The Director of Public Art & Creative Activation is responsible for a broad range of programs and projects that enhance the vitality of the Golden Triangle neighborhood, and works closely with city and federal officials and Golden Triangle stakeholders to reimagine the resilience and vibrancy of a central area in the nation’s capital. This position will lead the BID’s efforts to use art and design to redefine DC’s post-COVID era, and benefits from someone with passion for activating underutilized downtowns and public spaces with a range of creative solutions to urban design challenges and opportunities.
This position directs public art and creative activation efforts that are designed to enhance and activate public spaces within the neighborhood including parks, sidewalks, and other open spaces. The recent strategic plan outlines three core objectives:
- Bring more vitality and activity to the Golden Triangle’s streets by helping to attract and create engaging uses throughout street-level spaces.
- Activate spaces within the Golden Triangle with welcoming, fun, and inclusive programming, giving employees, residents, and visitors a district where the outdoors can be enjoyed by all.
- Design and install improvements that create inviting and unique places in the Golden Triangle and reinforce the district’s transformation into a more mixed-use neighborhood.
The Director of Public Art & Creative Activation will advance the BID’s strategic aims by using temporary public art, performances, and creative partnerships to advance strategic economic development and visibility of the neighborhood. The Director’s portfolio of projects will include leveraging small, local, and diverse retail to activate vacant storefronts and lobbies; presenting performances and programs to draw employees, residents, and visitors to Farragut Square, pocket parks, and other green spaces; bringing whimsical and interactive elements to public spaces (e.g. Golden Haiku, a perennial favorite); and continuing to integrate large, ambitious temporary and permanent public art throughout the Golden Triangle. This is a wonderful opportunity to leverage DC’s culturally-diverse and high-quality arts, culture, and design to
create events, programs, and activations that increase engagement with office workers, residents, and visitors experiencing the neighborhood.
The successful candidate will be a creative professional with experience activating public spaces through public art, live theater or music performances, festivals, or other creative initiatives. They will demonstrate strong skills in planning, project management, budgeting, and stakeholder engagement, particularly in relation to navigating complex governmental entities that oversee the placement and installation of public art.
Compensation
The starting salary for this position is $120,000. All BID employees receive a generous benefits package including paid time off, insurance for health, dental, and vision, employer-sponsored retirement savings, and more.
Working Location
The Golden Triangle BID offices are located near Farragut Square. This position operates on a hybrid schedule with frequent on-site engagements in and around the Golden Triangle neighborhood and the greater DC area, including occasional evening and weekend events. The office currently operates a 3 days/week in-person schedule.
Direct Public Art and Creative Activations Initiatives
- Direct and implement an overall strategy for the BID, including activating parks, sidewalks, and other public spaces through permanent and temporary art, cultural events, space improvements, and pop-up and activations in vacant retail and lobbies.
- Develop activation concepts, identify sites for public art and placemaking projects, engage partners, and direct commission processes to select artists, designers, and other creatives.
- Provide guidance for event strategy, including project and budget management, evaluate run of show, and oversee relationships with presenters, vendors, and sponsors.
- Prepare detailed project plans, manage project budgets, and steer contract management in partnership with legal counsel. Manage approvals, permitting, scheduling, and installation.
- Liaise with various local and federal government agencies to coordinate design, approval, permitting, and placement of permanent and temporary public art.
- Ensure compliance with applicable laws and regulations related to public art in local and federal spaces; address issues and resolve problems and discrepancies.
- Arrange dedication ceremonies, insurance, valuations, and title transfers for projects.
- Set and assess performance metrics to evaluate project outcomes.
- Monitor the BID’s inventory of public art pieces; manage maintenance plan and repairs.
- Follow trends and opportunities in urban placemaking and public art.
- Work collaboratively with all BID programs and departments to ensure these strategies align with and enhance the strategic plan; contribute to future strategic plans.
Strengthen External Partnerships
- Represent the BID to the arts community by building relationships with artists, arts organizations, and potential sponsors, partners, and vendors through meetings, panels, public forums, and other field-building activities.
- Foster and maintain relationships with BID members, including commercial real estate, small businesses, retailers, and other members located throughout the BID.
- Work closely with city and federal agencies involved in approval processes, including the DC Department of Transportation, the DC Office of Planning, the DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities, the National Park Service, and historic preservation authorities.
- Prepare reports and presentations to the BID’s board and committees.
- Ensure that key stakeholders are engaged in creating long-term and short-term plans for public art and creative activation in the Golden Triangle.
Increase Visibility and Support
- Support the Director of Communications’ efforts to brand and market the Golden Triangle through positive public relations, communications, social media, and special events.
- Develop tours to showcase the BID’s public art and streetscapes to engage different audiences, including local residents, urbanism enthusiasts, design professionals and more.
- Collaborate with BID staff and consultants to identify relevant grants and funding opportunities from foundations, corporate sponsors, and others to advance public art and creative activation in the Golden Triangle. Assist with writing grant proposals.
- Serve as liaison and champion for public art and creative activation efforts in the Golden Triangle in local and national platforms.
This position will be a challenging and rewarding opportunity that requires a diverse set of skills and experiences. While we understand that no single candidate can possess every qualification listed below, the following are priority areas:
- 10+ years of experience in public art, arts administration, performances and/or festivals, urban planning, or related field.
- Passion for and creativity with community engagement through arts and design.
- Knowledge of public art concepts and principles, including project planning and budgeting, artist selection, contract negotiations, project siting on public and private spaces, complex approval processes, maintaining inventories, and coordinating maintenance and repair.
- Experience designing and coordinating community-centered events and activations.
- Successful record establishing and maintaining effective relations with a variety of stakeholders, including artists, public officials, government agencies, consultants, vendors, and civic and business leaders. Experience with the embassy community is a major plus.
- Highly organized and skilled at project management; able to manage multiple projects, deadlines, and responsibilities simultaneously.
- Speaks and writes clearly, accurately, and persuasively, including in public settings.
- Experience partnering with communications professionals on branding, marketing, and developing engaging communications strategies.
- Self-motivated and entrepreneurial with minimal supervision. Able to work independently in a small, fast-paced organization, while collaborating with teammates and various partners.
- Foster creativity and problem-solving, remain flexible, and apply sound judgment in a fast-paced environment; sustain a high degree of professionalism at all times.
- Skilled at using a variety of business software tools to manage projects and communication progress with team members and stakeholders.
- Understanding of the needs of small and local retailers is highly desirable.
- Experience collaborating on grant writing is highly desirable.
The BID has retained the services of Good Insight, a national executive search firm serving small nonprofits. Interested applicants should submit a resume and a cover letter that describes their interest in and qualifications for this role. Visit www.good-insight.org/careers to upload application materials. Direct confidential inquiries to Carlyn Madden and Erin Lau at GoldenTriangleBID@good-insight.org.
For best consideration, apply by mid-August 2023. Qualified applicants will be contacted on a rolling basis. Early applications are encouraged due to the pace of the search.