LIAA Manager of Programs and Fellowships at Colby College in Benton, Maine

Job Description:

Job Description
Department:Lunder Institute of American ArtPay Rate Type:SalaryEmployee Type:Job Summary:Reporting to the Director of the Lunder Institute for American Art (LIAA), the Manager of Programs & Fellowships will work closely with the LIAA Director to plan and provide leadership in the design, implementation and evaluation of the Lunder Institute's programs and fellowships. The Manager works with residential and non residential fellows to conduct their research while operationalizing the Institute's goals and values. They will also provide the LIAA Director with the support needed to see all fellowships and related projects through to completion. They will serve as the next point of contact, to assist and support these fellows with orientation of the campus, the community and the institute, through to the culmination of their work with the Lunder Institute. They collaborate with Colby Museum staff and others at Colby College to realize academic, community-based and public programming that emerges from the fellows' practices and contribute to shaping the direction of the Lunder Institute's fellowship programs. They evaluate these programs and prepare reports, communications, reflections, substantive writing, and presentations-as appropriate-so that the work of the Lunder Institute stimulates dialogue and is shared widely.
They represent the Lunder Institute on campus, locally and regionally, being an active participant of these communities while also contributing to broader conversations in the field. The Manager of Programs and Fellowships is a lead participant and collaborator of all the programs and fellowships the Lunder Institute offers, including but not limited to, its annual summer think tank, its audio archive, its fellowships and its Lunder Institute@ outreach program and other LIAA convenings and incubator projects. They support how the Lunder Institute initiates, cultivates and sustains the partnerships, and relationships that enable and ensure that LIAA "...expands who shapes American art and alters its contours, while demonstrating the value of art as a public good."

A COMMITMENT TO EQUITY AND INCLUSION

Working to advance equity and inclusion in the field of American art-and, by doing so, in the wider world-is core to our mission. We feel the urgency of national and campus conversations on inequality and are keenly aware of the unique responsibility that we have as an academic art museum-as a place where we can listen, ask questions, and challenge assumptions-to engage in this dialogue, and to act. We affirm the Colby Museum's commitment to multidisciplinary teaching and learning and our potential for deep engagement with students will be leveraged in this effort toward fighting racialized violence, injustice, and inequality; and we encourage inquiries from candidates who will contribute to the diversity of our College, including its cultural and ethnic diversity.

Key Tasks and Responsibilities:

• Organize, implement and evaluate LIAA programs; which consist of the annual Summer Think Tank, Lunder Institute@, the LIAA Audio Archive and fellowships, in addition to related gatherings and events with fellows, artists, museum staff, and Colby and community partners.


• Through day-to-day interactions and choices, contribute to creating an environment of hospitality and care for residential and nonresidential fellows, collaborators, students, staff, and community members.


• Serve as one of the key collaborators and managers for LIAA convenings and incubator projects. Provides conceptual outlines, organizational maps, and timelines to guide the planning, logistics, budgets and implementation of proposed and scheduled convenings and related programs, that both precede and culminate such events.


• Support fellows by identifying needs, finding opportunities to connect them with each other and with others in the contexts of Colby, its museum, and the broader community.


• Work closely with the resident fellows and non-resident fellows, visiting artists, the Arts Office at Colby, the Colby Museum's Engagement team, Colby and and both the museum's and Colby College's communication teams to design, develop, and promote fellowships and programs.


• Identify, propose and assist in selecting prospective LIAA fellows and partner institutions.


• Work closely with individuals on campus, locally, and regionally, as well as national/international organizations, to cultivate fellowships and other partnership opportunities.


• Mentor the Lunder Institute's research, studio, and administrative interns and contribute to mentorship and pathway programs designed by the Engagement team of the Colby Museum and Colby College's Davis Connects.


• Work closely with the Lunder Institute's Manager of Administration & Strategic Initiatives and other supporting staff, to ensure payments to fellows and vendors, manage budgets, fulfill grant requirements, and ensure ongoing archiving and documentation of work created at Colby.


• Assist with the development, implementation and organization of the LIAA audio archive, and related administrative systems that document and shape the work.


• Contribute to and organize processes of reflection to ensure documentation of these discussions.


• Serve as a visible and accessible representative of the Lunder Institute and contribute to the field, as appropriate.


• Prepare and present, as needed, reports and presentations about the work.


• As a member of the Colby Museum's staff, participate in regular meetings that involve the Lunder Institute team, such as bi-weekly all-staffs, programming meetings, and museum-wide events. meetings.

Qualifications:

• Bachelor's degree or the equivalent in education and experience


• Minimum 3-5 years experience developing and/or implementing arts-related public programs, working with artists, facilitating projects, and/or curating exhibitions, performances and/or community-based projects


• Knowledge of contemporary art and artistic practices, art history training and scholarly research


• Demonstrated capacity for community-building and relationship building


• Understanding of the value of a liberal arts education and commitment to fostering an equitable, just work environment supportive of people from different cultures, backgrounds, and life paths.


• excellent organizational skills, ability to meet deadlines and follow-through on tasks, and ability to attend to and execute on programmatic and administrative logistics


• Excellent oral, written, and interpersonal communication skills, including strong relationship skills and ability to work with people with a wide range of life experiences


• Strong creative, critical thinking, and problem-solving skills


• Proficiency with Microsoft Office software and Google applications


• Collaborative, constructive, and positive approach to work

Key Relationships:

Colby Museum: Lunder Institute Director, Carolyn Muzzy Director, Colby Museum Deputy Director for Planning and Operations, LIAA Manager of Administration and Strategic Initiatives, LIAA fellows, Colby Museum curators and engagement team, communications team, Colby Museum Executive Assistant, student interns

Colby College: Diamond Family Director of the Arts and their team, student interns, Communications office, Events office

Additional Requirements (Colby may have different language):

This position requires occasional evening and weekend work, occasional light lifting, and access to a car.