Leadership Institute for Visual Arts Organizations

Twenty leaders of visual arts organizations from across the country will participate in the 2011 Leadership Institute for Visual Arts Organizations, a five-day intensive intergenerational workshop designed to encourage and sustain visionary leadership in the arts. The delegates that will be selected will have demonstrated commitment to leadership in their communities and the national arts field. This fellowship is underwritten by The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts, The Nathan Cummings Foundation, and The National Endowment for the Arts.

What is The Leadership Institute for Visual Arts Organizations?

NAMAC will bring together twenty leaders from visual and interdisciplinary arts organizations for a NAMAC Leadership Institute, September 19-23, 2011 at the Silver Falls Conference Center in Oregon. This five-day intensive intergenerational workshop is designed to encourage and sustain visionary leadership.

The Leadership Institute for Visual Arts Organizations offers delegates the opportunity to:

Increase awareness of their leadership strengths and areas for development.
Learn and practice essential teamwork and collaboration skills for leading in an era of continual change.
Determine the steps they will take to grow their leadership.
Consider the impact of generational and cultural differences in their organizations.
Broaden their network of peer support within the field.

As follow-up support, NAMAC will convene two facilitated conference calls with Institute delegates (three and six months following the Institute). These conference calls will seek to further engage alumni on their leadership goals as well as provide a forum for deepening the peer relationships.

“The NAMAC Leadership Institute for Visual Arts Organizations provided me with powerful and much-needed tools to improve my own performance. As the Institute comes to a close, l look forward to better working with my staff to create a visual arts organization that will transform our community.”

—Adam Price, Executive Director, Salt Lake Art Center

What are the Costs?

The Leadership Institute for Visual Arts Organizations is completely underwritten by The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts, The Nathan Cummings Foundation, and The National Endowment for the Arts.

What are the Selection Criteria?

A strong candidate will:

Convey their current and potential leadership as demonstrated through the written statement of interest, letter of recommendation from applicant's direct supervisor, and optional letter of recommendation.
Convey why the Institute opportunity is appropriate at this particular point in their career as demonstrated through their statement of interest.
Convey organizational commitment to the visual arts field as demonstrated through their resume.

NAMAC seeks to identify a diverse group of participants that represent a mix of emerging and established leaders nationally. The nominees who are selected are believed to be those who will benefit the most from participation and who have the most potential to contribute to advancing the visual arts field. Priority will be given to organizations that have not participated in previous NAMAC Leadership Institutes.

See the 2011 cohort here.
See the 2010 cohort here.
See the 2009 cohort here.

“If we all agree that supporting artists is some of the most important work we do, then supporting those who support artists becomes a flash of enlightened thinking. As stronger leaders with stronger organizations, our work on behalf of artists and communities has greater potential.”
—Raechell Smith, Director and Chief Curator, Block Artspace at the Kansas City Art Institute

How To Apply

Timeline:

April 18, 2011: Applications available
July 8, 2011: Deadline to apply
July 25, 2011: Delegates announced
September 19-23, 2011: Institute takes place

Facilitators

	Paula Manley has more than 20 years of experience in arts administration, adult education and nonprofit management. As co-director of The Learning Commons and principal of Paula Manley Consulting, she works with nonprofit arts and community development groups throughout the U.S. to create culturally competent and leader-full organizations. Paula specializes in participatory planning, staff and board leadership development, succession planning and executive director transitions. She also curates a small public art installation space in Southeast Portland, Mad/50. Paula is an experienced board leader and was the founding Executive Director of Tualatin Valley Community Access, a media arts center west of Portland, OR.
	Dewey Schott is the Senior Manager of Leadership Services at NAMAC and a certified personal and private coach who is passionate about helping leaders soar to new heights. He considers himself part punk, part mystic, and part organizational development nerd. Dewey leads NAMAC’s peer coaching circles, edited NAMAC's Leading Creatively anthology of current issues in leadership in the arts, and develops many other professional development programs and services for arts leaders. In 2008, he co-researched “next generation” leadership in California arts for The James Irvine Foundation. Dewey regularly presents panels and workshops on leadership and coaching in the arts at Americans for the Arts and other conferences.
	Sonya Shah is Core Faculty at the California Institute of Integral Studies in San Francisco where she teaches interdisciplinary studies. For the past 14 years she has worked as a community artist, project director, and educator in the United States, United Kingdom, and India. She was a Fulbright Fellow and artist-in-residence at MS University of Baroda, India, from 1996 to 1998. She holds a bachelor’s degree in Visual Arts from Brown University and a Master of Fine Arts degree in Film and Video from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, where she was a Jacob Javits fellow. Her most recent documentary, Something between Her Hands, examines the growing problem of sex work and labor for women in Southeast Asia and is distributed by the National Film Network