We're Hiring!

Artistic Director

Position Description

Classification: Part-time, temporary, non-exempt (with opportunity for renewal)

Date Posted: December 13th, 2021

Start Date: March 1, 2022

Application Deadline: January 14, 2022 at 11:59 p.m.


Position Summary: 

With this new Artistic Director position, we are seeking a creative and well-organized individual who can oversee the curation and production of a robust annual calendar of public programs and events at Comfort Station. This new role will work closely with and report to the Executive Director and collaborate with volunteer staff involved in implementation. 

Flexibility and improvisation are part of the magic of Comfort Station. We are seeking someone who is a catalyst, capable and eager to start new things as well as ensure existing programs happen efficiently and on time. 

We are seeking someone with a cultural and emotional fit for our organization. This individual will help support and navigate the complexities of our community, initiate and manage special projects, and continue to build the creative vision of our organization. Most of our volunteer programmers are artists themselves. Our space operates not only as an incubator for their curatorial talents but gives emerging artists and arts administrators a chance to learn more about the creative fields they work in by allowing them to work closely with accomplished artists in that field.

This is a new role with potential for growth. Comfort Station is committed to investing in this team member and providing additional support as may be needed.

Duties & Responsibilities: 

Curatorial: 

  • Gestate new programming that fits within Comfort Station’s mission and values

  • Facilitate ideation of new programming by volunteer staff

  • Monitor and support existing projects and programs

  • Review and vet outside programming proposals from other organizations and individuals

Project Management:

  • Determine appropriate scale and timeline of special projects

  • Manage the logistics of special projects

    • Working with artist/s

    • Working with fabricator/s

    • Determine and source materials, equipment, and other resources as needed

    • Coordinate with Executive Director to develop a marketing strategy/plan

    • Coordinate and oversee installation and deinstallation


Ensure Project Execution

  • Coordinating with and supporting volunteer staff

  • Finding and leveraging community partners

  • Stepping in and filling gaps to execute when needed

  • Serve as on-site point of contact for events as needed


Miscellaneous: 

  • Contribute to writing grants

  • Contribute to managing the community of programmers with the Executive Director

  • Debrief and capture learnings from projects

  • Prioritize and triage your own time within allocated hours (average of 10-15 per week)


Experience & Qualifications: 


Qualifications

  • Minimum three years professional (non-student) experience in arts curatorship, arts programming, arts administration, or relevant field

    • For example, you might have run an informal DIY arts space. Or, you have an arts degree and curatorial experience with a formal art institution. In both cases, we equally encourage you to apply.

  • Demonstration of values that fit with Comfort Station’s culture

    • Fast, agile, scrappy

    • Self-motivated and autonomous

    • Improvisational

    • Respectful 

  • Manage collaboratively; can take direction and delegate to peers

  • Practical experience balanced with artistic vision and interest

  • Willing to work flexible hours such as weekends and evenings

  • Demonstrated commitment to the Chicago arts community

Salary:

  • $10,000 for 10 months with an average range of 10-15 hours per week. 

  • Hours are flexible according to programming needs and the individual’s own work preferences. Our programming is generally more active in the warmer months of the year, and we anticipate the hours per week trending on the higher end March - October, and lower November - February. 

To Apply: 

Comfort Station is an equal-opportunity employer and is committed to building and maintaining a culturally diverse workplace. We encourage women, ALAANA/BIPOC, individuals with disabilities and veterans to apply. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, religion, color, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, status of protected veteran, among other things or status as a qualified individual with a disability.

Submit your application via this link

*Note, you will be required to send your application from a Google account. Create a free google account here.

The deadline to apply is January 14, 2022 at 11:59 p.m.

Submit any questions to info@comfortstationlogansquare.org


About Comfort Station 

Comfort Station is a nonprofit micro-cultural center based in Logan Square with a mission to activate our historical building with public, community-driven programs that foster vibrant connections at the intersection of art and life. https://comfortstationlogansquare.org/ 


Founded as a grassroots effort in 2011 under the auspices of Logan Square Preservation (LSP), Comfort Station operates out of a 1920s City of Chicago-owned building that was once intended to be a space for travelers to stay warm while waiting for public transportation. That legacy fuels our mission to act as a porous and public gathering space for a variety of communities: our immediate vicinity, a wide range of age groups from children to adults, and the plurality of Chicago’s artistic patrons from traditional genres to emerging DIY scenes. In 2016 we became an independent nonprofit, with the objective of creating deeper roots for our programming to be sustained in the building for years to come. 

Traditionally, Comfort Station presents more than 150 free public events per year, including: 10 exhibitions; 40 performances through our Comfort Music and Gather series; 50 film screenings through our Comfort Film series; 25 public lectures; and upwards of 50 other ad hoc events and partnerships that are programmed internally and/or submitted by the public through an open form on our website. We pride ourselves on being a place of creative experimentation, growth, and collaboration for local artists, performers, curators, and community organizers. 

Since our founding, Comfort Station has been driven by a volunteer workforce, including a rotating mix of itinerant helpers and a core group of laborers with distinct functions. While honoring these contributions we have also attempted to provide compensation whenever possible including project-based stipends throughout the programming season as well as year-end stipends that are dependent on meeting annual revenue goals. 

Beginning in 2022, we will transition to supporting our first salaried positions for two key roles within the organization: the hiring of a new Artistic Director and the increased stability of the current Executive Director. We believe this is a unique inflection point for our organization and an important step toward long-term sustainability. Without diminishing the care and   inventiveness with which we’ve organized volunteer functions and relationships, the creation of these salaried positions is envisioned to better support those efforts and expand the internal capacity of the organization.


Comfort Station