Who We Are
 

HERE Arts Center (HERE) was founded in 1993 by four ambitious visionaries — Kristin Marting, Tim Maner, Barbara Busackino, and Randy Rollison, and has been one of New York's most prolific arts organizations. In June 2024, Kristin Marting will step down from her position as Founding Artistic Director of HERE, making way for a new generation of leadership.  Tim Maner continues to serve on the HERE Board of Directors and Barbara Busackino continues to support HERE in her capacity as producer of the Dream Music Puppetry program. Kristin, Tim and Barbara will all be available to provide ongoing support to new leadership throughout the transition period.

Today, HERE stands at the forefront of the city’s cultural scene, commissioning, producing, and presenting daring, new, multidisciplinary performance experiences. From our home in Lower Manhattan, HERE builds an inclusive community that nurtures artists of all backgrounds as they disrupt conventional expectations to create innovative performances in theatre, dance, music, puppetry, media, and visual art. By providing these genre-blending artists with an adaptive, flexible home for developing and producing their work, we share a range of perspectives reflective of the complexity of our city. HERE welcomes curious audiences to witness groundbreaking performances, responsive to the world in which we live, at free and affordable prices.

HERE strives to create an equitable, diverse, and inclusive home in which all people have fair access to the resources they need to realize their visions. We acknowledge structural inequities that exclude individuals and communities from opportunities based on race, gender, disability, sexual orientation, class, age, and geography, and seek to counter those inequities in our work. Through mindful actions on sustainability and regenerative practices, we work toward climate justice, and a safe, livable planet for present and future artmakers and audiences. 

Our Future
 

Rooted in HERE’s mission and values, the board and staff are invested in launching a new structure where HERE will be led by three Co-Directors. These three Co-Directors will all be part of the artistic life of HERE through the curation and support for HERE artists, and their ability to further the work, mission and reputation of HERE through their own artistic practice. Each Co-Director will also lead different functions of the organization, leveraging their individual passions and skills to best serve HERE’s team as a whole. The specific capabilities needed by the Co-Directors collectively are outlined in this opportunity statement. 

HERE is hiring two new Co-Directors to come into the organization starting in May/June 2024. The third Co-Director is Amanda Szeglowski, who until recently served as Associate Artistic Director, was previously a HARP artist at HERE, and who has been associated with the organization for 13 years.

 

HERE has also been developing new strategies for the future, which include:

• A reinvestment and renovation of the physical space at 145 6th Avenue, explicitly to create more welcoming gathering spaces that serve as portals to the black-box Mainstage and Dorothy B. Williams Theatre along with better rehearsal, backstage, tech and office spaces for artistic work and community building,

• Activating more deeply the network of HERE’s HARP artists and alumni, as well as fostering their relationships with the public and supporters of innovative arts,

• Taking a longer-term approach to organizational partnerships that can support vibrancy and community in the HERE space, and

• Expanding HERE’s relationships with groundbreaking artists around the world to platform them in New York, building upon HERE’s special history, visibility, and artistic values.

What We Are Looking for in Our New Co-Directors

​

For all three of our Co-Directors, what we most seek are people who have a deep and extensive belief in the development of artists and creation of artistic work that moves in new directions. Our Co-Directors will take their own skills, experiences, and passions to advance the work of multidisciplinary artists (including their own work) to grow HERE as a connected community and to grow the resources available to fuel the vanguard of our national artistic adventure.

HERE has a special history and distinctive physical presence in Manhattan, and our Co-Directors will be invested in what is created and presented in those spaces, while being engaged and curious about artists operating in the New York area, throughout the United States, and in countries around the world. They will live in the New York area and maintain an active presence with our community in the HERE space, but may have lived and worked in many other environments. 
 

With three Co-Directors sharing responsibilities and leadership, we are eager to have three very different and distinct individuals whose perspectives can inform and build on one another. Following HERE’s decades-long commitment to exploring new directions, we are excited to embrace Co-Directors who may be unexpected in many different ways!
 

Human Expectations and Personal Values

 

We expect our Co-Directors to be very different from one another, but we do expect them to unify around HERE’s team mission and values. First and foremost, they will all embrace the value of collaborating with others who are different than themselves, and working through the effort of understanding one another to create dynamics where everyone feels valued and has what they need to thrive as a human being and in their creative and operational work.

HERE's mission, values, and how we operate are elaborated on our website. In particular, we encourage our audiences to believe, as we do, that there is value in an artist’s effort and exploration, rather than only the ultimate outcome or finished product. This applies to our team, our community, and our organization as well – HERE is on a journey that goes into new places, where different individuals join us for a time or a season, and who we are can shift and grow as we do as artists and as people. Embracing this spirit of growth and exploration is essential for our new Co-Directors team who will be supporting and guiding us as a team and as individuals in our day to day.

