Program Associate, Governors Island Arts

OVERVIEW

A 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.

ABOUT GOVERNORS ISLAND ARTS

Governors Island Arts creates transformative encounters with art for all New Yorkers in a one-of-a-kind location that allows for deeper engagements with nature, the New York City waterfront, and the issues of our time. Governors Island is a place where visitors and artists alike have the chance to explore, imagine, dream, and discover—without limitations. We do this by commissioning and presenting public art; our performing arts series, INTERVENTIONS ; and our annual Organizations in Residence program.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

The Program Associate is responsible for managing Governors Island Arts’ seasonal Organization in Residence (OiR) program, a seasonal opportunity for approximately two dozen arts and cul­tur­al orga­ni­za­tions to use space inside the his­toric hous­es on Gov­er­nors Island between May and October, offer­ing free exhi­bi­tions and pub­lic pro­grams and host­ing artist res­i­den­cies. The Program Associate will act as the primary programming liaison to support resident organizations, their programs, and artists. The Program Associate will serve key coordinating functions, including but not limited to managing an annual open call process and related outreach to arts organizations, managing coordination with the Trust’s operations, facilities, marketing, and legal teams, and supporting program participants in delivering their exhibitions and public programs. The Program Associate is also responsible for supporting the community of arts organizations working on Governors Island through coordinating a calendar of resident organization-hosted events, identifying opportunities for collaboration between resident organizations, and supporting programs that help drive audience and visibility to the program. This role will have the opportunity to shape a successful program at an exciting inflection point, as the Trust works to expand the Organizations in Residence Program from seasonal to year-round through the development of Nolan Park, which is poised to become a permanent, multi-tenant arts and culture campus.

In addition, the Program Associate will support the Governors Island Arts program writ-large by supporting partner outreach, supporting the VP of Arts and Culture and the Curator with on-site logistical and production coordination related to the Organizations in Residence program, including special programming led by the Trust.

Additional responsibilities include:

- Support and manage the planning, cultivation, annual open-call, and selection process for the OiR program
- Support the marketing and outreach of the OiR program opportunity to arts non-profits across all five boroughs of New York City
- Manage the onboarding process for selected resident organizations
- Assist with the development of Governors Island Arts’ programming related to the OiR program
- Manage internal calendars of public programs produced by Governors Island Arts and the selected resident organizations using the Island’s event management platform Tripleseat
- Coordinate with the Public Affairs team on outreach and public communications; with the Operations and Facilities teams on set up and maintenance; and with the Legal team on permitting and contracts
- Liaise with resident organizations and other programming partners to collect marketing assets for internal dissemination
- Attend weekend resident organization programs as needed and act as the on-site contact for weekend Governors Island Arts-produced programs
- Provide additional programmatic and administrative support to the Governors Island Arts team as needed

​​​​​​​QUALIFICATIONS

Experience:
- 2-4 years of arts administration and project/program management experience
- Experience working with artist residency programs a plus

- Experience working on the planning and execution of cultural programs, including but not limited to exhibitions, public art commissions, and public programs
- S trong understanding and appreciation of working in public spaces and a familiarity with New York City’s multi-disciplinary arts community
- Experience in managing complex schedules and onsite contractors
- Experience working both independently and collaboratively
- Experience working with diverse audiences, and a strong commitment to accessible and multi-disciplinary programming
Skills and Abilities:
- Strong organizational skills and attention to detail with the ability to strategically oversee projects from conception to completion
- Strong ability to manage multiple projects effectively and meet deadlines in a fast-paced environment
- Familiarity with Tripleseat preferred
- Excellent oral and written communication skills
- Ability to proactively facilitate clear communication among all levels of staff, community partners, artists, agents, cultural partners, project managers, and others
- Deep commitment to artists and the artistic process
- Ability to solve problems on the ground
- Ability to work nights and weekends as needed to support programs
- Driver’s license required

Salary: $70-$75k per year
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. The position is in-person four days per week and remote one day per week.

TO APPLY

No phone calls, please.

We realize that not all applicants match 100% of the qualifications for a role. If you meet many but not all the criteria and feel you may be a good fit for this role, we encourage you to apply.

The Trust for Governors Island values the importance of inclusion, accessibility and a diverse pool of applicants. 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 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 for the inspiration and enjoyment of all New Yorkers, demonstrating a bold vision for public space. For more information, visit www.govisland.org (http://www.govisland.org)