STUDENTS OPPORTUNITIES

BE A FROST AMBASSADOR
      The new Frost Art Museum is recruiting and training FIU students and community art lovers to be Frost Ambassadors in its new docent program.  Frost docents guide visitors toward a personal connection with works of art and the museum space.  They provide educational tours of museum exhibitions, including bilingual and multilingual tours.
      To gain a thorough overview of the works of art, artists and related artistic movements, docents will conduct research and receive extensive training on the Frost’s permanent collection, history of the museum and temporary exhibitions.  
      Those interested in participating, contact the Education Department at (305) 348-6963.
We are also seeking a Docent Coordinator to manage docents for weekly tours and special events.

Internships in Art Education (student teachers)

The Frost Art Museum is seeking interns/student teachers for our educational workshops:
 
Art Smart: Sculpture
Art Smart: Figures
Sculpture Badge Program
ArtWorks!  (art therapy) 
Kenan-Flagler Family Discovery Gallery
Interns will provide guided educational tours and teach art activities to visiting schools.  Interns will learn to teach art and art history and manage groups of children.  For more information contact the Education Department at (305) 348-6963.

Volunteers for Arts Event Planning
The Frost Art Museum is launching Target Wednesdays. We are seeking volunteers to assist in event planning and marketing to help us promote these exciting educational events.  This is an excellent opportunity to develop public relations and communication skills.  For more information contact the Education Department at (305) 348-6963.

Aesthetica Creative Works Competition 2009

2010 Biennial National Art Exhibition

The Visual Arts Center of Punta Gorda, Florida is holding a juried art exhibition from February 8 through March 12, 2010. The prospectus for artists is now available. The deadline for entry into this biennial juried show is November 13, 2009. Prizes for the exhibition exceed $8,000. For the art-conscious public, it is an event not to be missed.

ANNOUNCEMENT

Wolfsonian–FIU/Mellon Infusion Grants

The Wolfsonian–FIU encourages FIU faculty to use the museum’s resources to enhance undergraduate and graduate learning at the University. For this purpose, The Wolfsonian will offer three infusion grants for FIU faculty members to conduct research at the museum during the 2009-10 academic year with the aim of revising the content of an existing course so that it will provide opportunities for students to engage with the museum’s collection.

Infusion grants are intended to introduce the potential of The Wolfsonian’s collection as a teaching resource to faculty members who are not yet familiar with it, as well as to enrich the teaching of those who already have experience working with the collection. Candidates may propose to integrate material from The Wolfsonian into a course by arranging class visits to the museum; assigning projects that will encourage students to do research on the collection; having Wolfsonian staff members give presentations to the class; or any combination of the above. They may also identify digital images of Wolfsonian objects to show in class. Research conducted at The Wolfsonian under this grant should inform the teaching of one or more units of the course, but does not necessarily have to be its main or exclusive focus.

This opportunity is made possible with support from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, which has awarded The Wolfsonian funding to strengthen the connection between the museum and FIU’s academic community. Encouraging the development of courses that address The Wolfsonian’s collection is a key component of the larger Mellon-supported program. (During the summer terms of 2010 and 2011, The Wolfsonian will offer Curriculum Development grants for faculty members who propose to develop courses that will focus largely on Wolfsonian resources and themes.)


Eligibility and Requirements
Candidates for the grant must be full-time FIU faculty members or administrators with teaching assignments. Candidates may propose an undergraduate or graduate course that will be offered in either the 2009-10 or 2010-11 academic years and that will engage students in learning from and about The Wolfsonian’s collection;
Grantees will be expected during the grant period to visit the museum during the fall and/or spring semesters to consult with Wolfsonian staff members; access the museum’s collection databases; and work with items in the museum’s rare book li brary and object collection.

Amount of Support and Timing of Grant
The Wolfsonian will award $2,000 to the grantee for work performed before the end of the spring term, 2010. Payment will be made upon receipt of the grantee’s final report.

Deliverables
Grantees will submit a final report consisting of the following: a statement describing the research conducted during the grant period and indicating how it will inform the teaching of the course; and a preliminary syllabus for the revised course, indicating key readings, assignments, and planned visits to the museum. Grantees will be required to submit a follow-up report upon completion of the course, assessing its success in engaging students with The Wolfsonian’s collection.

Proposals
Proposals must include the following:
A description (no more than one single-spaced page) of the course, describing the themes it will address and how it will bring students into contact with The Wolfsonian’s collection. The proposal should also indicate the semester during which the course will be taught.
A letter from the chair of the candidate’s department indicating support for the proposed course and a commitment that it will be part of the candidate’s teaching assignment in the semester indicated.
A preliminary work-plan, identifying collection areas that will be the focus of research and dates for proposed visits to the museum during the grant period.
A curriculum vitae.
Proposals may be submitted by email.


Selection Criteria
How effectively has the candidate demonstrated that The Wolfsonian’s resources will enhance the teaching of one or more units of the course? Will the course offer ample opportunities for students to engage with material in The Wolfsonian’s collection? Has the candidate proposed a work-plan that indicates a substantial commitment to research at the museum during the grant period?

Deadline and Notification date
Proposals must be received at The Wolfsonian by September 15, 2009.
The Wolfsonian will notify the awardee by September 30, 2009.

Please submit proposals to:
Jonathan Mogul
Andrew W. Mellon Coordinator of Academic Programs
The Wolfsonian–FIU
1001 Washington Ave.
Miami Beach, FL 33139
305-535-2613
305-531-2133 (fax)
jon@thewolf.fiu.edu