JOB OPPORTUNITY
Deadline for Applications: Midday on Monday 29 November 2021 Interviews: Thursday 16 December 2021
Fixed fee, freelance: £11,000 (inclusive of all taxes)
Based on an estimation of: 55 days’ work depending on experience Role begins: as soon after appointment is confirmed
Role expected to complete: 30 October 2022
The City Coordinator
A Manchester collective of gallery and museum partners are working with Hayward Gallery Touring to present British Art Show 9 (BAS9) in Manchester from 13 May – 4 September 2022. We are looking for someone to join the partnership team as a freelance City Coordinator. You will work with and support the partners to deliver a new socially-engaged City Commission developed in response to the context of the city and work with a group of Art Agents who will use BAS9 to make change in their city, along with associated digital and promotional activity.
The role is supported by Arts Council England National Project Grant. The role will be jointly line managed by the BAS9 National Coordinator and a nominated Manchester BAS9 venue lead. The role will require you to contribute to national learning exchange through peer to peer sessions and national meetings.
About British Art Show 9
The British Art Show is a landmark touring exhibition that celebrates the vitality of recent art made in Britain. Organised every five years by Hayward Gallery Touring the exhibition brings the work of artists defining new directions in contemporary art to four cities across the UK.
British Art Show 9 was developed at a precarious moment in Britain’s history that has brought politics of identity and nation, concerns of social, racial and environmental justice, and questions of agency to the centre of public consciousness. The artists presented in the exhibition respond in critical ways to this complex context; imagining more hopeful futures and exploring new modes of resistance. BAS9 is curated by Irene Aristiza?bal and Hammad Nasar, and presented in collaboration with the cities of Aberdeen, Wolverhampton, Manchester and Plymouth.
Castlefield Gallery, HOME, Manchester Art Gallery, and the Whitworth are the host venues in Manchester and the role of City Coordinator will require you to work across the project leads at each venue and with related collaborators across the city.
Purpose of role
Working closely with the partners and the BAS9 National Coordinator, the City Coordinator will support the production of a City Commission in the form of a socially-engaged, process-based artist project, and the development and coordination of Art Agents, a network of community advocates for the BAS9 exhibition in Manchester. The City Coordinator will also coordinate
digital interpretation and access to this activity as well as offering press, marketing and evaluation support.
We are looking for someone with a genuine interest in contemporary visual art, and experience of using art to make change. You will be an engaging and considerate communicator who enjoys working with people and supporting them to develop creative programmes. You will be an excellent organiser, with an ability to collaborate with artists, communities and partners across the city.
About the City Commission
A British Art Show 9 artist has been selected to produce a new socially-engaged project for the Manchester iteration of the exhibition. This Commission is to be developed and produced in collaboration with people in the city. Over the coming months the selected artist will work with specific communities and local artists in Greater Manchester. The ambition is for the Commission to support the local ecology, embedding community working, artist to artist mentorship and new modes of distribution and engagement beyond gallery spaces.
About Art Agents
This community-led programme will bring a small group of Manchester residents and BAS9 partners together to build new understandings and activities. Art Agents will work with their identified needs and use BAS9’s art, people, spaces and resources to support them in making change in their city. Through this process new experiences will be shaped for people who may not have previously connected with contemporary art, and organisations will be challenged to examine how they can operate. As City Coordinator you will recruit and empower the Art Agents to lead their own project, engage communities, build trust with our organisations, and use contemporary art to explore ideas and generate legacy and action.
How to apply
Please submit either a written or video/audio file application statement and a written CV as outlined below:
-A statement, up to 2 sides of A4, that outlines why you have applied. Your statement should be clear in covering how you meet the person specification, what qualities and experience you will bring to the role if appointed, and how you are suited to the role as outlined in the description of responsibilities
-Current CV and the names and contact details of two referees, one of whom should be your current or most recent employer or equivalent.
Please let us know if you have any access requirements that we can help you with during the application process.
To get in touch with us you can email [email protected] or telephone 0161 235 8842 Monday-Friday between 10am – 5pm.
Please send your application to [email protected]
Or send your application by post to Lorraine Callaghan, Manchester Art Gallery, Mosley Street, Manchester M2 3JL.
Please ensure you use the subject when either emailing or submitting your application by post: City Coordinator (BAS9)
Interviews will take place over zoom.
For more information and to see role responsibilities download the PDF below.
