Residency Program Coordinator

THE OPPORTUNITY

Bemis Center for Contemporary Arts seeks a collaborative, organized, and detail-oriented Residency Program Coordinator to oversee and implement the daily administrative operations of Bemis’s internationally renowned Residency Program. The Coordinator is an integral member of the residency team and works closely with the Residency Arts Technician and Sound Program Technician to support artists-in-residence while at Bemis Center. Reporting to the Chief Curator and Director of Programs, the Coordinator manages all administrative aspects of the program, including the application review, selection, and notification processes and resident orientation, hospitality and onsite experience, and exit evaluation procedures for three residency sessions per year. The position also cultivates new and stewards existing community partnerships and helps organize the program’s public-facing activities, such as potlucks, tours, and Open House/Open Studios events. As part of the Programming Department and the greater Bemis Center team, the Residency Program Coordinator works as a liaison between artists-in-residence and staff to bolster communication, trust, and understanding to advance Bemis’s unflinching support of artists and to nurture a culture of experimentation and creativity within the organization and throughout the community. 

Bemis Center is committed to creating a diverse and inclusive workplace. We recognize opportunities in creative industries have historically excluded and continue to disproportionately exclude Black and Indigenous people, people of color, people from working-class backgrounds, people with disabilities, and LGBTQIA+ people. We strongly encourage individuals with these identities to apply. Ideal candidates share this commitment and our values of creativity, trust, courage, diversity, acceptance, and the open exchange of ideas and worldviews. This is an opportunity to join an energetic and collegial staff at one of Omaha’s most unique arts organizations.

SUMMARY OF JOB RESPONSIBILITIES  

The Residency Program Coordinator is responsible for the administrative duties of Bemis Center’s Residency Program, which is organized into four distinct, yet unified opportunities: 1) Artists-in-Residence (AIR); 2) Sound Artist-in-Residence (SAIR); 3) Curator-in-Residence (CIR); and 4) Alumni-in-Residence. Each track within the Residency Program has an independent application and selection process, which the Coordinator facilitates. The Coordinator also serves all residents as the primary point-of-contact for Bemis’s onsite accommodations and hospitality, resources and facilities, community partnerships, air/ground transportation, and any other request or requirement residents might have during their participation in the Residency Program.  

PRIMARY RESPONSIBILITIES 

Primary responsibilities include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Coordinate the residency application processes from start to finish including being the administrative contact, organizing data and overseeing panelists, managing the onsite jury checking artist references and handling notifications for 4-5 panels yearly which include Artist-in-Residence, Sound Artist-in-Residence, Alumni Artist-in-Residence and Curator-in-Residence.

• Lead all onboarding, orientation, and off-boarding processes for three residency sessions per year, including execution of contracts, updating and dissemination of welcome/information handbooks, facility tours and trainings, exit interviews, and sharing pertinent feedback from residents to Bemis staff and interns, as needed 

• Work closely with the Residency Arts Technician and Sound Program Technician to ensure sufficient training, knowledge, and support for all residents when working with tools, software, equipment in Bemis’s Okada Sculpture & Ceramics Facility, rehearsal space, and recording studio. 

• Work closely with the Residency Arts Technician, Sound Program Technician, and members of the facilities team to ensure all residency areas are functional and safe, and that scheduled maintenance or repairs are completed in a timely fashion. 

• Work collaboratively with the Chief Curator and Director of Programs and residency team to develop and manage the annual budget for the Residency Program. Provide expense reports and forecasts on a monthly basis to the Chief Curator and Director of Programs and the Operations Director.

• Serve residents as the point-of-contact to the organization and provide a supportive and comforting voice for residents in anticipation of and during their time in Omaha. 

• Be a liaison between residents and the regional community, assisting with professional resources, networks, and general news, events, and ways to engage the growing cultural ecosystem in the region. 

• Develop and execute all residency events that engage the public, such as potlucks, lectures, studio tours, and Open House/Open Studios events.

• Schedule and oversee the cleaning and overall reboot of all live/work studios between each residency session.

• Manage the day-to-day administrative operations of the Residency Program, including artist and vendor check requests, scheduling and coordinating residency events, facilitating material and equipment donations, and coordinating residency-related activities, announcements, and printed materials with other departments of the organization. 

• Assist members of the Development Department by providing collected data, statistics, outcomes, and documentary images/videos for funding requests and grant applications as needed.  

• Maintain and foster ongoing relationships and communications with Bemis’s growing alumni community, including former exhibiting and residency artists and curators, across the globe, compiling their news and accomplishments to promote through Bemis’s digital and online communication platforms. 

• Grow and steward Bemis’s vast network of community partners, educational institutions, cultural nonprofits, arts leaders, and other area resources to expand overall support of and quality of experience of all residents. 

REQUIREMENTS

• A genuine trust in the creative process and interest in supporting the ideas, goals, and practices of artists at different career stages and working in all media

• Deep knowledge of contemporary art and artists

• Understand and communicate Bemis Center’s mission in a clear, spirited manner

• Exceptional interpersonal and organizational skills

• Ability to manage multiple projects with competing priorities simultaneously 

• Outstanding verbal communication skills and comfort with public speaking 

• Creative and strategic thinker with the capacity to take initiative and to work independently and as a team player in a fun, yet demanding arts organization

• Experience working with interdisciplinary artists, ideally in a residency, museum, or educational setting

• The ability to build and maintain relationships with stakeholders at all levels of the organization, including artists-in-residence, Board Members, alumni, strategic partners, funders, and the public

• Excellent computer skills with advanced proficiency in Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, Powerpoint)

• Familiarity with database systems and application tracking and management platforms such as Slideroom

• Experience with grant writing and reporting processes is a plus

• Ability to have a flexible work schedule, with the availability and eagerness to work occasional evenings and weekends

• Minimum 3 years experience as an administrator, preferably in an arts organization or other nonprofit organization

• Bachelor's degree in arts administration, art history, fine arts, or a related field or the equivalent years of experience in the artist residency field

• A successful reference check

COMPENSATION
The starting salary range for this position is $43,000-$48,000. Hard and soft benefits provided include the following:

• 100% employer paid $15,000 life and accidental death/dismemberment insurance

• 50% employer paid health and dental insurance

• Accrued PTO and “Flex” time

• 12 paid holidays including a floating holiday and a paid two week year-end winter break

• Flexible work schedule and the ability to work from home on occasion

• Pet-friendly office environment

• Access and use (when available) of Bemis’s facilities, including tools, equipment, and installation spaces

• Memberships + discounts with partner organizations

• Fun team building and bonding activities

• Exposure to a constant flux of diverse artists, ideas, and forms of creative expression

• Work directly with art + artists, helping them realize their vision and goals