Park & Recreation Aide - Enslavement to Freedom Curatorial Fellowship - State Park

Park & Recreation Aide 6-7 - Enslavement to Freedom Curatorial Fellowship - New York State Parks, Recreation & Historic Preservation

Join to apply for the Park & Recreation Aide 6-7 - Enslavement to Freedom Curatorial Fellowship role at New York State Parks, Recreation & Historic Preservation
.

Base pay range: $21.00/hr – $24.00/hr

The Our Whole History Enslavement to Freedom Curatorial Fellow will conduct research and advance scholarship related to the Enslavement to Freedom initiative. The Our Whole History (OWH) initiative of the NYS Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation (OPRHP) seeks to reveal and share historically undertold stories of ordinary and extraordinary people and events across New York State. Falling under the umbrella of the Our Whole History initiative is Enslavement to Freedom 1627–1827–2027 (E2F), a landmark, multi-year public education and commemoration project that shines a light on New York State’s deeply undertold history of slavery and its enduring legacy.

In 2027, New York State will recognize the 200th anniversary of the end of legalized slavery in the state (1827) and the 400th anniversary of the arrival of the first Africans enslaved in the former New Netherland colony (1627). The goals of the Enslavement to Freedom project are to expand the narratives of historic sites by taking a deeper look into this history and its impact on later historic movements by developing exhibits, public programs, and other educational resources.

This fellowship is funded by a suballocation to OPRHP from the NYS Department of State acting on behalf of the NYS African American History Commission with the express intent to advance the knowledge of and access to historic material and artifacts related to the presence of Africans and their descendants in the history of the New York State. OPRHP’s Bureau of Historic Sites (BHS) Curatorial Unit is responsible for providing research support and interpretation of state-owned historic collections for use in furnishing plans, exhibits, and programs at state historic sites.

Working under the Parks’ Our Whole History umbrella and focused specifically on the Enslavement to Freedom initiative, we are seeking a candidate for a curatorial fellowship to assist the Bureau of Historic Sites with a survey of resources within our historic sites’ collections relating to Black history in New York.

• Prepare progress reports, including written reports and PowerPoint presentations, highlighting material found within archival collections.
• Collate research into an online exhibition, using eMuseum, to support the work of Enslavement to Freedom and increase online access to resources supporting Black history.
• Support ongoing projects with Enslavement to Freedom, including temporary exhibitions, banner exhibitions, ArcGIS Story Map, and programs.
• Provide presentations at historic sites, internal and public, to report on the content of items.
• Research resources at Peebles Island and in OPRHP’s Historic Sites archives, identifying items that enhance and support Enslavement to Freedom projects and relate to Black History.
• Enter, edit, and update object records in the collections management database, ensuring descriptive and inventory data are complete and accurate.
• Take reference photo documentation of items found in collections.
• Provide contextual research that supports the collections and better understand how they compare to other similar collections and support the overall narrative of Black history in New York.
• Report to collections management and conservation staff about any immediate condition and storage needs of these collections to ensure longevity of archival and historic collections.
• Work with the Enslavement to Freedom overall team to support exhibits, programs, and other needs related to archival material linked to Black history.

• No minimum qualifications per Civil Service.
• Previous experience in a museum, historical society, arts organization, or related institution; prior work experience in curatorial duties.
• Prior collections handling experience; prior experience with museum collections software…