Program Director
.75 FTE (estimated 30 hours/week)
$45,000
Applications due by September 30, 2022.
Interviews to take place weekdays October 17—26.
Anticipated start date November 2022.
Founded in 2018, the Emerging Curators Institute (ECI) is a groundbreaking initiative designed to build the individual practices of emerging curators—emphasizing women, gender-non-conforming, and BIPOC curators—through a collaborative and in-depth research, professional development, mentorship, and exhibition program. ECI supports curatorial careers by providing extended access to learning resources outside of traditional academic channels, creating connections to a national professional network, and supporting exhibition production at Minnesota venues.
Now in its third fellowship cycle, ECI has awarded 14 fellowships to 10 curators and 2 two-person teams between 2019–2022. Each fellowship cycle consists of three components: 1) A Professional Development Learning Program, which connects fellows to regional and national practitioners, pairs them with local curatorial mentors for ongoing advisorship, and meets monthly as a cohort for group dialogue on curatorial history, theory, and practice to assist in their development; 2) An Open Public Program Series featuring guest speakers to democratize access to practitioners and conversations which are frequently inaccessible to general arts audiences; 3) An Individualized Curatorial Project produced in partnership with a Twin Cities arts venue. The latter two components have created access to arts programming for over 10,000 Minnesotans.
The Program Director will work with the Board and independent contractors to support the future growth of this unique program for curatorial leaders. The ideal candidate will have the following qualities:
- Values curation in all its expanded definitions and forms
- Champions underrepresented voices and works to validate the work of women curators, non-binary/gender-non-conforming curators, and curators of color
- Ideally has experience in curating for a range of venues
- Has experience developing educational curricula, public programs, and/or arts events
- Possesses, or is eager to develop, a local and national network of curators, artists, and arts workers
- Has experience in thoughtful partnership development
- Is a strong communicator, writer and speaker
- Is an experienced manager of personnel and resources
- Values diversity, equity, inclusion, and access, and has a demonstrated commitment to this work
This position is a contracted .75FTE (estimated 30 hours/week) position without health or retirement benefits, with the goal to be supported as a full-time employee with benefits in the years to come. As a contracted position, the Program Director will have full control of how their work is performed, provided they meet the deliverables required.
Work will take place in Minnesota, with a balance of in-person and Zoom commitments.
The Program Director supports a part-time Communications and Design Manager and over 12 contractors (including fellows, mentors, guest speakers, and others as needed).
ECI will prioritize applicants who identify as women, gender-non-conforming/genderqueer, LGBTQAI+, BIPOC, and people with disabilities. Applicants who do not meet this criteria are welcome to apply, but should make a strong case for their alignment with, and direct experience with, the goals of the program, and the constituents we serve, in their letter of interest.
The Program Director is responsible for the following aspects of the Emerging Curators Institute:
Education Curriculum
- Design educational content for 10 (monthly) cohort meetings for fellows, featuring a range of curatorial topics and foster progressive growth for fellows’ projects
Fellow Relationship and Communication
- Organize an annual call for fellowship applicants, select jurors, and facilitate jury process
- Schedule fellow cohort meetings and site visits
- Maintain ongoing communication with fellows to chart their progress
- Field fellow questions and connect them to resources
- Aid in ongoing professional development for fellows
- Evaluate fellow experiences
Partnerships
- Form and maintain relationships with exhibition venues, program partners, and media partners. Past partners have included the Minnesota Museum of American Art, Weisman Art Museum, All My Relations Gallery, FilmNorth, and Franconia Sculpture Park.
Financial Oversight
- Fundraising strategy**
- Grant-writing and reporting**
- Digital Campaign Planning**
- Donor relations**
- Fiscal Sponsor Relations
- Budget oversight and contractor accounting
- File tax returns**
**Activities to be completed with Board support
Contractor Relationships
- Engage mentors in the developmental needs of the fellow and follow up with mentors on fellow exhibition progress
- Provide oversight and feedback to the Communications Manager on social media and digital fundraising strategies
- Invite and hire guest educators and guest speakers
Public Programs
- Organize 3-6 public programs annually
- Design topics and contract guest speakers
- Facilitate partnerships with arts organization to co-host programs to maximize audiences and impact
Board Relations
- Schedule Board meetings and topics
- Communicate with Board to share program activities
- Engage Board in fundraising and partnership development
To apply, please send a letter of interest and resume to director.search@emergingcurators.org.
Please include the following in your letter of interest:
- Share your curatorial and education philosophy
- Share your vision for the program
- Draw connections between your past work, the position description and the constituents we serve.
The search committee will be composed of board members and past and present collaborators of ECI with combined backgrounds in program direction, curation, and education, and a deep knowledge of ECI and its future needs. Questions about the position or search can be directed to director.search@emergingcurators.org.
