Visiting Director Fellowship: Ceramics and Expanded Media

Our Dream:

Anderson Ranch seeks a dynamic colleague who is driven by the belief that the power of art, inspiration and community can change individuals and the world. This job is ideal for a motivated professional who aspires to live, make art and work outside the box. This candidate will be a practicing artist with a passion for mentoring colleagues, teaching students and creating dynamic and engaging programs for the community. Experience in sculpture, ceramics and with an overarching knowledge of digital fabrication will allow for big ideas across media. They will be passionate about building on a strong professional network, have knowledge of trends and understand advancements in their field. They will design engaging curriculum for students and faculty to embark upon unique educational experiences. They will enjoy collaborating with colleagues across disciplines to maintain top-notch facilities, equipment and foster an excellent lineup of guest faculty to assure rigorous artistic offerings.

Who We Are:

Anderson Ranch Arts Center is a year-round visual-arts not-for-profit, tax-exempt organization with a 55-year history of providing transformative experiences that celebrate artists, art-making and creative dialog, at the intersection of craft and the global contemporary art world. Anderson Ranch brings together both aspiring and internationally renowned artists who come from across the country and around the world to test new ideas, explore new disciplines and techniques, hone their art-making skills, engage in meaningful dialog and connect with thought leaders in the artistic community.

Anderson Ranch’s campus is an artistic community nestled among the pristine peaks of the Rocky Mountains. The Ranch campus consists of 14 buildings providing 55,000 square feet of facilities including eight studio buildings, a gallery, a lecture hall, café, store, administrative offices, a student dormitory, as well as apartments and cabins for artistic staff and artists. State-of-the-art equipment allows cross-disciplinary experimentation within the mediums of ceramics, woodworking, photography, digital fabrication, painting, sculpture and printmaking. The campus is an oasis of renovated 19th-century cabins and barns that sit alongside contemporary designed buildings, all within the renowned cultural and recreation communities of Aspen/Snowmass, CO, and the Roaring Fork Valley.

Anderson Ranch cultivates a culture of experimentation and collaboration, offering world-class art-making facilities and equipment across diverse mediums, experienced visiting faculty and access to the highest quality staff. 

Mission:

Anderson Ranch’s mission is to enrich lives with art, inspiration and community.

We achieve this by offering:

• Workshops: Providing intensive 1-3-week workshops for artists of all levels and all ages that both improve technical art-making skills and provide transformative experiences for art makers.
• Advanced Mentoring Programs: Offering three-year mentoring programs that advance artistic practice and careers in the arts.
• Artist Residencies: Providing 5 and 10-week long juried Artists-in-Residence programs, which give emerging and mid-career professional artists the time, space and resources to develop new work using our world-class facilities.
• Visiting Artist Experiences: Providing flexible and unique curated experiences to support established national and international artists seeking a retreat to experiment in new mediums or with new techniques and ideas, supported by our staff.
• Anderson Ranch Editions: An artist’s workshop and print publisher program for hand-printed limited-edition lithographs, screen-prints and etchings by established artists.
• Community Engagement: Hosting lectures, discussions, seminars and special events which build a community that appreciates, understands and supports art-making within the global contemporary art world and the human experience for both Anderson Ranch guests and the local community.
  

Work Culture:

• Changing Lives and Changing the World Through Art: We care about people and helping them improve their lives. We enable people to learn and grow, personally and professionally, in a challenging and supportive environment. We meet people where they are and help them reach their goals.
• Culture of Diversity & Inclusion: We learn from diversity and it makes us stronger. At the center of our mission is helping people find their whole selves in their artistic practice. We strive to live the same values in our professional lives. That includes actively embracing diversity of age, race, class, ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender identity, physical or mental ability, as well as background and experience. We approach our work thoughtfully, learn from each other and share a commitment to inclusivity.
• Rigor & Excellence: We provide the best possible experience for our community of guests, including faculty, interns, students, residents, visiting artists, volunteers, supporters and staff. We demand the best from ourselves and each other.
• Culture of Critique: We believe in a “Culture of Critique” where we offer and receive honest feedback and support each other in learning and improving.
• Culture of Results, Connectivity and Flexibility: We believe overachieving is better than overworking. We prioritize Anderson Ranch and get the job done 110% by being available when needed, by being open, working collaboratively, welcoming feedback and getting work done efficiently, effectively and on time. Once this is achieved, we enjoy the flexibility of where and when we work; we can pursue our passions, be it art-making, hobbies or special interests.

Position Summary:

This fellowship allows a candidate to take ownership of primary 3D areas at the Ranch, overseeing fully-equipped sculpture, ceramics as well as a new state-of-the-art digital fabrication lab. Leading three experienced studio coordinators and up to 10 seasonal support staff, the Visiting Director will oversee a budget and develop creative and engaging workshops with top artists who make up our guest faculty and Visiting Artists, using the solid foundation of this 50-year-old program to launch a new era for the Ranch as a leading nonprofit
arts center.

