Executive Director, Wave Pool

Wave Pool is looking for a visionary, enthusiastic, and highly motivated creative leader to develop and lead our cutting-edge organization that finds unique and impactful ways to support communities through contemporary art. The ideal candidate for this position is energetic, organized, driven, and highly collaborative. We’re looking for a creative and optimistic individual who is passionate about Wave Pool’s mission to create community fulfillment through artistic opportunities.

Taking the artistic helm of Wave Pool means finding new ways to support the region’s artist community through creative placemaking projects, artist support initiatives, and community-driven programs. Wave Pool is in a unique position to effectively pair communities’ needs with artists’ sense of possibility and we are looking for someone to usher this burgeoning organization into the next chapter by effectively sharing our story, leading staff, teaching artists, and community through service and humility, and manage our place-based programs with consideration, creativity, and an abundant mindset.

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

Reports to: Wave Pool Board of Directors

Supervises: Operations Director, Contracted artists, teachers, and other freelance staff

Organization Background:

Wave Pool is a socially-engaged art center that acts as a conduit for community change through artist opportunities and support.  Pairing communities’ knowledge of their needs with artists’ sense of possibility, Wave Pool provides a structure whereby contemporary art and artists can be integral contributors to the fabric and success of our city, country, and beyond, by helping us build relationships and collective knowledge around complex issues, centering the insights and experience of those most intimately affected.

Our space includes an art gallery, artist residency programs, wood shop, ceramics studio, a community and community gathering space. We are best known for initiating and supporting artist driven social practice projects and exhibiting work that stretches beyond our gallery walls through interactive projects that proactively support our neighbors. Listening deeply, and collaborating broadly, we work with neighbors and partner organizations to tackle tough problems through asset-based development and promote visionary approaches to problem solving as artistic practice.

Position Purpose:

The Executive Director is the visionary and artistic leader of Wave Pool, the region’s only socially-engaged arts organization. The Executive Director guides the strategic vision of the organization while providing day to day oversight, fundraising, management, and operations support to ensure smooth and quality operations of the organization. This position manages and supervises staff, manages the budget, performs payroll, and is responsible for the smooth operations of the organization on the whole. Additionally, this position is the lead curator/director of Creative Placemaking/Socially Engaged Art efforts and works closely with organizational partners throughout the city to make artistic and community-based projects happen beyond the gallery walls.

Responsibilities:

Leads all fundraising and development efforts.
Serve as a leader in developing and promoting Wave Pool within the regional arts community, including making critical programming decisions and creating and executing a comprehensive strategic plan with staff.
Provide creative and inspirational direction to build and sustain the continued development and management of a visionary, experimental, and professionally run organization.
Create and promote a positive, inclusive, and equitable work environment that attracts, retains, supports, and motivates diverse staff and volunteers.
Support the creation of an engaged, diverse, and inclusive Board of Directors that represents the communities served by Wave Pool. Cultivate a strong and transparent working relationship with this group to ensure open communication about progress of organizational goals and that the budget, staff, and priorities are aligned with the organization’s mission. The Director serves as ex-officio of each board committee, seeking to build board involvement with strategic direction and daily operations.
Make critical artistic and programmatic decisions, ensuring the continuous improvement of Wave Pool’s programs to best serve both local artists and the surrounding communities
Exercise ultimate responsibility for Wave Pool offerings and programming.
Build and foster relationships with new, current, and potential constituents, partners, and funders, participate in outward-facing events, workshops, committees, and associations to build and maintain external relationships and demonstrate leadership in the community through involvement and participation.
Direct management of all socially engaged and educational programming, including such projects as M.A.T.C.H. artist fellowship, Driving Lessons artist professional development, gallery curation and programming, curatorial and artistic residency programming, partnership projects with other organizations, the woodshop classes and coop membership, the production of Welcome Editions, and others as time and opportunity allows.
Manages all social media and website management for program pages. This can be done in tandem and collaboration with COO and intern/coop student assistance.
Lead strategic collaboration with the University of Cincinnati’s School of Art and potentially teach 1 class per semester to build on this partnership.  This teaching is optional, requires a M.F.A., and comes with additional compensation.
Job Skills and Requirements:

A deep understanding of socially engaged art and best practices for community engagement and collaborative art endeavors. Ideal candidate will identify as a social-practice artist themselves.
Proven track record in a leadership position at an arts or other non-profit organization, with experience managing staff, volunteers, and contracted artists preferred.
Working knowledge of and existing personal network.
Ability to meet deadlines and respond to changing priorities as they arise.
Effective and efficient communication techniques.
Ability to manage multiple projects and work independently.
Ability to maximize, leverage, and connect the diverse talents and assets of team members, community partners, and participants.
Excellent verbal and written communication skills in English.
Ability to communicate professionally with individuals of diverse backgrounds in a non-judgmental manner.
Ability to exercise sound and independent judgment with high ethical standards.
Proactive, accountable, self-starter with the ability to self-direct.
Ability to form positive connections & collaborate with people.
Clear understanding and commitment to Wave Pool’s mission and goals.
Salary Range: $50,000-60,000 DOE + adjunct teaching income from University of Cincinnati (optional if qualified)

This is a full time salaried position with benefits including a modest Health Reimbursement Arrangement and generous vacation time. Some weekend and evening hours will be required.

To Apply:

Please send cover letter, CV, and 2-3 references with contact information to wavepoolgallery@gmail.com