Our dear Queer|Art|Mentorship Program Facilitator Kris Grey is moving on to exciting new horizons at the end of this month. They have recently accepted a position as visiting artist at Penn State, where they will be teaching and receiving support to make an ambitious new body of work over the next two years. This will require their full-time participation at the university.
Kris Grey, image by Lia Clay for the 2018 Queer|Art Community Portrait Project
In a letter to the Queer|Art|Mentorship community, Kris writes, “It has been an incredible joy getting to know each of you through the Queer|Art|Mentorship program. Though I’ll be pursuing a new professional opportunity I will always be a part of the QAM Fam and I look forward to continuing our relationships far into the future. Queer|Art has experienced so much growth in the recent past and I am proud to have filled the role of the first dedicated Facilitator to the Mentorship program.”
Our search for a new QAM Program Facilitator begins immediately. Please review the job description below and pass along our NYFA listing to anyone you think might be a good fit for our community:
In the meantime, please join us in congratulating Kris on this incredible development in their life and work. We've learned so much from our collaboration with Kris this past year and have made such huge strides with QAM thanks to their thoughtful engagement with our Fellows, Mentors, and staff. Kris's involvement and care leaves the Mentorship program well-poised for a new facilitator to hit the ground running and help take our work together to new heights.
Past Job Listing: Queer|Art|Mentorship Program Facilitator
https://www.nyfa.org/Jobs/Show/d378b447-37d0-4f8a-af0e-2a0119428f3a
BACKGROUND
Founded in 2009, Queer|Art is a non-profit that supports the creative and professional development of LGBTQ+ artists within and across four different creative fields: Film, Literature, Performance, and Visual Art.
Queer|Art|Mentorship, the organization’s core program, was launched in 2011 to establish an intergenerational and interdisciplinary network of support and shared knowledge for LGBTQ+ artists. The program nurtures exchange between artists at all levels of their careers, working against a natural segregation between generations and disciplines. The Queer|Art|Mentorship Program Facilitator will work in tandem with Queer|Art staff and current Mentors to advance all aspects of this cornerstone program, providing direct support to the creative and professional development of current Fellows while nurturing new pathways in community exchange among Alumni and past Mentors.
This is an excellent opportunity for community-driven arts educators with a proven commitment to LGBTQ+ culture and an established interest in professional development for artists. This is a contracted freelance position with monthly meetings, events, and other group activities to be scheduled with participating artists. The contract for this position begins approximately three-quarters through the current program cycle and will continue through November 2020, pending review after 4 months in November 2019. Workload is estimated 10-14 hours/week on average to be paid hourly at a rate of $30/hr. The position reports directly to the Executive Director and works in tandem with the Programs & Operations Coordinator to monitor the ongoing development of the program and the progress of each program cycle.
UPDATE: Please note that applications are closed
PRIMARY RESPONSIBILITIES
Schedule and lead monthly Mentorship Fellows meetings (2.5 - 3 hours each)
Prepare agenda for each Mentorship Fellows meeting (once per month).
Draft reports after each Mentorship Fellows meeting (once per month).
Strategize next steps for further customizing support for each Fellow based on these reports.
Advise Fellows on their individual work-plans for each Mentorship cycle. If adjustments need to be made to individual work-plans, follow-up accordingly.
Maintain formal up-to-date records of work-plans for collective reference and accountability.
Conduct quarterly check-ins with current Mentors and Fellows. Make notes on these meetings and provide quarterly updates to Queer|Art Staff.
Maintain the Queer|Art|Mentorship syllabus, track meeting attendance, and maintain records for the Fellows’ work and progress on a shared Google drive.
Assess each Fellow’s immediate professional development needs. Make suggestions to Queer|Art Staff for dedicated professional development support to help address these needs. Help to expand growing database of professional development opportunities and other resources for artists.
Work closely with Queer|Art staff and Curatorial Practice Fellow to plan Queer|Art|Mentorship Annual Exhibition (and an accompanying publication), opening November 1st, 2019. Support installation and production as needed. Primary production support provided by Queer|Art staff.
