Gallery Technician and Preparator - 128557

UCSD Layoff from Career Appointment: Apply by 3/12/24 for consideration with preference for rehire. All layoff applicants should contact their Employment Advisor.

Special Selection Applicants: Apply by 3/21/24. Eligible Special Selection clients should contact their Disability Counselor for assistance.

The UC San Diego Department of Visual Arts is one of the country's leading centers for study and research in art and art history. Founded in 1967 on the principle that the production, critical analysis and history of art are inter-related activities, it has long been recognized for its distinctive combination of faculty - artist and critics, theorists and scholars. The department offers five undergraduate majors, seven minors and two graduate degrees, which together represent the expanded range of art in the contemporary world. With the introduction of our new undergraduate program in Speculative Design and the peer-reviewed, digital publication FIELD: A Journal of Socially Engaged Art Criticism, the range of our research activities is extended further beyond the library, classroom, studio, gallery, museum and performance space into science and engineering laboratories, the city, the region and the public sphere.

The Visual Arts Department maintains approximately 120,000 square feet of space in the Mandeville Center for the Arts and the Visual Arts Facility, and in SME. This includes instructional and research classrooms, labs (ceramics, still photography development and printing; film viewing and editing; film processing and printing; and video shooting; viewing and editing), art studios (drawing, painting and mixed media), shops (wood, metal, machinery and framing), student exhibition galleries, performance space, working plazas and decks, faculty and graduate student studios, faculty and administrative offices and the Mandeville Art Gallery.

The Mandeville Art Gallery has a five-decade history of presenting innovative art in the context of a major research university. As UC San Diego makes efforts to connect the campus to downtown San Diego and the greater region, this opens up the university's extensive arts and cultural offerings to the wider community - which also includes the Stuart Collection, the La Jolla Playhouse, and the Epstein Family Amphitheater - while enriching the overall student experience.

Reporting directly to the Department of Visual Arts Facilities Manager, the Gallery Technician and Preparator will manage all aspects of exhibition preparation across departmental spaces located in the Mandeville Center, the Structural Materials and Engineering building (SME), and the Visual Arts Facility. At an operational level, this position will oversee gallery and installation planning and management, construction of temporary rooms and walls, preparation of artwork including matting and framing, fabrication of exhibition components, equipment research and purchasing, exhibition installation and de-installation. This team member will also advise students and faculty in the production and installation of their projects, provide instructional support related to professional and exhibition practices, and assist the Facilities Manager to train and oversee student workers and temporary installation crews.

Responsibilities include but are not limited to: the routine maintenance of all departmental galleries and exhibition spaces, training students in the safe use of machines and a variety of power tools/pneumatic tools/hand tools related to the production and installation of art and providing quarterly trainings and workshops to groups of graduate students, undergraduates, faculty, and staff, emphasizing safe work practices. This role is responsible for all receiving, conditioning, mounting, cleaning, framing, stretching, unpacking and packing of works of art in all media for our gallery and exhibition spaces. They will use a wide variety of tools, hardware, and audio/visual technology and equipment during installation projects and will liaise with insurance, transportation and shipping agents.

When exhibitions are not scheduled, this position will assist the Facilities Manager in facility-related duties as needed. This technician may be needed on hand to assist/research other production facilities, galleries, classrooms, and other instructional support needs. It is expected that the Visual Arts department will continue to experience rapid change and growth. As such, it is expected that demands, and changes to functions and tasks, are commonplace. This job description is not intended to be all-inclusive.

• Overtime and weekends may be required.

• Please submit a cover letter along with a resume for a complete application.

• Experience in teaching safe use of all types of shop equipment. Knowledge of personal protective equipment and of specific toxicity of artists materials.

• Experience with equipment maintenance scheduling and repair procedures.

• Experience with a variety of tools including sawstop tablesaw, Felder FB 610 Bandsaw, helical head jointers, edge sander, planers, lathes, grinders, brakes, drill presses, routers, extruders, vacu-form machine, welding, plasma torch, oxy-acetylene torch, milling machines, kilns, silkscreen booth and spray booth.

• Knowledge of the principles of design and engineering and industrial shop layouts and organizations. Skills in design, construction, cost estimate of specialized laboratory equipment and furniture and renovations.

• Skills in personnel work direction and work scheduling.

• Knowledge of monitoring techniques used for environmental health and safety maintenance.

• Skills in evaluating usefulness and serviceability of furniture and equipment.

• Knowledge of environmental control systems. Knowledge of the mechanics of construction and operation of air, water, waste and electrical systems.

• Skills in communicating with people of diverse backgrounds, including students, faculty, engineers, architects, administrators and laborer and in dealing with agitated individuals and mediation of conflicts.

• Knowledge of all aspects of artistic endeavors and the material and environmental requirements such as techniques required for cutting, forming and joining most materials; specific materials and techniques of construction and mold making; and of ceramics, electronics, painting, sculpture, silkscreen, welding, soldering, photography, film and video processes and their environmental health and safety requirements.

• Knowledge of manufacturers and suppliers of educational aids, equipment and materials and skills in locating and evaluating materials and equipment relating to art production.

• Knowledge of State and Federal code requirements for educational facilities.

• Demonstrated skill in communicating both verbally and in written form, technical information at various levels of sophistication.

• Demonstrated experience and skill in communicating and training people with a non-technical, non-production backgrounds, gearing explanation at specific skill level.

• Demonstrated ability to provide a high level of customer service to satisfy the needs of a wide variety of students, faculty and staff, and to effectively interact with diverse populations with professionalism, tact, and diplomacy.

• Ability to interact with students, faculty and staff on a congenial basis to establish a good working and learning environment for classes and in labs/shops.

• Knowledge of safe response protocols surrounding emergencies with hazardous materials.

• Knowledge of accepted methods and problems of preparation of artworks for exhibition.Knowledge of vocational health and safety codes and restrictions

• Knowledge of chemical anatomy of organic matter found in clays and glazes.

• Knowledge of packing techniques, container construction and shipping requirements unique to art products.

• Background Check required.

• This position has met Child Abuse and Neglect Reporting Act (CANRA ) Federal Compliance requirements as instructed by UCOP.

Pay Transparency Act

Annual Full Pay Range: $58,548 - $70,303 (will be prorated if the appointment percentage is less than 100%)

Hourly Equivalent: $28.04 - $33.67

Factors in determining the appropriate compensation for a role include experience, skills, knowledge, abilities, education, licensure and certifications, and other business and organizational needs. The Hiring Pay Scale referenced in the job posting is the budgeted salary or hourly range that the University reasonably expects to pay for this position. The Annual Full Pay Range may be broader than what the University anticipates to pay for this position, based on internal equity, budget, and collective bargaining agreements (when applicable).

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