AMP: Artists' Meeting Place and Resource Collective

from Franklin Furnace

Bezerk Productions
Cracked Eggs Art Project

Position: Workshop Assistant

Organization: Bezerk Productions (501C3 non-profit corporation) Joshua Tree, CA

Bezerk Productions is an arts and behavioral health aligned organization founded by artist, Linda Sibio. We are currently collaborating with the San Bernardino County Department of Behavioral Health (SBC-DBH) to bring Cracked Eggs Art Project to San Bernardino County residents. In this time-limited Innovation Project, Bezerk will regularly lead arts workshops for individuals living with mental health differences to develop a range of skills for improving their quality of life.

Cracked Eggs Art Project originally ran in the Joshua Tree, California area from 2001-2008. Linda Sibio developed the workshops in response to her own experience living with schizophrenia. The workshop series is designed around teaching participants to utilize their mental differences as techniques to create art and self-empowerment. Workshop participants develop new forms of expression which go beyond words to describe their unique lived experiences. Cracked Eggs provides opportunity, encouragement, support, and a sense of community for its participants so that they may better achieve life goals and day-to-day tasks.

Bezerk Productions and SBC-DBH have been working to elevate this project from a local concept to a county-wide training program. We hope to grow the project to the state level once we have completed our five-year contract with SBC-DBH.

Job Description:
Staff headquarters will be based in Yucca Valley, California. The Workshop Assistant will work primarily with the Director, Linda Sibio, to facilitate regular workshops and capstone productions for each workshop cohort. The Workshop Assistant will also collaborate with the Office/Project Manager to achieve weekly administrative duties for project evaluation and development.

For the first year, the Workshop Assistant will help facilitate virtual workshops. Eventually, the Director and Workshop Assistant will travel throughout the county to offer workshops at SBC-DBH Clubhouses (community centers supporting people living with mental health differences).

Responsibilities include but are not limited to:

Work with Director to develop virtual workshop content and media.
Managing schedules and deadlines for workshop implementation.
Co-host virtual workshops with approximately 10-15 mentally diverse adults during the project’s initial phase.
Travel throughout San Bernardino County to co-host in-person workshops (3-4 per year) including 8 weeks of classes and 4 weeks of preparation for public exhibitions and shows.
Note taking during pre-production creative sessions for director’s reference.
Out of town travel. No overnight.
4 hours weekly assistance to Office Manager.

Experience:

Theatrical or performance art workshop development.
Knowledge of mental difference as a social justice issue and lived experience with mental health treatment.
Able to manage time during live workshops while also evaluating need for improvised updates to schedule or workshop programming.
Familiarity with hosting virtual meetings on Zoom software.
Good interpersonal skills and compassionate relationship to staff and workshop participants.
Effective communicator. Spanish bilingual candidates are strongly encouraged.
Ability to foresee potential obstacles or problems.
Comfortable handling sensitive personal data and meeting digital security standards.
Improvisational skills are helpful.
Previous experience working with individuals with behavioral health differences.

Compensation: $19,240 annual compensation, working 20 hours a week (Mon-Wed) with a yearly cost of living increase.

Minimum Employment Commitment: 2 years
Maximum Employment Commitment: up to 5 years

To apply:

Submit a cover letter and resume to Linda Sibio via email to workshopassistant.crackedeggs.ca@gmail.com or by physical mail to:

Linda Sibio, Bezerk Productions
P.O. Box 1972
Joshua Tree, CA 92252

Interviews will begin in October 2021 via ZOOM
Start date Nov.1st 2021.