Leads Governors Island Arts, shaping its long-term artistic vision and managing public art commissions, cultural programming, partnerships, staff, budgets, and organizational residency programs. The role oversees the public artwork collection, collaborates with leadership and government stakeholders, serves as a spokesperson and community ambassador, and supports fundraising, donor cultivation, communications, and strategic planning for the Trust’s arts and culture initiatives.
OVERVIEWA popular year-round destination, Governors Island is a 172-acre island in the heart of New York Harbor located between Lower Manhattan and the Brooklyn waterfront. For almost two centuries, the Island was closed to the public, operating as a military base for the U.S. Army and, later, the Coast Guard. Today, an award-winning new park is complemented by dozens of unique historic buildings, educational and cultural facilities, a rich arts and culture program, and a 22-acre National Monument managed by the National Park Service. Looking ahead, the long-term vision for Governors Island focuses on continuing to expand year-round public access by enlivening it with transformative public art and culture, extraordinary recreational and open space, and research and education dedicated to addressing the global climate crisis.
KEY RESPONSIBILITIES
The Artistic Director & Vice President ("Artistic Director") is responsible for leading the visioning, planning, cultivation, and management of Governors Island Arts, the Trust’s arts and culture program. Governors Island Arts focuses its work in three distinct areas – commissioning and presenting public art, presenting public arts programming and performance across 150 acres of public space, and hosting cultural organizations through the Trust’s Organization in Residence program, a program that activates 150,000 square feet of indoor, historic building space. A member of the Trust for Governors Island senior leadership team, the Artistic Director leads the Governors Island Arts team (which currently consists of two full-time, year-round direct reports), oversees all cultural partnerships, works closely with the Foundation and Trust leadership on donor cultivation and strategic planning, and acts as the Island’s lead artistic voice and ambassador for the Island in the NYC artistic community.
The Artistic Director is responsible for leading and implementing the Trust's ambitious plan for public art on the Island: an opportunity to deliver art and programing at scale in a one-of-a-kind landscape to a diverse, NY audience.
Other responsibilities include:
Education:
Bachelor’s degree in art, curatorial practice, arts administration, art history, or a related field.
Experience:
Minimum 10 years of experience in overseeing or collaborating on art commissions (with specific experience in public art) and original cultural programming, with a history of success in planning, developing, and executing a creative vision. Experience fundraising for specific commissions as well as general operating support for arts and cultural work. A strong track record of working closely with artists, communities, cultural organizations, funders, and city agencies.
Skills and Abilities:
Generous paid time off and excellent benefits package including medical/dental/vision/life insurance, and retirement plan with company contributions.
Location and Schedule: All positions are located on Governors Island. This position is in-person four days a week and remote one day a week.
TO APPLY
A cover letter must be included with your resume as one document.
The Trust for Governors Island does not discriminate on the basis of age, color, disability, genetic information, marital status, membership in an employee organization, military service, national origin, parental status, political affiliation, race, religion, sex (including gender identity), sexual orientation, sexual and other reproductive health decisions, or other non-merit factor.
ABOUT THE TRUST FOR GOVERNORS ISLAND
The Trust for Governors Island (The Trust) is a nonprofit corporation created by the City of New York. It is responsible for the redevelopment and operation of 150 acres of Governors Island. The Trust's mission is to realize the full potential of Governors Island, demonstrating a bold vision for public space. For more information, visit www.govisland.org
ABOUT GOVERNORS ISLAND ARTS
Governors Island Arts, the public arts and cultural program presented by the Trust for Governors Island, creates transformative encounters with art for all New Yorkers, inviting artists and researchers to engage with the issues of our time in the context of the Island’s layered histories, environments, and architecture. Governors Island Arts achieves this mission through temporary and long-term public art installations and exhibitions, an annual Organizations in Residence program in the Island’s historic houses, and the curated multidisciplinary INTERVENTIONS performance series.
KEY RESPONSIBILITIES
The Artistic Director & Vice President ("Artistic Director") is responsible for leading the visioning, planning, cultivation, and management of Governors Island Arts, the Trust’s arts and culture program. Governors Island Arts focuses its work in three distinct areas – commissioning and presenting public art, presenting public arts programming and performance across 150 acres of public space, and hosting cultural organizations through the Trust’s Organization in Residence program, a program that activates 150,000 square feet of indoor, historic building space. A member of the Trust for Governors Island senior leadership team, the Artistic Director leads the Governors Island Arts team (which currently consists of two full-time, year-round direct reports), oversees all cultural partnerships, works closely with the Foundation and Trust leadership on donor cultivation and strategic planning, and acts as the Island’s lead artistic voice and ambassador for the Island in the NYC artistic community.
The Artistic Director is responsible for leading and implementing the Trust's ambitious plan for public art on the Island: an opportunity to deliver art and programing at scale in a one-of-a-kind landscape to a diverse, NY audience.
