Application Deadline: December 23, 2021
Start Date: January 17, 2021
Location: Edmonton, Alberta
Term: Seasonal contract.
Contract: $4,000
Report to: The Nextfest Festival Director and Festival Producer as well as the administrators of partnering organizations.
THE NEXTFEST ARTS COMPANY
Nextfest marks the beginning of a long creative journey for a huge array of artists. Our circle continues to grow and evolve with our artists and staff as they grow and evolve, too. We are a platform for emerging artists, a meeting ground for community, a springboard for creative invention. Mentorship, inclusion, learning, creative risk, and vulnerability are at the core of everything we stand for.
As such, we will be ensuring that mentorship, training, development, and learning opportunities are included in our hiring of Emerging Assistant Producer. We will focus on raising up a future producer, not based on past experience but focussed on their dedication to the artists, connection to the community, and excitement to grow into this role. We encourage those who are interested to apply: we are looking for your enthusiasm to be greater than the length of your resume.
THE EMERGING ASSISTANT PRODUCER PROGRAM
Nextfest is prepared to offer training, support, and mentorship to support the individual to grow into this role. The role is part of the Emerging Assistant Producer pilot program, which aims to give hands-on experience to emerging IBPOC women, trans, and/or non-binary arts administrators. The Nextfest Arts Company would like to place six emerging IBPOC women, trans, and/or non-binary producers with Edmonton arts organizations. Two producers would work with the Nextfest Arts Company, while the other four producers would be placed with similar event-driven arts organizations such as Fringe Theatre/Edmonton International Fringe Festival, The Works International Visual Arts Society, Common Ground Arts Society/ Found Fest, and Skirts-a-Fire. Nextfest will work with the arts organizations to find roles for the emerging producer where they could oversee a project, hold significant responsibilities, and receive hands-on experience running events. While these types of roles could be offered as internships, through the Emerging Assistant Producers Program, the role will be a paid position at no cost to the organization hosting the emerging producer.
The program will take place in three phases:
“Producing 101” – Nextfest provides one-on-one mentorship with producers on the basics of producing including grant writing, budgeting, event planning, leadership (January 2022 – February 2022). This part of the contract is valued at $680.
DATES RUN MONDAYS FROM JANUARY TO MARCH 6 PM – 8 PM:
- January 17
- January 24
- January 31
- February 7
- February 14
- February 28
- March 7
The placements with partnering organizations will be for a period of up to 3 months or time equivalent to the paygrade (Within January 2022 – September 2022). This portion of the contract would be valued at $2,820, and the contractor would be paid through our partner’s payroll with funds allocated to this project and includes tax remittances.
TIMELINES PER PARTNERING ORGANIZATION
- Skirts A Fire: January-March, 2022
- Nextfest Arts Company: April-June 2022
- The Works International Visual Arts Society: May-July 2022
- Common Ground Arts Society: May-July 2022
- Fringe Theatre Adventures: June-August 2022
The program will end with a public-facing panel discussion on the State of Multiculturalism in Arts Administration and a co-produced artist showcase celebrating this work. This part of the contract is valued at $500.
JOB DESCRIPTION:
EMERGING ASSISTANT PRODUCER – THE NEXTFEST ARTS COMPANY
The Emerging Assistant Producer is responsible for supporting the producing and administrative elements of The Nextfest Arts Company and its partnering organizations. Working closely with the Festival Director and the Festival Producer to learn about arts management in a hands-on capacity through their respective placement. The Emerging Assistant Producer works collaboratively with the Nextfest administrative staff and the staff facilitating the placement in other organizations.
Below is a breakdown of the responsibilities of the Emerging Assistant Producer that currently formulates the position’s role with the organization
RESPONSIBILITIES:
- To attend to group mentorship classes with the Nextfest administrative staff
- To help develop a public-facing showcase event
- Commitment to a placement with either Nextfest or a partnering organization to get a hands-on experience in arts management
- The cultivation of mutually beneficial partnerships and general relationship building with other organizations, artists, individuals, staff, board, and volunteers from a wide variety of communities
- Participation in a closing panel debriefing the program and its significance.
QUALIFICATIONS:
- The program is only open to Black, Indigenous, and people of colour who identify as women, trans and/or non-binary
- Enthusiasm for organizing in an arts context
- Identify as an emerging producer (a producer within the first 10 years of their practice)
- Interest in the diverse emerging artist communities in Edmonton, Alberta, and Canada
- Ability and interest in building mutually beneficial and genuine relationships with a wide variety of artistic communities
- Ability to think and solve problems creatively with care.
To apply, please send a resume and cover letter outlining your interest in the position with the subject headline “ATTN: Emerging Assistant Producer Applications” to ellen@nextfest.ca