Work closely with current Mentors, Fellows, and Queer|Art staff to identify and initiate invites to the Annual Exhibition and related activities for industry VIP and other key influencers. Work closely with Fellows to develop ongoing relationships and connections to other professionals in the Fellows’ industries.
With Queer|Art staff, help organize community outings to support major openings and events by current Fellows (approximately one to two outings per month).
Work closely with Queer|Art staff to identify and develop new pathways for community exchange among Alumni and past Mentors.
Help develop, distribute, and collect evaluative materials from Fellows, Mentors, Alumni, and Event Participants.
Assist with promotion of the program and its activities.
Assist with recruitment of new Mentors for future cycles.
Assist with evaluation process for applications to each program cycle, which includes a group meeting among incoming Mentors to select the new class of Fellows.
Work with Programs & Operations Coordinator to maintain application software on Slideroom.
Assist prospective Queer|Art|Mentorship applicants answering general questions during the application cycle.
PROGRAM STRUCTURE
The program is thirteen months in length. We are three quarters through the current 2018-2019 cycle. There are 10 current Fellows with 10 Mentors. Fellows in Film, Performance, Literature, and Visual Art apply with a specific project they would like to work on during the program.
Proposing a project is a way for Fellows to introduce themselves to Mentors, and working on that project in dialogue with a Mentor is a way to focus the development of the relationship. Keeping Queer|Art|Mentorship project-based also provides a manner by which to assess, and modify if necessary, the program’s long-term effectiveness in facilitating and supporting the actual creation of new work. Note: Fellows in Curatorial Practice apply to participate in the program as a curator-in-residence (more details below).
The program is largely driven by the unique character of each Mentor/Fellow pairing, organized through individual monthly meetings. Fellows also meet each month as a group in an environment that provides an opportunity for sharing ideas across disciplines and gathering further support among peers. The entire group of Mentor/Fellow pairs also convenes for two dinners throughout the cycle, hosted by Queer|Art. Throughout the year, Queer|Art staff engage in an ongoing dialogue with the Mentors and Fellows in an effort to ensure that the program best serves its participants. Further opportunities for ongoing career education and development will be sought out as the unique needs of each group of Fellows are assessed.
The program culminates with a public showcase in the format of an exhibition, live event, and accompanying publication—known as the QAM Annual—in which a manifestation of each Fellow’s project will be presented. While projects may be in-progress and do not need to be “finished” by the end of the program, participation in the QAM Annual provides structure for marking tangible progress as an outcome of the program. In the current 2018-2019 program cycle, Fellows in Curatorial Practice will engage with their peers working in Film, Literature, Performance, and Visual Art throughout the program and take a leading role in the curatorial process for organizing the QAM Annual, which has its own dedicated budget. Working closely with their Mentor and Queer|Art staff, Curatorial Fellows gain valuable experience engaging with artists across different fields of creative practice and will have completed the planning and production of an exhibition, live event, and accompanying publication as a guaranteed outcome of their fellowship.
Learn more here: https://www.queer-art.org/mentorship
IDEAL QUALIFICATIONS
Community-driven arts educator with at least three years professional experience in a similar capacity
Excellent communication skills and prompt response time
Experience working with and supporting practicing artists
Commitment to LGBTQ+ rights and representation
Commitment to supporting and participating in LGBTQ+ culture
Software knowledge: Google Suite (Docs, Sheets, Calendar)
APPLY
Queer|Art is committed to creating a diverse and inclusive environment. We are proud to be an equal opportunity employer. Applicants from populations underrepresented in the fields that we represent (Film, Literature, Performance, Visual Art, and Curatorial Practice) are strongly encouraged to apply. People with disabilities; people of color; women; and lesbian, gay, transgender/gender non-conforming and bisexual people are encouraged to apply.
Please send resume, cover letter, and two professional references to Travis Chamberlain, Executive Director, and Rio Sofia, Programs & Operations Coordinator, at info@queer-art.org, Subject: QAM Program Facilitator.