BAX/Brooklyn Arts Exchange is seeking VISUAL ARTS SPECIALISTS for its 2023 School Breaks Arts Programs.
About BAX’s School Breaks Arts Programs
At BAX, we foster creativity and encourage playful exploration in a positive and nurturing environment. Our School Breaks Arts Programs (President’s Week, Spring Break, and Summer) draw from our year-round education programs to provide young artists with opportunities to explore different forms of mixed media art and performance around a specific themed week thoughtfully designed for active and fun engagement. Arts Specialists teach daily workshops, while a well-trained, creative staff supports a healthy balance of fun indoor (at the BAX Building in spacious, well ventilated studios) and outdoor (at the Old Stone House in Washington Park/JJ Byrne Playground during Spring Break and Summer) play, performance, and art-making activities.
2023 School Breaks Program Date
- President’s Week: Tuesday, February 21 to Friday, February 24, 2023
- Spring Break: Monday, April 10 to Friday, April 14, 2023
Visual Art Workshops take place daily from 1:30-2:30pm.
Program Structure
20 Children per age group:
- NanoBAXers – entering K through 2nd grade
- MegaBAXers – entering 3rd through 5th grade
No special talent or experience is required of students – students come in with all levels of skill and interest in any given discipline.
The School Breaks Arts Program is overseen by the Education Department administrative staff (Senior Manager of Education Programs and Director of Education & Artist Programs). Additionally, each group is supervised and supported by a core staff that includes a Group Leader, Lead Counselor, Senior Counselor, Junior Counselor, and Counselors in Training. An additional team of a Lead Counselor and Senior Counselor facilitate the Extended Day program. These staff members remain with students throughout the day and throughout the program, provide support to the arts specialists, facilitate additional activities and projects that relate to the daily/weekly performing arts disciplines and theme, and in the Summer, and support the culminating performance shares for families.
2023 VISUAL ARTS SPECIALIST POSITION DESCRIPTION
BAX is seeking VISUAL ARTS SPECIALISTS as part of our 2023 President’s Week and Spring Break Arts Programs. Responsibilities of the VISUAL ARTS SPECIALIST include:
- Planning hour-long Visual Art Workshops to take place each program day with EITHER the NanoBAXers (K-2nd graders) OR MegaBAXers (3rd-5th graders), and submitting a brief lesson plan and materials list to BAX administrative staff. A template for the lesson plan and materials list will be provided, as well as sample lessons from past programs.
- Facilitating workshops that explore the creative exploratory theme of each day, engage with mixed media art materials, and introduce students to an artist, technique, and/or tool each day, with the following structure:
- Warm Up/Opening (10-15 minutes)
- Names, Setting any expectations/community agreement, Review a visual agenda for the workshop
- Central Activity (30 minutes)
- Introduction of concept/tool/artist/inspiration and engagement with the day’s theme
- Creative time in small groups or as individual to work on project
- Closing/Sharing/Reflection (10-15 minutes)
- Reflection on what we have made or what we see others have made
- Connections back to the theme
- Clean Up (5 minutes, as needed)
- Warm Up/Opening (10-15 minutes)
- BAX will provide an inventory of materials that will be in stock and there is a limited budget for any specialist materials.
- Each workshop should culminate in a small piece of artwork that students can take home with them at the end of the day.
- Workshops take place from 1:30-2:30pm each program day.
Exploratory Themes
Preference will be given to applicants who are available to teach the entirety of each program (For the ideal candidate who cannot commit to both President’s Week and Spring Break, we may consider a contract for just one program).
President’s Week
Tuesday, February 21- Winter Wonderlands
Wednesday, February 22- Musical Medleys
Thursday, February 23- History Makers
Friday, February 24- Tumble Moves
Spring Break
Monday, April 10- Movement Melodies
Tuesday, April 11- Bigtop Bonanza
Wednesday, April 12- Story Safari
Thursday, April 13- Spring Fling
Friday, April 14- Heart Songs
Payment
$100 per workshop, inclusive of planning and facilitation ($400 total for President’s Week and $500 for Spring Break).
Qualifications
A B.A. or B.F.A . (M.F.A. preferred), in Visual Arts, or in a related field, or equivalent experience in that field; teaching experience required, some team-teaching experience preferred; experience creating original work with young artists; strong leadership skills, organization, and ability to multitask.
To apply, please send the following materials via email only to education@bax.org.
Include:
- A brief intro statement in your email including your qualifications for this position and specifying your availability throughout the program duration
(February 21-24 and April 10-14, 2023) and any preferences you have between the two age groups (K-2nd or 3rd-5th). Preference will be given to candidates who can commit to both programs.- Please also include one overview example of lesson plans/materials that correlate with the Exploratory Themes for this year. This does not need to include full lesson details!
- A current resume highlighting your related experience and education.
- Two References with titles, contact numbers AND emails, and relationship to you.
The most successful applicants will become familiar with BAX, our education philosophy, and our summer program. More information is available on our website: www.bax.org
BAX is on the second and third floors of the building. Physical access is restricted due to stairwells that extend from the ground floor entrance to the building’s third floor. There is no elevator or ramp at this time. BAX is committed to finding ADA compliant solutions that open the spaces to all bodies. For accessibility requests or information, please contact info@bax.org.
Questions? Email Ashley Thaxton-Stevenson, Ashley@bax.org
About BAX/Brooklyn Arts Exchange
BAX/Brooklyn Arts Exchange, founded in 1991, is a multigenerational arts organization nurturing creative expression and artistic process through education, residencies, and performance at the intersection of arts and social justice.
BAX is dedicated to serving artists in progress, from children to professionals, at all ages and stages of development. The multi-faceted nature of BAX programs annually invites over 10,000 students, families, artists, audiences, and community members to embark on, and share creative journeys. For three decades, BAX has honored the power of performing arts to connect and transform individuals and communities. The education programs, artist residencies, affordable rehearsal space, community engagement opportunities, mentorship, and performances, all center artists from historically underrepresented backgrounds and prioritize lived and embodied experiences, and access, regardless of ability to pay.
Our Working Values
Accessibility, choice making, collaboration, community, creativity, equity, exchange, experimentation, performance, radical hospitality, skill building.
Our Aspirations
BAX commits to building equity across our programs, policies, budgets, and culture. This work demands that we identify and interrupt narratives and structures that uphold white supremacy, sexism, and ableism. We respond to this call with rigorous intention and in collaboration with artists, families, students, collaborators, audiences, supporters, neighbors, board, and staff. And so we are accountable to our multiple communities and continue to learn and change while taking immediate and long-term strategic action.
We aspire to cultivate a sustainable and just creative ecology where artists of all ages and stages thrive.