Seeking new head of Learning and Interpretation department

ARoS is an active and outgoing art museum with a large art collection and an ambitious national and international exhibition programme. We are currently facing the task of revitalising the vision underpinning our Learning and Interpretation department, ARoS Public, at a time when we are looking ahead to realising The Next Level, our major new extension complete with a vast new work by artist James Turrell. A museum in rapid development, ARoS operates at the highest level of professionalism while striving to be relevant and engaging to all during times of great change in the world.

At ARoS, more than 200 people from 15 different countries work together every day to give our guests the best possible experience of our museum and of the art presented there. You will become part of a skilled, committed and helpful team, fuelled by an excellent workplace environment and an insistence on a positive, professional and caring tone throughout the organisation.

Rethinking and revitalising ARoS Public
ARoS is looking for a committed, ambitious and versatile head of the Learning and Interpretation department, who will help develop the vision for the new ARoS Public in the lead-up to the opening of The Next Level. The upcoming changes will create a new flow in and around ARoS Public, necessitating changes to our current offerings, which must be reimagined to fit in with times ahead.

Ambitious learning and interpretation activities at ARoS
The goal of learning and interpretation activities at ARoS is to develop and deliver new forms of learning and interpretation activities, paving the way for alternative encounters with art. We take a knowledge-based and creative approach to creating new offerings for children and young adults as well as activities for schools, both in our creative workshops and in the exhibitions/collections. We engage with adult audiences in and around the exhibitions, but also in talks, lectures, debates and conferences, and we are happy to facilitate dialogues on difficult topics. We offer in-person meetings with artists as part of our artist-in-residency programme, which is also housed by ARoS Public. Other initiatives include efforts aimed at a wider demographic and new user groups, including our dementia programme, our efforts for vulnerable young people and much more.

Creative thinking
ARoS engages directly with current societal issues. We want to be part of the vanguard that facilitates new insights, creating a space for seeing and thinking about things in a fresh light. We want the museum space to act as a catalyst for social interaction, and our learning, interpretation and communication activities must always strive for maximum relevance, appeal and integrity. We want to help individual visitors and users respond to art with openness and curiosity, prompting them to reflect on art’s history and its social and societal roles.

Areas of responsibility
Your most important tasks will be:

Visionary and strategic work
–revitalising and rethinking the area at level 3 at ARoS
–strengthening and developing external collaborations and partnerships 

Managerial work
–leading a team of four to six employees
–strengthening the activities aimed at children and young adults – in and around the successive exhibitions, in ARoS Public and at the museum in general
–developing interdisciplinary and participatory learning and interpretation activities associated with the exhibitions and with the ARoS collection
–supervising work on school offerings and the guides’ activities
–supervising work on the artist-in-residency programme, including how visitors encounter the artists who are part of the scheme

Structured planning of
–efforts focused on new interpretation and learning activities and creative thinking, such as labs, creative workshops and dialogue-based teaching
–talks, conferences, salons, public debate events, cinema, etc.
–proactive fund raising for operations as well as for projects in the department

Your qualifications and skills
–You are a multifaceted and well-rounded person with an educational background and work experience that enables you to step directly into the job
–You have good leadership skills and managerial experience: you will supervise four to six permanent employees in the art and education department as well as approximately twenty-five guides.
–You think creatively
–You have extensive experience with fundraising
–You have a documented and broad knowledge of interpretation and learning activities at art museums and a keen personal interest in art
–You have excellent collaboration skills and are able to take part in creative processes and in teams that cut across many different professional disciplines
–You will be able to maintain a firm focus on translating the museum’s vision into specific action on all contact points in your sphere of influence
–You are able to prioritise and structure your work with your end goals firmly in sight
–You are very IT literate, navigate with confidence and unfailing ethics on social media, and have excellent oral and written proficiency in both Danish and English

Terms of employment
The job is a permanent, full-time position. The successful applicant will commence work on August 1, 2022 or by agreement. Working hours are 37 hours per week. You will report to the Chief Curator.

Application deadline
If you feel this position is a perfect match for you and can see yourself working with ARoS, we invite you to send us your application and CV.

Your application should be no more than two pages long and include a description of your visions and dreams for ARoS Public.

Application deadline: Thursday, April 28

Job interviews will be conducted on: Wednesday, May 4, 2022

The successful applicant will begin on: August 1, 2022

More information
If you have any follow-up questions, you are welcome to contact Chief Curator Lise Pennington at T +45 61554452 or Head of Human Resources Rikke Stengaard Madsen at T +45) 26770445.