Artist Educator- Dia Teens, Beacon

Dia Art Foundation consists of eight permanent sites across the United States and Germany, as well as three changing exhibition spaces in New York State: Dia Chelsea in New York City; Dia Beacon in the Hudson Valley; and Dia Bridgehampton on Long Island. Dia has renovated and expanded its Dia Chelsea site (opened April 2021), has plans to renovate and expand the SoHo sites (opening 2023), and will embark on a major external and internal renovation at Dia Beacon to make accessible the external landscape and improve the internal facility. Founded in 1974, Dia is committed to advancing, realizing, and preserving the vision of artists. Since its inauguration, the organization has undergone several shifts in focus, adding both new artists and sites. Over the last six years, Dia has carefully grown its program, commissions, and collection to reflect a more inclusive and expansive vision for staff, audiences, and the future of the institution.

Dia Art Foundation seeks an experienced Artist Educator to work with high school–aged youth at Dia Beacon in Beacon, NY. This role is a part-time, temporary position based at Dia Beacon, taking place over the 2022–23 academic year with in-person program sessions occurring every Wednesday afternoon and culminating with a six-week summer intensive taking place from July to August 2023. The Artist Educator, Dia Teens, Dia Beacon a, works in close collaboration with the Learning and Engagement team based in Beacon and reports to the Senior Manager of Learning and Engagement. Candidates with an existing connection to Beacon are strongly encouraged to apply. Dia Teens is an intensive program that elevates youth voice at Dia while emphasizing collective agency, critical thinking, and choice. Offering practice in being both the author and protagonist of one’s own creative, intellectual, and professional trajectory, the teen program supports 15 ambitious young people who thrive in a self-determinative, experiential learning environment. The Artist Educator for Dia Teens is responsible for designing an emergent curriculum that supports teens in creating an inclusive peer learning community that is responsive to the intersecting interests, identities, and needs of the cohort. The Artist Educator facilitates engagements with practicing artists and creative professionals in addition to arts, civic, and socially engaged spaces. The successful candidate will employ a reflective, responsive, and experimental pedagogy that is authentic to their artistic practice. Artist Educators at Dia are encouraged to actively contribute to internal and community-based dialogues, as well as the evolving architecture of Dia’s work with young people. 

• Research Dia’s collection, commissions history, and relevant concepts and methodologies in contemporary art and experimental pedagogy; articulate a line of critical inquiry that supports and reinforces teen-driven learning; conduct additional research as required to support learning goals over the course of employment

• Design and implement an original, flexible, and responsive curriculum that contributes to, supports, challenges, or otherwise broadens participants’ understanding of art making and art’s impact in the world; ensure structural support for youth agency by thoughtfully incorporating youth voice and choice-making into curriculum design and program sessions

• In collaboration with Dia’s Learning and Engagement team, design, attend, and facilitate all onsite and off-site teen engagement (such as site visits to other arts institutions, studio visits, or sites of interest), including regularly-scheduled program sessions on Wednesday afternoons over the course of the academic year and a six-week, twenty four-session summer intensive taking place July–August 2023

• Support youth in a series of engaging hands-on projects based on their interests; support the production of events or presentations of projects

• Establish and maintain reciprocal reflection with teens and collaborate with administrative staff to document and track student learning in relation to program and curricular goals over program arc

• Communicate clearly, promptly, and on an ongoing basis with the Learning and Engagement team prior to and during program implementation regarding curriculum development and work objectives

• Participate in program evaluations and incorporate feedback from teens, program partners, and colleagues into program design and delivery as appropriate 

• A working artist, cultural producer, or community-centered practitioner; artists working in socially engaged art practices or who have excelled in their field through enterprising or non-traditional pathways are encouraged to apply

• Applied experience in studio art, arts/museum education, or a related field

• Experience designing and facilitating student-centered arts learning experiences in out-of-school settings; experience with responsive or emergent curricula desired

• Experience working directly with high school-aged youth in out-of-school, museum, or community settings, and a demonstrated commitment to centering cultural equity for youth populations with varying backgrounds, life experiences, and learning styles is required Knowledge, Skills, Abilities:

• Firm understanding of and interest in contemporary art

• Must be a creative, critical, and flexible thinker who thrives in a responsive, collaborative setting and is strongly committed to youth agency; active listening skills, intellectual curiosity, empathy, high emotional intelligence, and comfort with open-ended or experimental working processes is essential

• Exceptional organizational and communication skills; ability to work independently and to balance and meet short- and long-term deadlines efficiently

• Understanding of and interest in Beacon's arts landscape and/or working knowledge of community-based organizations or educational resources throughout the five boroughs desired

This position requires a background check.

This is a part-time, temporary position based at Dia Beacon. Weekly hours vary, averaging approximately 8–14 hours per week during the academic year and up to 40 hours per week during the summer intensive. Weekly hours include in-person program facilitation, session preparation and planning, and curriculum design; work and meetings relating to curriculum development may be done remotely. Please note that to provide a safe workplace free of recognized hazards and to take every possible step to reduce the transmission of COVID among our employees, Dia Art Foundation has a mandatory vaccination requirement for all staff and requires proof of COVID-19 vaccination upon hire. Artist educators are paid at a competitive hourly rate. Staff with Dia Art Foundation ID badges gain reduced or free admission to most American museums and arts organizations. As employees, artist educators may participate in staff trainings and public programs. 

Qualified applicants may apply for this position by emailing the following materials to learning@diaart.org with “Artist Educator, Dia Teens, Dia Beacon” as the subject heading:

1. Cover letter highlighting your experience, pedagogical approach, and interest in the Dia Teens program, as well as questions or ideas related to your individual practice or research that you hope to explore through this opportunity

2. Resume or CV indicating your experience as a facilitator, in particular as it relates to working with high school-aged youth

3. Up to three project or curriculum samples (preferably related to out-of-school, museum, or community-based settings)

4. Artist statement and link to portfolio or website

5. Optional: please indicate if you would like to also be considered for the Artist Educator, Dia Teens, Dia Beacon position No phone calls or emails to addresses other than the one specified please.

Open until filled Dia Art Foundation is an Equal Opportunity Employer and does not discriminate on the basis of age, color, national origin, ethnic origin, citizenship status, disability, race, religion, creed, gender, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity and/or expression, marital status, veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state, or local law in its employment policies. In addition, Dia will provide reasonable accommodations for qualified individuals with disabilities and supports a neurodiverse workplace. Candidates with nontraditional learning or career paths and/or applicants whose qualifications differ from those listed above are encouraged to apply