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Program Manager- Project 3rd Space

WHO WE ARE
SkyART is a permanent fixture in the vibrant cultural landscape of Chicago’s South Side. Founded in 2001 with a mission to provide youth with an accessible, safe place to participate in quality visual arts programs at no cost, SkyART continues to fulfill its mission in South Chicago and surrounding neighborhoods, reaching young people through a rich variety of programs. In 2020, SkyART announced the expansion to Chicago’s West Side. Driving its mission, is a deep understanding of the transformative power of art and its capacity to enhance intellectual, emotional, and social development. SkyART is a foundation from which creativity grows and individuals flourish. Participants are invited into a world of imaginative possibilities and connections that go beyond the individual, to positively impact all of the communities where we work and the city as a whole. With art at the center of everything we do, SkyART provides free, safe, open spaces where young people are empowered and connections are made.

Our work is guided by these core concepts
● Accessibility – we remove barriers – promoting participation in our programs, connection with other institutions and communities, and access to the broader world.
● Responsiveness – we innovate – adapting programs to the evolving context within which we work, fostering civic engagement, cultural democracy, and social wellbeing.
● Totality – we are committed to reaching the whole person – recognizing that every participant has a unique life experience characterized by their own needs, assets, and interests.
● Stability – we are a consistent presence – the “third place” after home and school, where participants develop meaningful relationships and experience a feeling of extended family.

WHAT WE DO
Through interdisciplinary, process-based projects, skill-building workshops, and large-scale collaborations, SkyART encourages critical thinking and inspires creative expression for youth ages 7 to 24. In 2020 SkyArt also began offering Art Therapy for Chicago youth. Using an artist-in-residence model, Teaching Artists and Art Therapists work side by side with participants, in an atmosphere of mutual esteem and shared curiosity, through our dynamic and experimental methodology, the SkyWAY. Our programs include after-school and Saturday programs at our SkyART Studios; classroom and afterschool programs at partnering schools, and programs ranging from one-day workshops to multi-week courses offered in coordination with organizations from city parks and libraries to prisons and detention facilities, as well as other non-profit program partners.

HOW YOU CONTRIBUTE
You are passionately driven and dedicated to enriching the lives of young people through art, specifically through SkyART’s Social Emotional Learning (SEL) centered methodology. At SkyART, online and beyond, the P3S Program Manager is representative of SkyART’s mission and core values. They are responsible for managing Teaching Artists and interns delivering programs for teens. Along with the SkyWAY Program Manager and Youth Support Manager, they will supervise the Program Coordinator which entails goal setting with measurable outcomes. They evaluate programs based on SkyART’s logic model. The P3S Program Manager will schedule all teen programming, Professional Development workshops and orientations. They are charged with ensuring the vibrancy and diversity of all teen programs.

JOB DUTIES
Program Management:
● Manage all Project 3rd Space programs, including recruitment and onboarding of interns, teaching artists, assistant teaching artists, interns, and participants
● Plan, coordinate and execute programs at SkyART studios, online, and with partner organizations or schools
● Cultivating and maintain a strong, consistent cohort of teaching artists who are also stakeholders in the communities where they work
● Ensuring adherence to established SkyART core philosophies
● Oversee coordination of cultural field trips and/or visiting artist
● Supervise Program Coordinator and interns, creating goals and measurable outcomes to ensure their success
● Collaborate with the Youth Support Manager to address the mental health needs of P3S participants
● Collaborate with the Youth Support Manager and the SkyWAY Program Manager to strategize creatively about programs, special projects and events

Facilitate evaluation of Project 3rd Space programs:
● Ensuring dissemination, implementation and tracking of established evaluation tools
● Evaluating (and helping to document) application of Project 3rd Space, including analysis for goal setting and continuous improvement

Support Marketing and Communications:
● Support and implement social media and marketing strategies including regular updates and posts of relevant information
● Ensure consistent and recent documentation of SkyART programs including photographs, videos and testimonials of students and artwork in studio and school programs

Promote SkyART Studio Programs through Outreach Activities:
● Ensure accurate student attendance in SkyART database and analyze retention and numbers
● Contribute to and activate the repository of promotional collateral including presentations and program overviews
● Coordinate and help execute open houses and support and lead community events at SkyART.
● Support and help facilitate outreach and recruitment opportunities to increase/maintain SkyART studio participation, particularly with teens and young adults

Cultivate P3S participants for internships and professional development:
● Oversee P3S exhibitions and auctions
● Work with Teaching Artists and participants to expose teens to professional opportunities
● Cultivate participants for internships at SkyART
● Cultivate interns to become Teaching Artists or assistants
● Expose P3S participants to a diverse group of artists and creatives to expand their understanding of professional opportunities in the arts
● Assist P3S participants with portfolios and applications for college admissions, exhibitions, etc.
● Create opportunities for P3S participants to exhibit their artwork in the community

YOUR BACKGROUND INCLUDES:
● BFA or BA in arts-related field required
● Master in arts, counseling, art therapy or social work preferred
● Bilingual (Spanish & English) strongly preferred
● A minimum of two years of nonprofit, social services, foundation/association environment, arts-related experience required
● Excellent oral and written communication skills
● Ability to persuasively provide concise, accurate information about SkyART programs to community members, potential partners, parents and participants
● Significant experience and proven track record working with teens
● Strong project management, research and organizational capabilities
● Ability to work autonomously and make informed, thoughtful decisions
● Knowledge of art and art history
● Ability to work within a small collaborative environment and manage multiple priorities simultaneously.
● Relevant leadership or management experience
● Proficiency in Microsoft Office suite and Google Drive
● Experience collecting, tracking and evaluating program data
● Drivers license or ability to work in multiple locations
● Knowledge of challenges faced by youth from Chicago’s underserved communities
● Knowledge of trauma-informed and Social Emotional Learning (SEL) pedagogies

WHAT WE OFFER: Salary/Full-Time

HOW YOU APPLY:
Please submit a cover letter with resume by email to: hr@skyart.org with ”Program Manager-P3S” in the subject line. Do not mail or fax.

EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER
SkyART is committed to creating a diverse work environment and is proud to be an equal opportunity employer. SkyART does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, gender identity, religion, sexual orientation, age, disability, parental status, veteran status, or any other protected status under applicable laws. We encourage individuals of all backgrounds to apply.

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You make a difference!

Since 2001, SkyART has been inspiring Chicago youth with free arts programs. We have done this with the help of an incredibly generous community of supporters, all of whom believe in the power of the arts to help realize limitless potential. Please join our family.