In a Co-Director structure, where the three individuals have equal shares of power and authority in the organization, including a collaborative single seat and single vote on the Board of Directors, each Co-Director needs an appreciation for the benefits of co-leadership and an eagerness to support one another while feeling confident and clear in their responsibilities on the team. A spirit of humility and grace to know when to lean into their perspective and when to make space for others’ expertise is the bedrock of how we hope HERE will function going forward.

Co-Director Roles and Structures

 

HERE has spent extensive time discussing and exploring the structure for three Co-Directors. Because we are looking to engage two new individuals at the same time, there are options for how two unique human beings may approach the needs of the HERE team and how they will compliment the current Co-Director, Amanda Szeglowski. Because HERE will be collectively led by three individuals, no single person needs to be outstanding in all areas, as long as we can co-create a team of three who collectively are exceptional in all the capabilities HERE needs to fulfill its purpose.

​

Areas that will be fully shared between the three Co-Directors

​

In these areas, we expect all three Co-Directors to share responsibility and collaborate actively and regularly, including making key decisions together in these through consensus.

​

• Setting and Implementing HERE’s Overall Strategy

• Evolving and Refining HERE’s Artistic Vision, and setting annual or multi-year artistic plans

• Understanding and Carefully Managing HERE’s Capacity (Financial, Physical, Human, and Creative)

• Caring for HERE’s people, including direct human support for individuals and holding responsibility for more structured Human Resources needs, challenges, and concerns

• Representing HERE Externally to the Press and General Public

• Individual Relationship Development and Nurturing with individuals, ranging from artists to funders to individual donors to partners

• Fundraising, including identifying new potential sources of funds for HERE and directly participating in relationship building and major gift cultivation and asks

• Collaborating with the Board of Directors, including sharing service on various Board committees between the Co-Directors
   

Artistic Practice
 

All three Co-Directors are expected to participate in the HARP program curation process, and participate in mutually-agreed ways in artist support and collaborations. In addition, HERE is welcoming of Co-Directors who have their own artistic practice. For any Co-Director who has a body of artistic work and wishes to continue developing projects and productions, HERE is excited to provide them with the opportunity to produce their own work that aligns with the mission and aesthetic of HERE. The current expectation is that, more or less, HERE can support one Co-Director production at HERE each year, with the other two Co-Directors adjusting workloads and responsibilities to support each other as needed. The exact schedule or sharing of those opportunities will be up to the three Co-Directors to determine. If a Co-Director is not interested in producing their own work at HERE, then the Co-Directors will sort out together how that impacts the balancing of roles and responsibilities year to year.

 

Areas that will be led by Co-Director Amanda Szeglowski
 

Current Associate Artistic Director Amanda Szeglowski, now promoted to Co-Director, has already been leading several areas of HERE, including creative producing work, active leadership in the HARP program, and heading the marketing and communications functions of HERE. Going forward, we anticipate that Amanda will use her strong expertise to take a lead position in the following areas:
 

• Direct Management of the HARP program

• HERE’S Marketing and Communications, including support for Marketing/Public Relations staff

• HERE’s Audience Engagement and Community Building efforts, from a communications and programming lens

• HERE’s Institutional Giving, from the lens of materials, communication, and language use
   

Areas that will be led by our two new Co-Directors
 

The following is a list of areas where HERE needs our Co-Directors to collectively have deep experience and be able to advance HERE’s artistic vibrancy, community connections, and available resources. We have separated them into a potential split between the two new Co-Directors, but we are very open to candidates suggesting a re-combination of the areas of responsibility to match their unique backgrounds. 

How this Search will Operate – Values, Communication, and Compensation

​

Overall Estimated Timeline:
 

• Application Period:

               February 23 to March 29, 2024
     After the end of the application period, please reach out if you are still interested and we will let you know if there is still an           opportunity for consideration.
 

• Initial Virtual Candidate Meetings:

                March 25 to April 5, 2024
 

• Finalist Zoom Presentations and Deep-Dive Meetings:

                April 17 to 30, 2024
 

• Collective Finalist On-Site:                                                           

                Between April 17 to 28, 2024 (exact dates TBD)
 

• Employment Agreement is Signed:      

                May 2024

​

After an initial submission of interest (see below for instructions), selected candidates will be invited for a virtual Candidate Meeting with Calida Jones, Doug Clayton, and/or Rebecca Novick from Creative Evolutions. Following the initial meetings, a group of candidates will be advanced to a robust finalist process.
 

