AMP: Artists' Meeting Place and Resource Collective

from Franklin Furnace

Gina Gibney Dance, Inc.

DIRECTOR OF COMMUNITY ACTION

Job Description – November/December 2015

The mission of Gibney Dance is to bring the power of movement where it otherwise would not exist. Our vision is to be a trailblazing force in the community, tapping into the vast potential of movement, creativity and performance to effect social change and personal transformation.

Community Action

Since its founding in 1991, Gibney Dance has been on the leading edge of mobilizing the arts to address social justice issues. The organization’s Community Action program was founded in 2000 and uses dance to help heal and empower survivors of violence. Over the last 15 years, this program has grown into a comprehensive arts and social action program with local and global initiatives. Community Action creates impact through multiple program platforms:

Workshops in shelters and other community settings are developed around a powerful program model to encourage survivors of violence to take back their bodies and their lives. Over 500 free workshops are provided annually in New York City.

Global Community Action Residencies share our model and practices on an international level - and lend support to artists working in their own communities to create change.

The Community Action Hub at 280 Broadway is a physical space dedicated to the arts and social justice, providing resources and residencies for artists interested in employing the arts as a catalyst for social engagement and change.

Advocacy Initiatives spread awareness about issues such as domestic violence through a variety of events, strategies, and activities. Artists are mobilized in response to social issues as they arise, providing a home base for dance artists ready to use their art to create change.

Summary Statement

In announcing the newly created position of Director of Community Action (DCA), Gibney Dance reconfirms and intensifies a decades long-commitment to the arts, activism and social justice. The DCA will be responsible for expressing and expanding the organization’s mission of “bringing the possibility of movement where it would not otherwise exist” by creating robust mechanisms to activate and mobilize artists as agents of change. For this exciting new position, we are looking for an individual who is actively committed to the arts and has a deep understanding of community organizing, advocacy, and social service. The DCA will be a leader, innovator and connector who builds on our existing vision to generate new ideas, programs, and partnerships.

The Director of Community Action will develop and direct a broad range of local, national, and international projects and platforms and create mechanisms to support and mobilize artists. Artists will in turn actively apply their work to create positive change and a better, more peaceful and equitable world.

In this new position, much emphasis will be placed on the development of new program initiatives that are responsive and relevant. This will require creating new partnerships and coalitions, building artist mobilization mechanisms, and using technology and social media as means of bringing together disparate constituencies.

The Director of Community Action collaborates closely the Director of Programs, the Director of

Development, the Associate Artistic Director and the six Artistic Associates who comprise Gibney Dance Company and play a central role in Community Action program implementation. The DCA manages a team consisting of a Community Action Administrator and a Community Action Intern.

Key Responsibilities

The Director of Community Action will:

Work with CEO & Artistic Director and Senior Staff to create a new strategic vision for

Community Action that emphasizes relevance, responsiveness, and coalition building.

Coordinate community activities across Gibney’s other programmatic pillars – Company and

Center.

Connect Community Action and advocacy to all aspects of the Gibney organization: performances, classes, the gallery, digital technology, professional development, etc.

Build and direct a robust schedule of service, advocacy, and training activities.

Work with CEO and the Director of Development to create fundraising strategies, and identify and cultivate new sources of support for Community Action initiatives.

Serve as spokesperson for the organization's community vision at conferences and convenings, as well as in the press.

Act as a conduit between Gibney Dance and local, national, and international social action communities through deep immersion in both the arts and social justice organizations.

Ensure a diverse cultural and social perspective in programming that is both ethical and

transparent.

Cultivate a strong global network of arts and social justice organizations, and plan and direct a robust schedule of Global CAR (Community Action Residencies).

Establish the Community Action Hub at 280 Broadway as a vital resource and springboard for artists looking to engage in issues and projects touching on social justice and activism; in doing so, make awareness and involvement with social justice issues a natural part of being a working artist.

New Initiatives

To research, plan, and implement new initiatives, the Director of Community Action will:

Work with key staff to develop a new Online Platform for Global CAR.

Develop a new Mobilization Model for connecting NYC artists with the resources necessary to take action in their communities. This model will facilitate partnerships and collaborations between colleague cultural colleagues and social justice advocates.

Develop a National Convening drawing together individuals with an interest in the intersection of dance, the arts and social justice issues.

Build the Community Action Hub and Forum at 280 Broadway as a dynamic space where artists meet, train, exchange, and coalesce.

Personal Characteristics

The Director of Community Action will be:

A big picture thinker who can balance multiple priorities, embrace new ideas, and work collaboratively.

A future-focused innovator who is skilled at connecting ideas and people and who is committed to working with and supporting artists.

An individual with a lifetime belief that the arts can impact real world issues.

A leader who can guide program expansion and development while staying true to the founding vision of the program, as well as organizational values of respect, transparency, collaboration, and community.

Requirements

Bachelors Degree

Minimum of 10 years administrative or community programming experience in the performing arts field.

Salary commensurate with experience. Benefits.

Requirements

To apply for the Director of Community Action position, the following materials are required:

A cover letter detailing interest and qualification for the position

A resume or curriculum vitae

A one-page writing sample describing a program the candidate has initiated or directed

Three professional references

Please send these materials as a single PDF file to search@gibneydance.org with the subject heading,

“Director of Community Action.” We will not accept applications that are incomplete or do not meet the specified qualification requirements.

Applications will be accepted until Friday, December 11, 2015.

Gibney Dance is an Equal Opportunity Employer. Qualified diverse candidates are strongly encouraged to apply for this position.

www.gibneydance.org