intern an opportunity to focus on a public history project such as building an online exhibit, developing podcasts for self-guided walking tours or proposing her/his own preservation or education project. CHS will work with the student to structure the internship to meet requirements for academic credit as needed.

Applications are due by Monday, March 27, 2017. To view the full internship description and application instructions, visit http://www.castinehistoricalsociety.org/pages/news/ or contact Paige Lilly via email at curator@castinehistoricalsociety.org.