Craft Education Fellow (FT)

2 Year Fellowship (May 2025 - May 2027)

POSITION OVERVIEW

The Craft Education Fellow will work closely with the Program Manager - Community Vitality to develop and contribute to a portfolio of teaching opportunities and education initiatives supporting the Center’s national community vitality programs. These programs seek to catalyze craft by learning with and from communities nationwide through grants and fellowships, convening artists and thought leaders, documenting and disseminating learnings, and spearheading new leadership initiatives. A particular focus will be to document and extend the impact of the Center’s Teaching Artist Cohort. Initiated in 2023, this program supports craft artists who teach with $10,000 grants and a cohort experience that develops their artistic and teaching careers through programs, mentorship, and peer-to-peer learning. This position will require 37.5 hours per week for 24 consecutive months.

The Craft Education Fellow will work with Center for Craft staff, contractors, grant recipients, and other partners and audiences. The successful candidate will take the lead on two projects:

The first project is to plan, implement, and manage the expanded Teaching Artist Cohort, focused on developing the national community vitality aspect of this award through programming and convenings. This includes planning and facilitating the cohort’s three-month curriculum, teaching through lectures, facilitated discussions and/or workshops, and inviting guest presenters. The first year of the Fellow’s cohort experience will be pre-planned but taught by the Fellow, with the opportunity to develop and personalize the curriculum in year 2. Outside of the cohort, there are additional outreach, facilitation, and teaching opportunities that the Fellow will have the creative agency to design, propose, and implement.

The second is to develop and manage a new Craft Based Education grant opportunity for current and former Teaching Artist cohort recipients. This is an opportunity for the Fellow to learn grantmaking best practices from the Center for Craft staff, who will mentor the Fellow through the grant development process. No previous grantmaking experience is required.

In addition to these projects, the Fellow will support other national programs, including a Craft Think Tank, initiatives that increase public-facing storytelling, and impact assessment for the education and community vitality aspect of the Center for Craft’s programs. This might include writing articles and reports, developing video and other digital content, developing and leading public programs, presenting findings at conferences, and other creative and non-conventional dissemination ideas.

POSITION RESPONSIBILITIES

• Manage select Center for Craft’s grants and fellowship programs that develop healthy craft communities, including the call for applications/nominations, online application and review process (Slideroom), counseling applicants to ensure deadlines and requirements are met, leading grant orientations, organizing selection committees, administering feedback to applicants, processing grant payments, and evaluating program outcomes. Support grant recipients through the lifecycle of the funded project.
• Create and execute support services and programs for current and former grantees to increase the impact of the Center’s grants and fellowships, particularly the Teaching Artist Cohort. These may include networking and mentorship events, virtual programs, and professional development programs.
• Support and contribute to formulating and implementing grant-making and program strategies that advance healthy craft communities locally and across the United States and its territories. This includes developing new grant opportunities, outreach, and/or partnerships.
• Develop positive relationships with grant recipients and key external program partners that cultivate equity, inclusion, resilience, creativity, collaboration, and transparency.
• Increase the awareness, effect, and impact of projects funded through the Center’s grant and fellowship programs. This includes developing and leading public programs; creating content and storytelling related to grantees for marketing, social media, and fundraising; maintaining the grant archive on the Center’s website; and developing and implementing other documentation and dissemination strategies as needed.
• Maintain financial and administrative grant records; keep the grant and project archives current; ensure grantee contact information is current; and evaluate the grant database and content systems for effectiveness and updates.
• Other duties as assigned.

Career fields and/or kinds of positions this role would prepare a fellow for: Museums, art education, community engagement, nonprofits, institutional grantmaking, communications, and/or program management. The fellow will have opportunities to meet and work directly with a network of leading artists, scholars, curators, students, and institutions.

Mentorship and Networking: In addition to being mentored by Center for Craft staff, the Fellow will have the opportunity to meet one-on-one with leaders in the craft field who are part of the Center’s networks. The Fellow and staff will meet at the beginning of each year to tailor these opportunities to the Fellow’s areas of interest.

Professional Development: As part of their Fellowship, the successful candidate will be allocated $5,000/year in professional development and/or travel funds to pursue a job-related area of interest.

QUALIFICATIONS

The ideal candidate will have a Master's degree in education or arts education or higher and at least three to five years of experience working with artists, community building, arts administration, or a combination of equivalent training and experience. We recognize there are alternative modes of education. Non-traditional arts educators are encouraged to apply. A working knowledge of craft is highly preferred. The following skills, qualities, and experiences are also a priority:

• Organized, self-motivated planner who may work independently and collaboratively as part of a team.
• Strong communication and interpersonal skills with the intent to develop and maintain positive relationships that cultivate equity, creativity, collaboration, and transparency.
• Aptitude for public speaking and facilitation, ability to produce and lead virtual and in-person public programs.
• Teaching/coaching skills for working with grantees and program participants
• Visibility requires maintaining a professional appearance and providing a positive company image to the staff, applicants, grantees, and public.
• Project management skills with attention to detail: the ability to multitask, problem-solve, prioritize, delegate, and create systems and processes to manage and track projects; Demonstrated proficiency in the use and creation of systems to track, evaluate, and monitor projects;
• Advanced computer knowledge, including Google Suite, Microsoft Office, and Adobe Suite, and familiarity with virtual engagement tools and platforms such as Zoom, Instagram, and Facebook. Must be willing to learn new applications as needed.

COMPENSATION

This position is full-time, exempt, and has full benefits. It is time-limited, with an end date of two years from the first day. The Salary is $50,000/year, plus Medical/Dental, Life Insurance, LTD, STD, and a matching 401k. The position also offers three weeks of paid leave and recognized federal holidays. The Craft Education Fellow reports to the Program Manager—Community Vitality.

SCHEDULE

Work hours must be regularly scheduled between Monday - Friday, 8 AM - 6 PM EST.  Occasional nights and weekend hours are required. Some travel may be required. The Craft Education Fellow may be remote or work on-site at the Center for Craft in downtown Asheville, North Carolina. If remote, the position will be required to travel to the Center for Craft at least twice and up to four times per year.  This position is scheduled to begin in May 2025 and run through May 2027. Exact start and end dates will be determined upon an offer of employment.

DEADLINE

Applications will be accepted until April 4, 2025 or until the position is filled.

TO APPLY

Please send the application form, cover letter, and resume to Anna Helgeson, Program Manager, Community Vitality, at ahelgeson@centerforcraft.org. No phone calls please. Offer of employment is contingent on successfully passing a background check.

The Center for Craft is an Equal Opportunity Employer.  We do not discriminate against any individual or group based on age, disability, gender, national origin, race, religion, sexual orientation, or veteran status. The Center encourages applications from candidates who can complement the Center for Craft’s Diversity, Equity, Accessibility, and Inclusion work by offering unique perspectives and understanding of issues impacting groups traditionally under-represented in the field. Applying does not constitute a promise or guarantee of employment.

ABOUT THE CENTER FOR CRAFT

Founded in 1996, the Center for Craft is a national 501(c)3 nonprofit organization whose mission is to resource, catalyze, and amplify how and why craft matters. We increase access to craft by empowering and resourcing artists, researchers, organizations, and communities through grants, fellowships, and programs that bring people together. Our public galleries educate our audiences about the materials, processes, skills, and research that define craft. The Center is widely acknowledged as one of the most influential organizations working on behalf of craft in the United States.

For more information, follow the Center at centerforcraft.org, and on Facebook and Instagram.