The Abrons Arts Center is the arts division of Henry Street Settlement. Abrons is a world-renowned institution that advocates for diverse artistic communities through educational programs, residencies, exhibitions and presentations. Each year Abrons welcomes over 35,000 people with over 20 commissioned performances, 5 gallery exhibitions, 5 artist residencies for performing and visual art practitioners, and 100 different classes in dance, music, theater, and visual art. Abrons also supports New York City public schools with teaching artists, introducing more than 3,000 students to the arts. Abrons Arts Center supports bold, visionary experimental artists and believes that the arts can provide a unique opportunity to build human connection, radical empathy, and understanding. Abrons values freedom of expression and creativity while striving to provide creative communities with a space that celebrates diversity of thought and experience.

As the Director of Arts Education and Community Engagement, you will lead the curatorial vision, strategy, and implementation of our Center Education class/workshop offerings, NYCHA Arts Initiative, and PATHS Program (Promoting the Arts Throughout Henry Street). You will also steward the Center’s presence and positive impact in New York City Department of Education, Henry Street Settlement programs and other community-based partnerships. You will ensure that our programming provides exceptional, experimental and experiential approaches to artistic practice for learners of all ages of stages of their creative development.

You will collaborate with the Arts Center’s Vice President of Visual and Performing Arts and Producing Director to co-create educational programming and initiatives that are in alignment with Arts Center’s Presenting seasons and Residency programs. You will also collaborate with Henry Street Settlement’s Education, Mental Health, Older Adult, Workforce, and Community Engagement teams to curate exceptional arts educational programming that is responsive to the interests/needs of Henry Street Settlement clients.

You will report to the Vice President of Visual and Performing Arts, and will manage an Associate Director of Arts Education and Community Engagement, an Education Manager, and Education Coordinator.

You will be:

• Aligned with Arts Center’s values of accessibility, equity, and inclusion
• Deeply creative in your approach to arts pedagogy and curriculum design
• Confident in establishing work priorities, managing timelines, coordinating multiple projects simultaneously, implementing, and meeting deadlines
• Energized by the role of arts education in social emotional development
• Motivated to provide exceptional arts educational programming to a diverse community of learners across a variety of disciplines, skill levels, and learning styles
• Highly collaborative, with a strong ability to communicate graciously with diverse audiences
• Committed to recruitment, retention and professional development of exceptional teaching artists
• Enthusiastic and interested in having a personal presence at the Arts Center’s programming

You will have:

• 5+ years of managerial experience in arts education
• Deep interest in and knowledge base of contemporary visual and performing arts
• Jovial, warm, and professional demeanor
• Experience in and commitment to supporting learners with IEPs, physically disabled and neurodivergent learners
• De-escalation expertise and trauma-informed approach
• Advanced project management, solutions-oriented problem-solving capacities
• Advanced proficiency in departmental budgeting and strategic thinking regarding revenue generation for classes and workshops
• Active engagement with arts education field through participation in professional  development and field-related learning opportunities
• Experience working with the New York City Department of Education

You will lead the Center Education Programming by:

• Crafting the curatorial approach, programmatic design, and developmental arch of the Center Education tuition-based class/workshop and private lesson offerings across disciplines of dance, music, theater, and visual art for young and adult learners of diverse learning abilities
• Cultivating meaningful relationships with Center Education learners and families to ensure exceptional learning experiences
• Collaborating with the Vice President of Visual and Performing Arts and Producing Director to develop educational programming for the Center’s commissioned shows, exhibitions and residencies
• Devising the strategy and implementation of the Arts Center’s summer arts programming
• Devising, implementing and managing the hiring processes, curriculum development, and professional evaluation of Center Education teaching artists
• Curating and producing arts educational professional development programming for teaching artists
• Curating and co-producing education showcases, exhibitions and culminating events in collaboration with the Abrons Presenting and Production team
• Collaborating with the Center’s Marketing and Communications department to promote Center Education programming to meet–with the goal to exceed–enrollment and revenue goals
• Effectively managing Departmental budget, as well as the protocols for the Center’s tuition assistance and scholarship programs

You will lead Community Engagement Programming by: 

• Crafting the curatorial approach, programmatic design, and developmental arch of the Center’s arts educational partnerships through the PATHS (Promoting the Arts Throughout Henry Street Settlement) Program and StudioLab Program (New York City Department of Education programming)
• Collaborating closely Henry Street Settlement division directors and NYC DOE administrators to provide exceptionally facilitated one-time and/or semester long workshops that are responsive and engaging to the needs and interests of Henry Street Settlement clients and learners
• Aligning with Henry Street Settlement and the Center’s Marketing and Communications department to devise creative and effective approaches for marketing PATHS programs and the Center’s NYCHA Arts Initiative
• Devising, implementing and managing the hiring processes, curriculum development, and professional evaluation of PATHS and StudioLab teaching artists
• Nurturing and developing pre-existing arts education partnerships with Lower East Side based New York City Department of Education partners schools
• Identifying, cultivating and securing new community based partnerships, inclusive of university-level partnerships

Please apply here.