The Fine Arts Work Center is an artist-led organization based in Provincetown and connected to the world. We support artistic freedom, nurture creative connections, and make possible artistic achievements important to the larger culture.
The Work Center is internationally known for an acclaimed seven-month residency program granting fellowships to 20 emerging writers and artists, as well as an open enrollment Summer Workshop Program, an online writing program 24PearlStreet, and an extensive series of year-round cultural events and exhibitions.
Since its creation 50 years ago, the Fine Arts Work Center Fellowship has become one of the leading residency programs in the world. Each year, the Work Center offers 20 seven-month residencies to a jury-selected group of emerging visual artists, fiction writers, and poets. Residencies run from October 1 through April 30. During this time, Fellows have the opportunity to pursue their work independently in a diverse and supportive community of peers. Each Fellow receives an apartment, a studio (for visual artists), and a monthly stipend of $1,250 plus an exit stipend of $1,000.
The Fine Arts Work Center has hosted more than 1,000 Fellows since 1968, nurturing an accomplished and far-reaching alumni network. The Work Center’s Fellows, who arrive in Provincetown as emerging and mostly unknown writers and artists, have gone on to win multiple Pulitzer Prizes, National Book Awards, Prix de Rome scholarships, Whiting Awards, Guggenheim Fellowships, and the Nobel Prize in Literature. Visual artists have presented their work at the Venice Biennale, The Museum of Modern Art, The Whitney, The New Museum, MASS MoCA, Friends of the High Line, and many other venues around the world.
The Fine Arts Work Center also presents an open enrollment Summer Workshop Program, an online writing program entitled 24PearlStreet, and an extensive series of year-round cultural events and exhibitions, which take place in the Hudson D. Walker Gallery in Provincetown.
Provincetown, MA
United States
Please use the online application form to submit a cover letter and resume with a summary of demonstrable accomplishments.
This opportunity is ideal for a candidate with a deep commitment to and expertise in arts and letters who would like a career opportunity surrounded by the beauty of Cape Cod, the vibrancy of Provincetown, and artists and writers working on their craft. We welcome candidates with their own creative practice.
Purpose of Position: The Fellowship Director plays a key role on the senior leadership team at the Fine Arts Work Center and is responsible for ensuring continued programmatic excellence for the Work Center’s signature Fellowship program. The Fellowship Director is the staff liaison to the organization’s Visual Arts and Writing Committees (VAC and WC) and works in close collaboration with these committees to realize the mission and purpose of the fellowship. The Fellowship Director oversees the implementation of this seven-month residency that welcomes ten emerging visual artists and ten emerging writers to Provincetown each year. In partnership with the VAC and WC, the Director administers two simultaneous annual jury processes to select a new cohort of Visual Arts and Writing Fellows each year.
KEY DUTIES:
Strategic Direction and Oversight
● Work with Visual Arts Committee (VAC), and Writing Committee (WC) to set strategic priorities and goals of the Fellowship, in collaboration with the Executive Director.
● Ensure that the Fellowship is administered and operates in alignment with FAWC’s mission and strategic plan and supports a generative, healthy, and inclusive fellowship experience.
● Set annual budget and oversee Fellowship revenue and expenses to ensure the program is adequately resourced, expenses remain within budget, and programming achieves financial objectives. Serve as point of contact for Finance and Administration teams.
● Partner with Institutional Giving Manager to cultivate and steward foundation support of the Fellowship in order to continually improve the experience.
● Ensure that Fellowship reflects the organization’s diversity, equity, inclusion, and access values and participants have an exceptional experience every time they interact with the organization.
● Develop and implement protocols needed to respond to situations that may occur after-hours or violate Fellowship policies and/or community values.
● Oversee meaningful Fellow evaluation processes and implement program changes as necessary.
● Play a key role in Strategic Plan implementation
Fellowship Administration
● Lead all aspects of the Fellowship, including developing policies and procedures, planning, and implementing the seven-month residency.
● Coordinate annual orientation program for new Fellows.
● Oversee maintenance of shared drive of Fellowship-related documents, such as policy handbooks, local resource guides, and FAWC apartment inventories.
● Schedule annual calendar of Fellowship activities including orientation, guest visits by visual artists and writers, and public programs such as exhibitions, open studios, readings, and more.
● Oversee set up, staffing, and break down of all Fellowship program events, including audio/visual requirements, beverages, and catering.
● Work with the Facilities team to ensure that Fellows have a high-quality on-site living experience in our historic spaces and shared spaces are managed effectively.
● Hold regular open office hours for Fellows.
● Manage all Fellowship program correspondence. Update Circle community platform for current Fellows. Develop information of interest or benefit to the Fellows.
● Develop and maintain a list of Cape Cod-based resources and partners that are available to Fellows to ensure their successful participation in the Fellowship.
● Oversee production of annual writing archive Shankpainter.
Visual Arts and Writing Committees | Jury Process
● Serve as the staff liaison to FAWC Visual Arts and Writing Committees (VAC and WC). Partner with Committee chairs to set priorities and coordinate effective committee meetings, in alignment with committee operating statements.
● Provide support to Chairs in identifying, recruiting, and onboarding new committee members.
● In collaboration with the VAC and WC, administer two annual multi-step jury processes each year to rigorously review up to 1,400 Fellowship applications.
● Work in collaboration with the External Relations Director to market and promote Fellowship application opportunities, to reach annual Fellowship outreach and inclusion goals.
● Notify applicants of the jury decisions.
Community Partnerships | Fellowship Network
● Manage all aspects of select community-based partnerships related to the Fellowship, including the Provincetown Art Association and Museum (PAAM), Provincetown Arts Society, the Provincetown Independent, and CAPE partnership with the Provincetown IB School.
● Nurture network of past Fellows and develop strategies for the Work Center to continually engage with this community.
● Oversee mid-career Fellow residency opportunities which take place within the fellowship period and support mentorship opportunities for visual artists and writers.
Other
● Supervise Artist Services Manager. Promote a culture of quality performance and continuous improvement that values learning and collaboration.
● Research, hire, and support Fellowship-related consultants or vendors, as needed.
● Represent the Work Center during press opportunities, national meetings, and conversations as appropriate.
● Identify opportunities to make Work Center programming more accessible to artists and writers with disabilities.
QUALIFICATIONS:
● Five to seven years of experience in non-profit arts program management
● Demonstrated track record of success in developing and implementing programming strategies to support working artists and writers
● Excellent organizational skills; ability to multitask
● Excellent written and verbal communication skills
● Excellent interpersonal skills and ability to interact effectively with multiple stakeholders and advance diversity, equity, inclusion, and access values
● Ability to take initiative, manage multiple tasks simultaneously, problem-solve, adhere to deadlines, and lead a team to success
● Interest, expertise, and background in the field of arts and letters
The Work Center provides a competitive salary, as well as the opportunity for a subsidized historic apartment centrally located in beautiful Provincetown. Benefits also include employer paid medical, dental, and vision insurances. The quality of life that Provincetown provides is also a substantial benefit.