What is the fellow’s role?

Bringing an artist’s perspective to the project, the Terra Foundation Senior Engagement Fellow will play an integral role in the development of the Art Design Chicago Engagement Learning Community and will serve as a sounding board for new ideas and approaches. Providing field-expertise and theoretical grounding in community-engagement strategies and socially engaged art practices, the fellow will help to create and lead the activities of the Engagement Learning Community, serve as a bridge between cultural institutions and community organizations, and foster imagination and innovation—helping Terra Foundation staff and partners think beyond our current perceptual and operational boundaries. We hope the experience provides a compelling opportunity for the fellow to test ideas and to advance his/her/their teaching repertoire, community practice, and professional network.

What will the fellow do?

The fellow will work closely with Terra Foundation staff and a steering committee made up of a racially diverse group of representatives of local museums and cultural organizations. Responsibilities include:

Actively contributing to the development of Engagement Learning Community methodologies and content, and leading/facilitating select Engagement Learning Community sessions;

Providing, as appropriate or requested, informal, one-on-one counsel to ADC partner organizations,;

Serving as a connector, inviting community organizations and creatives into the project, and facilitating new relationships among ADC partner organizations and between ADC partners and communities;

Conceiving of and implementing a project that interprets and/or documents the Engagement Learning Community’s work; and

Providing strategic input to Terra Foundation staff on the foundation’s broader community engagements and initiatives in Chicago (beyond the Engagement Learning Community).

The candidate:

Has an active, demonstrated community-focused visual art or design practice and theoretical grounding in social practice and community art and/or design;

Integrates intersectional and interdisciplinary praxis into their community-engaged strategies;

Has current or past teaching experience;

Demonstrates relationships within one or more Chicago communities; and a record of engaging BIPOC partners and communities;

Has a strong interest in working with museums and arts organizations and in helping to build authentic relationships between cultural institutions and communities;

Has proven cultural competency in working with diverse cultural expressions and aesthetics;

Is committed to advancing racial equity; and

Is Chicago-based. Candidates who are Black, Indigenous, and/or are other People of Color are encouraged to apply.

Term, time commitment, and compensation

A total of $65,000 over 3½ years (2021–24). Schedule is flexible and amount of time required will vary from one week to the next but is expected to average seven hours weekly. Engagement Learning Community activities will take place on weekdays. Additional funds will be available to support the final creative project if applicable.

Definitions

Community

For purposes of the Art Design Chicago Engagement Learning Community, “community” is defined as a group of people who are connected by shared geography, attributes, and/or interests. We understand that participating organizations will have defined for themselves the specific communities with which they have chosen to partner.

Community-centered practice

Creative work that is aimed at producing social transformation and includes community members (individuals, agencies, organizations) as collaborators who share in decision-making, shaping the project, and project outcomes.