Artist-in-Residence Program | Request for Applications
about National Children’s Museum
National Children’s Museum’s mission is to inspire children to care about and change the world. Located just steps from the White House and National Mall at 1300 Pennsylvania Avenue NW, the Museum is a next-generation institution that seeks to spark curiosity, ignite passion, and foster inclusivity to empower future innovation.
With over 175,000 national and local visitors in 2022, National Children’s Museum complements the local cultural ecosystem by fostering critical competencies in STEAM: science, technology, engineering, arts, and math. The Museum’s model intentionally integrates the arts and the creative process throughout all exhibits, programs, and experiences to foster innovation, creative design thinking, and idea sharing among children ages zero to twelve.
opportunity overview
Generously supported by the National Endowment for the Arts, the Artist-in-Residence is a continuing program at National Children’s Museum for the 2023-2024 school year. The Museum seeks to partner with a Washington, DC-based artist from June 2023 to June 2024 to facilitate arts programming for children, families, and educators. The programming will complement the wonder of the Museum experience by sparking creativity and curiosity and drawing inspiration from the Museum’s STEAM exhibits. The artist’s practice will resonate with young learners and celebrate the themes of sustainability and diversity, equity, accessibility, and inclusion.
The artist should be comfortable interacting with children from birth to age twelve, their families, and teachers as well as leading conversations about their practice. In collaboration with Museum staff, the artist will plan and lead a series of on-site and off-site workshops, as well as a professional development workshop for local educators. The Artist-in-Residence Program is open to emerging and professional artists working in a variety of visual and performance media including, but not limited to, painting, sculpture, installation, photography, clay, textiles, theater, dance, music, improv, illustration, and digital media.
time commitment
The program will take place over a year period, from June 2023 through June 2024. During the summer, the artist-in-residence will collaborate with the Museum’s Education and External Affairs teams to plan activities, schedule events, and confirm supplies. Program delivery will take place from Fall 2023 through Spring 2024. The artist-in-residence will spend approximately 20 hours per month on both planning and delivery of activities.
stipend
The artist-in-residence will receive a stipend of $14,500, paid in two installments. This position does not include benefits and qualifies for 1099 independent contractor status.
The expectations and obligations of the artist-in-residence are as follows:
- Develop and lead a total of 10 in-person art workshops with support from the Museum’s Education team. Audiences may include:
- public school students and educators from grades pre-K-fifth;
- member families;
- community partners; and/or
- children and families from the public.
- Foster connection and a sense of community by creating a crowd-sourced art project, inspired by the residency themes and the Museum’s experiences, to be displayed at the Museum or other public space during the 2023-2024 school year.
- Introduce young children and their caregivers to artistic expression and investigation through open-ended projects.
- Lead one professional development workshop at the Museum for educators.
what we believe are important experiences + traits for this role
- Have a demonstrated creative, ambitious practice that reflects your artistic ideals;
- Previous experience with guiding young children and their families through creative workshops in recreational settings;
- Must be eager to work with children and families and have a passion for early childhood learning;
- Ability to work with a diverse group of staff and guests;
- Must be comfortable with leading in-person workshops;
- A background in arts education a plus; and
- Insatiable curiosity with an eagerness to learn and a willingness to ask questions and apply feedback.
rights and ownership
Being that the work produced during the residency will be the result of a collaborative effort, the Museum shall be the owner of the right, title, and interest in and to all work produced through the residency.
application process + requirements
Applications are reviewed by the Museum’s internal review committee. Selection is based on the following criteria.
- Demonstrated capabilities as revealed by prior work samples or relevant experience documentation.
- Demonstrated uniqueness and creativity of artist thought as exemplified through work samples.
- Demonstrated capacity to complete a project of this scope in the time allotted.
- Demonstrated competency in creating experiences and works for public engagement.
- Demonstrated experience working collaboratively with other partners or teams on projects.
- Written statement articulating an understanding of and desire to work collaboratively and how your participation will advance the efforts of the Museum to strengthen the local collaborative artist/maker community.
Please note: applicants must be able to pass a background check and be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 prior to the start of the program.
For your application to be considered complete, it must include the following 4 items:
- Resume (pdf, 3 pages max)
- Must include name, address, email, and phone
- Letter of interest (LOI) that articulates an understanding of the residency, the desire to work collaboratively, and how your participation will advance the efforts of the Museum to strengthen arts appreciation in the community. (pdf, max length 750 words)
- References – include 2-3 references with contact information (pdf)
- Portfolio submission of your work that demonstrates experience conducting interactive, public-facing experiences on a deadline; experience with collaborative projects; and your uniqueness and creativity. Your portfolio submission may include any or all of the following:
- Images of work samples (max 15 images will be reviewed)
- Videos of work (max of 7 minutes total will be reviewed)
- Links to websites showing work samples or published materials (max 5 sites)
Resume, LOI, references, and any website or file-sharing links should be emailed to:
education@nationalchildrensmuseum.org
with the subject line: NCM ARTIST-IN-RESIDENCE 2023
- Attach pdfs of your resume, LOI, and references to the email.
- Websites, images, and video files may be submitted by including a link to a file sharing site such as Dropbox or Google Drive within the body of your email.
Deadline for application submissions is April 30, 2023.
National Children’s Museum is committed to equal opportunity for all employees and prospective employees without discrimination based upon race, color, religion, national origin, sex, age, personal appearance, sexual orientation, political affiliation, family responsibilities, disability, matriculation, marital status or any other category protected by law. This policy applies to all aspects of employment at NCM, including, but not limited to recruitment, promotion, compensation, benefits, training and development, access to facilities, discipline, separation of employment and other terms and conditions of employment.