Core Responsibilities:

• Curriculum Development: Design compelling and creative workshops for adults ranging from beginner to advanced level artists. Identify and recruit faculty, monitor workshops to assure consistent high-quality and rigorous experiences for students. The Visiting Director is expected to actively teach and/or co-teach a few workshops throughout the year.
•  Promote Student Enrollment: Actively recruit students to workshops, including supporting marketing and registration efforts. This includes personal outreach to alumni, community members, and promoting offerings within a network of organizations and groups to achieve program registration goals.
•  Department Leadership: Lead, inspire and mentor the Studio Coordinator in each of the 3-D practice areas (Sculpture, Ceramics, Woodworking, Digital Fabrication) in their artistic and professional development. Lead by example, as a practicing artist, teacher, mentor and socially-engaged member of the art world.
• Department Management: Work with the VP of Artistic Affairs to develop, track and manage the department operating and capital budgets. Manage department staff, monitoring performance, coaching improvement, and documenting annual performance reviews. Oversee the Studio Coordinators’ maintenance of department equipment,
  facilities, and supplies. Assure the implementation of Ranch policies, standards and protocols. Oversee risk management and safety procedures, maintaining a vigilant eye on the safety and security of staff, students and guests.
• Collaborate to Promote Cross-Disciplinary Studio Engagement: Develop programming that engages students across studio practice areas and programs. This includes integrating the state-of-the-art “Fab Lab” digital fabrication technologies, such as 3-D printers and scanners, CNC router, plasma cutters, and other digital equipment into programming in all disciplines.
• Ranch Ambassador and Fundraiser: Supporting the organization’s outreach activities through studio tours, lectures, and demonstrations. Act as a goodwill ambassador, internally and externally, with colleagues, funding partners, and community leaders.

Staff Community Responsibilities:

• Community Outreach Leader: All staff members are expected to build and lead partnerships with community organizations as they relate to their area of responsibility, and to actively support the outreach efforts of other team members.
• Engaged & Supportive Team Member: All staff are expected to support colleagues and engage in the Ranch by attending lectures, artist talks, fundraising events and community-wide events with enthusiasm and a sense of helpfulness.
• Support Major Fundraising & Community Events: All staff are expected to support the major annual events that engage the public and fundraisers. These are “all hands on deck” efforts and all staff are expected to participate in ways outside their normal professional functions to make them a success from set-up, to execution, to tear down.
• Professional & Personal Development: Learning and improving on an ongoing basis is a job requirement of all staff. Team members are expected to be growing, discovering, and honing their skills.
• Brand Ambassador: All team members are expected to comport themselves in a manner that is fitting with the organization; represent the Ranch both on and off-campus, as well as online and on social media, keeping in mind that positivity and professionalism are respected and appreciated.

Other Duties:

• The descriptions above are intended to describe the general nature and level of work being performed in this role. They are not to be construed as an exhaustive list of all responsibilities, duties, and skills required of the role.
• All personnel are required to perform duties outside of their normal responsibilities from time to time, as needed.
• This role requires a flexible schedule including evening and weekend hours as needed, and particularly intense time demands in the summer months.
• This job description may be changed or updated at any time throughout employment.

Physical Requirements:

• Light work that includes moving objects up to 40 pounds.
• The employee frequently is required to stand, walk and reach with hands and arms.
• Typical examples of physical tasks include: reaching, standing, sitting, typing, talking, crouching, kneeling, seeing, and hearing.
• Typical tasks as required to actively teach and supervise art studios/facilities in a historic building space with uneven surfaces, stairs, gravel walkways, etc.

Expected Skills and Qualifications:

• Master of Fine Arts Degree, or equivalent. Practicing artist, with a history of national and/or international shows and/or awards, with
  a drive to balance professional duties while also advancing an artistic practice.
• College-level teaching experience, and the ability to connect with and inspire students.
• Capacity to engage and collaborate with colleagues, professional artists, and educators to develop workshop curriculum and recruit faculty and artists.
• Thorough understanding of the field of Ceramics and traditional and contemporary Sculpture as well as Digital Fabrication.
• Experience in managing and maintaining studio equipment across practice areas, including keeping a budget.

Desired Additional Interest/Experience:

• Interest and/or experience in non-profit, fundraising.
• Interest and/or experience in digital fabrication, including CAD, Rhino, Mastercam and software appropriate for digital technologies.
• Interest and/or experience in cross disciplinary practices including sculpture, ceramics, and woodworking/furniture design.

Compensation and Benefits:

• Total Compensation $124,200- 129,200
• Base Salary $75-80,000
• Housing Allowance $30,000
• Benefits, Insurance, Payroll Taxes: $19,200
• Company paid medical insurance, option to add additional family
• Company paid HSA contribution
• Long- and short-term disability insurance
• Life insurance
• Paid Time Off – Up to 22 days during first year of service
• Paid Sick Leave
• Professional/continuing education support
• Retirement plan 403(b) match
• Artistic staff studio space

Employment requires proof of complete Covid-19 vaccination as well as successfully passing the pre-employment Background Check.

NOTE: The above is an abbreviated representation of benefits defined in the Employee Handbook, which governs all employment terms. No other verbal or written exceptions to those terms are honored without a written directive by the President and Chief Executive Officer and signed by the Chairman of the Board of Trustees.

All inquiries and conversations will remain strictly confidential.

How to Apply:

Submit a complete application online at: andersonranch.slideroom.com
Application materials to include:
1. Resume/CV
2. Letter of intent indicating potential and desire for the position
3. 20 images of personal artwork
4. Artist statement
5. Three references and contact information

Review of applications begins January 15th, 2023

Start Date June 1st, 2023-June 1st, 2026

Anderson Ranch is an equal opportunity employer committed to diversifying its workforce.