Now Hiring: Artist of Color Council Coordinator

-This position is currently 5–8 hours per week.
-Compensation is $25/hour.
-Employees receive free access to Movement Research classes and selected workshops.

Employees receive free access to Movement Research drop-in classes at the following locations: Eden’s Expressway, 122 Community Center, and Danspace Project. Employees will receive 1 free MELT workshop per MELT series. Free or discounted slots in MR workshops are offered to staff on a case by case basis.

Please note that once in-person programming resumes the number of staff slots available per class will be limited, in alignment with COVID capacity restrictions. During this time, staff will be required to sign up for class in advance.

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The Artists of Color Council welcomes each applicant to submit a Statement of Interest for the position. We are open to a range of ways the statement is articulated. It can be in the form of a written cover letter and/or a video/audio recording. We feel offering video/audio options encourages a fuller range of possibilities for people to communicate and express themselves, and share their strengths and interests. This also reflects how often we work virtually and digitally via video conferencing to collaborate and build community.

To apply, please email the following materials work@movementresearch.org with “Artists of Color Council Coordinator” in the subject line:

• Statement of Interest (cover letter and/or video/audio recording, detailing your reasons for applying and suitability for this position).
• Curriculum Vitae or Resume.
• References (name, title, organization, email, and phone number for 2–3 professional references).
• Accommodations for the job interview (we can offer closed captions, live transcript, ASL interpretation, and audio description for the interview)

Applications will be considered on a rolling basis, and welcomed until the position is filled.

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The Coordinator role is currently a remote position due to the COVID-19 pandemic; however, we are only accepting applications from NYC-based arts workers who are able to be at select in-person events and meetings when such programming resumes.

The Movement Research office and studios are located in 122 Community Center at 150 First Avenue, New York, NY 10009. The second floor office is accessible by elevator. Studios and restrooms are wheelchair accessible; restrooms are all gender.

Movement Research (MR) continuously seeks to engage a more diverse and inclusive participant body and strives to recognize individuality and create equal opportunities for all, regardless of race, class, gender, disability, ethnicity, sexuality, or age. MR is committed to maintaining a strong connection to an existing diverse community of experimental artists and audiences, while at the same time expanding its definition of experimentation to more broadly include working within and pushing the boundaries of all movement-based forms. MR recognizes the incredible need to diversify the range of aesthetics and cultural and socio-economic backgrounds represented on NYC stages, and strongly encourages applications from individuals aligned with this mission.

Please direct questions via email to work@movementresearch.org.
For accessibility purposes, if you need to speak by phone, we would be happy to call you if you send us your name and phone number by email.

This position coordinates and administers all activities of the Movement Research (MR) Artists of Color Council (AoCC), and interfaces with MR Staff and the Board Committee for Racial Equity, with a commitment to the longevity and sustainability of MR’s equity and inclusion infrastructure.

As one of the world’s leading laboratories for the investigation of dance and movement-based forms, Movement Research values the individual artist, their creative process, and their vital role within society. MR is dedicated to creating and implementing free and low-cost programs that nurture and instigate discourse and experimentation. The twelve artist-centered programs currently sponsored by MR embody the true ethos of our organization, offering support and resources for artists to experiment and challenge the boundaries of dance, performance, and discourse. Overall, MR strives to reflect the cultural, political, and economic diversity of its moving community.

Movement Research is committed to providing a generative, open space for artists and community to gather, process, and take action through their work. In this regard, MR is particularly focused on making evident its actions toward combating structural racism. This initiative is deeply manifested in the public-facing work of the Artists of Color Council, a cohort of artists of color with a self-determined mandate to address cultural diversity, equity, and sustainable structural integration in MR’s operations, programming, outreach, and throughout its extended communities. The AoCC aspires to increase visibility, opportunities, and engagement with resources for artists of color within the field. Through this work within its organizational structure, MR endeavors to amplify the contributions and increase the agency of artists, administrators, and communities of color.

Formally established in 2015, the Artists of Color Council grew out of a pilot artists of color working group initiated by Trajal Harrell (Movement Research Staff member at the time) in Fall 2010. The working group invited a small group of people of color — artists and guest speakers — to participate in a series of topical conversations. including mobility, navigating making culturally-specific work, and defining research and artistic trajectories. In 2013, an invitation was extended to a list of nearly 70 self-identified artists of color who had some connection to MR with a goal of establishing a self-determining group that set the direction for the program and its activities. In 2015, a core group of participants underwent a mission-writing and goal-setting process formally establishing the Artists of Color Council. On November 2, 2016, the AoCC held a public conversation, “Diversity and Accountability: A Conversation with the Movement Research Artists of Color Council,” which articulated the AoCC’s beginnings and direction. The conversation was edited by Tara Aisha Willis, then Council Coordinator. Learn more about the AoCC’s growth and current work.