The finalist process will likely include:
 

• A virtual presentation and Q&A with the full board and staff
   

• A series of deep-dive explorations on the key areas of leadership noted in the “Roles and Structure” section. Each of these exploration meetings will be conducted by individuals with very direct expertise in the particular area. These individuals may come from the board, the staff, or be engaged outside industry peers. Any outside industry peers who participate in the evaluation process will also be engaged to be colleagues, advisors, or mentors to the Co-Director team during the first year.
   

• A physical on-site visit that includes at minimum:

  • ​Touring HERE’s spaces

  • Meetings with staff and board and artists in various environments, and allowing the full team to learn about you and share about themselves

  • An individual meeting with Co-Director Amanda Szeglowski
     

In addition, because this process includes hiring two Co-Directors, the finalist process will include the opportunity for finalists to meet each other. This process is not just looking for ‘the best’ individuals, but a combination of three Co-Directors who we all believe will be able to grow together as a team. Candidates will get to meet each other individually or in groups, and will be asked at the end individually to talk about how they see different combinations potentially working for their potential future at HERE.

This is a lot of time, energy, and expertise to ask for finalist candidates, and HERE and Creative Evolutions are providing $1,200 in direct compensation to each finalist candidate, in addition to reimbursing expenses (transportation, housing, food) associated with finalists coming on site to meet with people at HERE.
 

This search process is rooted in values shared by HERE and Creative Evolutions, and will include the following elements:
 

• It is important to us that you are treated with respect and are appreciated for the value you create for HERE through your participation in this process. Candidates who do not advance will be notified promptly and given feedback on their materials or candidacy relative to the rest of the candidate pool.
   

• Throughout the process we commit to active communication with you, so you are never wondering what is happening or where things stand with your application or the hiring process.
   

• It is important that the full HERE team participates in the selection process. Final candidates will have the opportunity to come on site before a hiring decision is made. They will also have the opportunity to meet all Staff and Board (in-person or virtually), as well as some artists during the finalist process.

​

You can read more about principles that inform Creative Evolutions' hiring processes here.
 

How to Express Your Interest

​

Email HERE@creativeevolutions.com.  This email comes to Calida Jones, Doug Clayton, and Rebecca Novick, who will respond to you to confirm receipt and who will stay in communication with you consistently throughout the process. 
 

With your email, please:
 

• Say hello!  We are real people over here, not a bot – so feel free to use your authentic voice in the first email we get from you.
   

• Provide a pdf of your resume. The resume can be of any length and style, though we encourage you to adjust it as appropriate to help us see how your history and experience connect to the current circumstances, intentions, and needs of HERE. If your preferred resume already lives in an online space or platform, you are welcome to simply provide a link to those materials.
   

• Confirm if you are applying on your own for one of the Co-Director positions, or if you are applying jointly with someone else as a two-person team. If you are applying as a team, please submit together with both of your materials and from both of your email addresses.
   

• Instead of providing a standard cover letter, please provide a written pdf response of approximately two to three pages that includes answers to the following questions. Please write out the questions and answer each one individually and distinctly. If you feel you communicate more effectively verbally, you can submit a link to a video of you talking through your answers to these questions as an alternative.
   

  1. Who are you and what is most exciting for us to know about you as a human being?  What is most exciting for us to know about you as an artist? What is most exciting for us to know about you as a leader?
      

  2. Do you have any direct history with HERE, or relationships with any of the current staff or board or HARP artists?  Please share your current awareness and perspective on HERE’s particular position and role in the field’s artistic journey.
      

  3. HERE has outlined how we might imagine the two Co-Directors identifying their particular areas to lead (see above).  Are you interested in being considered for Co-Director X or Co-Director Y as outlined?  If you have a different structure to suggest, how would you recombine key areas in a different way that would work best for you?
      

  4. Why are you interested specifically in working with HERE at this particular moment in your career? How would this role build on what you have done before and develop you for where you see yourself heading in the future?
      

  5. What experience have you had working in or directly observing a co-leadership or shared-leadership structure?  What do you think are the most important practical steps you would need to take with your Co-Directors to be able to work together in a truly shared fashion?
      

  6. HERE has committed to a robust set of values. What in those values most resonates with you? Please share an example of specific actions you’ve taken in the past that demonstrated your commitment to that value or idea. 
      

• If you wish, feel free to share how you self-identify so we can honor your preferences and perspectives in our communications with you!
   

If you have any questions about the position or your submission, please feel free to e-mail and we will be happy to discuss with you at any time!

​