Other responsibilities include:
- Lead the long-term, strategic arts vision and manage day-to-day administration of Governors Island Arts.
- Curate, produce, and manage ambitious public art projects, overseeing commissions at a variety of scales, durations, and scopes.
- Expand access to the Island’s arts and cultural programs for diverse audiences in our neighboring communities and from around the world.
- Oversee the stewardship of the Island’s permanent collection of public artworks.
- Oversee the cultural programming in the Island’s historic houses, including a seasonal Organization in Residence program of 25+ organizations annually and the long-term visioning and cultivation of a diverse and year-round cultural community.
- Lead and manage cultural partnerships, including those related to commissions, events, and long-term serial programs.
- Serve as co-lead for work and collaboration with the Governors Island Arts Advisory Committee.
- Work closely with the Trust’s senior team on Island coordination and strategic initiatives.
- Oversee the Governors Island Arts budgets and calendars related to cultural programming, and work closely with the Trust’s leadership team on budget planning.
- Collaborate with the Public Affairs team on audience engagement, press and PR, marketing and communications for Governors Island Arts.
- Serve as spokesperson for Governors Island Arts.
- Work with Trust leadership, staff, and the Governors Island Foundation on fundraising efforts for cultural programming, including identifying and cultivating donor prospects, and managing major asks and funder relationships.
- Manage Governors Island Arts staff.
- Function as an ambassador for Governors Island and its growing cultural community in New York and beyond.
Education:
Bachelor’s degree in art, curatorial practice, arts administration, art history, or a related field.
Experience:
Minimum 10 years of experience in overseeing or collaborating on art commissions (with specific experience in public art) and original cultural programming, with a history of success in planning, developing, and executing a creative vision. Experience fundraising for specific commissions as well as general operating support for arts and cultural work. A strong track record of working closely with artists, communities, cultural organizations, funders, and city agencies.
Skills and Abilities:
- A visionary with a deep love and commitment to public space, art, and artists.
- A natural collaborator, with management experience within the cultural field.
- An understanding of cross-disciplinary practices and a keen understanding of the local, national and international cultural landscape.
- An ability to work curatorially across multiple artistic disciplines and at a diversity of scale and diversity of representation.
- The ability to oversee all aspects of a public art commission from beginning to end, with in-depth experience working closely with artists on the development of projects, siting works and managing production needs and project teams.
- Demonstrated experience in cultivating organizational partnerships.
- Ability to interact with a wide range of internal and external stakeholders including TGI Directors, government officials and staff.
- Ability to work with legal colleagues to negotiate and execute artist, partner, and vendor agreements, including contracts for new commissions, long-term loans, performances, and other legal documents related to the art program.
- The ability to juggle multiple programs, at various stages of development, seamlessly and simultaneously.
- Strong decision-making capabilities both in the moment and in long-term visioning.
- Proficiency and experience in working with development staff on fundraising and the cultivation of cultural funding prospects.
- Exceptional written and verbal communication skills.
- Comfort engaging with cultural leaders, board members, donors and press
- Civic mindedness with a strong commitment in advancing the Trust’s mission.
- Valid driver's license.
Generous paid time off and excellent benefits package including medical/dental/vision/life insurance, and retirement plan with company contributions.
Location and Schedule: All positions are located on Governors Island. This position is in-person four days a week and remote one day a week.
TO APPLY
A cover letter must be included with your resume as one document.
No phone calls please.
The Trust for Governors Island does not discriminate on the basis of age, color, disability, genetic information, marital status, membership in an employee organization, military service, national origin, parental status, political affiliation, race, religion, sex (including gender identity), sexual orientation, sexual and other reproductive health decisions, or other non-merit factor.
ABOUT THE TRUST FOR GOVERNORS ISLAND
The Trust for Governors Island (The Trust) is a nonprofit corporation created by the City of New York. It is responsible for the redevelopment and operation of 150 acres of Governors Island. The Trust's mission is to realize the full potential of Governors Island, demonstrating a bold vision for public space. For more information, visit www.govisland.org
ABOUT GOVERNORS ISLAND ARTS
Governors Island Arts, the public arts and cultural program presented by the Trust for Governors Island, creates transformative encounters with art for all New Yorkers, inviting artists and researchers to engage with the issues of our time in the context of the Island’s layered histories, environments, and architecture. Governors Island Arts achieves this mission through temporary and long-term public art installations and exhibitions, an annual Organizations in Residence program in the Island’s historic houses, and the curated multidisciplinary INTERVENTIONS performance series.
The Trust for Governors Island New York, New York, USA Office
New York, NY, United States
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Leads Governors Island Arts, including its long-term artistic vision, public art commissions, cultural programming, artist and organizational partnerships, permanent artwork stewardship, fundraising, budgets, communications, and team management. Serves as the program’s senior artistic voice, spokesperson, and ambassador while collaborating with Trust leadership, donors, government officials, artists, communities, and cultural organizations.
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