Call for 'Strategic vision and development Curator' (part time)

Open call

Ends 12 October 2022

Call for Strategic vision and development Curator (part time)

Job Title: Curator for Strategic Vision and
Development, (part time)

Employer: Paragon Studios Ltd (PS²),
11 Rosemary Street, Belfast

Reports to: Creative Director

Responsible for: Strategic Vision and Organisational
Development

Contract: Freelance, 1 year, fixed-term, 24 October
2022- 23 October 2023

Hours of work: 2 days a week (15hrs), requires flexibility on
days worked

Salary: £10920 [equivalent of £25480pro rata]

Start date: 24 October 2022 [negotiable] with 2 months’
probation

Location: PS², Property House, 11 Rosemary Street,
Belfast BT1 1QA

Download this call here

Download Application Form as PDF here or as Word Document here

The Role

We are looking for a passionate, ambitious and highly qualified individual to join our small team to further develop a sustainable strategic vision for the organisation and its programmes. Based on our past development and function both as studio/ workplace provider for artists and creatives and as a public project space and arts facilitator, the Strategic vision and development
Curator holds a crucial role for the future development of PS² and its place within the arts ecology of Belfast and Northern Ireland.
You will be responsible for the next phase in PS²’s history, upholding the core mission and values; reaching out to a growing and more diverse audience; developing a creative vision for PS²; and putting in place an appropriate organisational structure.

About us

PS² started in 1993 as a self-organised artist- and studio collective in Belfast, with currently 9 studio artists and 3 year-long residency programmes for: a curator, critical writing and a collective. In 2004, a small ground floor shop in the studio building was used as a project space for invited artists. The project space quickly became an attractive and important platform for local and trans-local artists to experiment and create new and site specific work, open to the public. Funded by the Arts Council and other sources, PS² soon established an annual arts programme of around 20-25 projects with mainly emerging artists and cultural producers.
Chosen from proposals, invitations, recommendations, open calls and chance encounters, PS² works on average with 40-70 artists a year, in the project space and with longer term projects at outside locations in community contexts.
PS² has a clear curatorial vision and curiosity, working with artists whose work is experimental, original, risk-taking, of social relevance- and- artistically brilliant.
PS² is a vital springboard for the development of artists’ careers within the arts ecosystem of Northern Ireland (see Freelands Artists Programme) and a feeder to larger organisations. PS² projects assist many artists being rewarded with individual funding, residencies, travel awards and /or employment in the arts sector. With innovative project formats of open calls, we specifically target artists and cultural producers, who might otherwise remain undetected and unsupported. As the longstanding artistic curator will leave his voluntary position at the end of 2023, PS² wants to secure and expand the organisation through a small and flexible team of paid staff, continuing and deepening the experimental nature of PS

Duties and Responsibilities

Key activities

Shape a strategic long-term artistic and organisational vision for PS² and provide inspirational leadership
Dream about and explore new ideas and programmes
Increase the profile of PS² as a cutting edge, high quality arts organisation
Ensure that the programme reflects the diversity of contemporary society
Make the programme inclusive and accessible for an increased audience/participants
Develop strategies for core and programme fundraising that enables a stable future for PS²
Aim for securing longer term premises
Promote and maintain an organisational culture that values reciprocity, collaboration, transparency and criticality
Collaborate with other organisations and practitioners on initiatives that support the organisational development
Oversee internal and external communications for the organisation, working with the team to ensure delivery
Develop and maintain relationships with key stakeholders: artists, arts/ community organisations, funders, public audiences, interdisciplinary researchers
Provide effective leadership, creating a sense of common purpose and direction and an ethos of collaboration, ensuring team members are equipped with the right skills, knowledge and approach to meet current and future needs
Represent PS² nationally and internationally

The newly selected Strategic Vision and Development Curator will work with the Creative Director in the reshaping and future planning of PS².

Essential person criteria

Degree in visual arts, arts management, curation, art history…or equivalent practical experience
Good understanding of artist-led spaces and initiatives
Good knowledge of the contemporary arts scene in Northern Ireland
Excellent knowledge of contemporary art
Excellent organisational and communication skills
Strong organisational skills and attention to detail
Good Understanding of business planning within the arts
Experience of budgeting, budget management and financial reporting
Proven record of fundraising from a variety of sources
Excellent creative imagination and ability for realisation
Excellence writing skills
Excellent administrative skills
Excellent social media skills
Confident user of computers and programmes
Ability to work on own initiative and as part of a team
Proven commitment to equality, diversity and inclusion

If you have any queries regarding the role please contact info@pssquared.org or phone 07733457772

Application Procedure

Your application should include:

A statement (maximum 2 A4 pages), detailing why you are the right person for the role and how you meet the specification.
A current CV
Names and contact details of two referees, including their position and relationship to you.

Download this call here

Download Application Form as PDF here or as Word Document here

Timeline

Launch                            29 September
Deadline                          12 October
Shortlist notification     14 October
Interviews (in person)   20 October
Start date                        24 October [negotiable]

Please send your application (application form and CV) as one PDF to info@pssquared.org

Applicants with specific access needs can submit their application in an alternative format and are offered in-person support.
Please contact us if you would like to receive this information in a different format, e.g. paper format, large print version. Email: info@pssquared.org; phone: 07733457772.
Shortlisted applicants must be available for the in-person interview on Thursday 20 October 2022.

PS² is committed to equal opportunities in recruitment and employment.

We welcome applications from people irrespective of disability, gender, sexual orientation, age, marital status, family responsibility, race, ethnic origin, nationality (subject to issue of work permit, where required), trade union membership and activity, political or religious beliefs.
We are committed to supporting applications, whose background and/or identity is as yet under-represented in curatorial practice. This includes, but is not limited to, applicants from: Black, Asian and ethnically diverse backgrounds, from lower socio-economic backgrounds, deaf applicants and/or neurodiverse applicants, applicants with disabilities or long-term health difficulties, applicants with LGBTQIA+ identities, applicants with no formal education and of older age.

This position is funded by Belfast City Council ‘Artist Studios and Maker Spaces Organisational Grants’ and the National Lottery through the Arts Council of Northern Ireland.