Current Responsibilities

• Virtually coordinate and administer monthly Artists of Color Council (AoCC) meetings, including quarterly vision meetings.
• Communicate between AoCC, the Movement Research Director of Diversity, Equity, Accessibility and Inclusion, Movement Research Staff, and Board Committee for Racial Equity (BCfRE) regarding organizational decisions supporting artists of color.
• Attend monthly MR Staff meetings, periodic MR departmental meetings, and quarterly Board Committee for Racial Equity (BCfRE) meetings as a liaison between the AoCC and MR’s other organizational bodies, as well as other potential intermediary meetings that may arise.
• Collaborate with the AoCC on developing sustainable template language for correspondence.
• Schedule AoCC meetings and send scheduling and location reminders, take minutes, and prepare summary notes for distribution to the AoCC.
• Ensures AoCC Council meeting notes and other Council documents are stored online in a clear way that is accessible to the Core.
• Work with Marketing and Development Staff to update AoCC’s online presence, editing and proofreading marketing materials as needed.
• Track attendance and maintain membership structure of the AoCC, which includes identifying potential Core Council members.
• Maintain, update, and communicate with transparency to the Core Council about the AoCC budget in relation to the larger MR budget.
• Work with AoCC, Executive Director, and Operations Manager to negotiate pay structures for Core Council members and to budget for special activities/events held by the AoCC.
• Facilitate the AoCC selection of AoCC Curators of color for the fall and spring seasons of Movement Research at the Judson Church. For more information on this program, please visit the following webpage.
• Orient AoCC Curators and curated artists, and facilitate communication between AoCC, AoCC Curators, and curated artists.
• Attend AoCC Curators’ curated Judson performances as a support staff for the Curators and curated artists.
• Communicate any feedback or inquiries regarding the AoCC’s work from the general public to the AoCC.

Future Directions

• The AoCC intends to increase the number of public-facing events (currently virtual) it produces and on which it consults.
• The AoCC is considering holding meetings in multiple New York City boroughs.
• The AoCC intends to increase the number of MR departments with which it engages.
• The AoCC seeks to increasingly engage multiple intersectional communities of color currently underrepresented in the AoCC, MR, and New York City.
• Support and counsel on systems for assessing racial and cultural equity within MR’s programs and events.
• Develop tools and strategies towards long-term institutional change, such as structural changes to programming and outreach, and strategies for future diversity initiatives.
• Consult with MR Development Team on possible funding opportunities that directly support artists of color within MR Programs and AoCC.

Required Qualifications

• Minimum of 3 years experience working in the professional nonprofit field, or commensurate experience.
• Commitment to collective decision-making, building organizational structures and programming, and assessing institutional behaviors.
• Strong communication, writing, and organizational skills.
• Ability to work both independently and as part of multiple organizing bodies.
• Familiarity with Mac and Google platforms.

Preferred Qualifications

• Leadership experience, investment, and/or interest in anti-racist activism, organizing for equity, organizational development, and/or diversity programming.
• Leadership experience, investment, and/or interest in performance programming and curation, arts in education, and/or development and fundraising in the nonprofit field.
• Leadership experience, investment, and/or interest in working directly with dance and performance artists.
• Familiarity with Zoom, FileMaker Pro, and Excel.

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Movement Research (MR) is one of the world’s leading laboratories for the investigation of dance and movement-based forms. Valuing the individual artist, their creative process and their vital role within society, MR is dedicated to the creation and implementation of free and low-cost programs that nurture and instigate discourse and experimentation. MR strives to reflect the cultural, political, and economic diversity of its moving community, including artists and audiences alike.

Founded in 1978, Movement Research has influenced the evolution of contemporary dance languages through the programmatic work it has initiated as well as the community of artists that it serves. The organization plays a critical role by providing a supportive and fertile environment for research and experimentation. Work by national and international choreographers seen on the main-stages today has been informed by the ongoing rigorous investigations that have taken place under the aegis of MR platforms over the past three decades. Building on this venerable legacy, MR is dedicated to the creation and implementation of free and low-cost community programs that: Bring a diverse, intergenerational community of artists and audiences together in an ongoing exploration of new dance and movement-based ideas-in-progress; Encourage and inform artists’ innovative work that is later produced on larger presenting organizations’ stages and in non-traditional venues, here and abroad; Stimulate and disseminate dialogue and interactions within and across new dance, other art forms, and the civic community, and in the intersection of art and social engagement.

Movement Research’s core programs serve over 17,000 interactions annually, providing a responsive infrastructure for support; a home for work-in-development; and hub for dialogue and artist-driven initiatives. Movement Research’s programs include Classes & Workshops; Work-in-Process Performances; Dialogue Series, Publications; Festivals; Artists-in-Residence Program; Dance Makers in the Schools; International and National Exchanges; and Subsidized Rehearsal Space. MR strives to continue to evolve as an inclusive platform for all artists and audiences and is dedicated to supporting research as vital artistic work.