Greater Philadelphia Cultural Alliance

Artistic Director

About Intercultural Journeys

Intercultural Journeys (IJ) was born from the belief that the arts find, celebrate, and profoundly express our common humanity. Since 2002, we have presented artists from artistic backgrounds that have been traditionally underrepresented or marginalized, and use this diverse cultural expression as a crucial component of inspiring a love of music and the arts, breaking down stereotypes and barriers, and bridging cultural divides. Every year, we present mainstage seasons, dialogue-performance events, educational residencies and workshops, and special projects, totaling between 12 and 15 events per season. For more information, please visit interculturaljourneys.org.

Position Description

Intercultural Journeys seeks an engaging and visionary Artistic Director to begin work in summer or fall 2020. The Artistic Director provides creative leadership of Intercultural Journeys’ programs and projects, and works closely with the Executive Director and Board to ensure that IJ fulfills its mission and achieves its goals in programming, education, and community involvement. In close collaboration with the ED and Board, the Artistic Director plays a key role in audience development, fundraising, and strategic planning. The position is part-time and year-round, with a flexible schedule and workplace, and an average expected time commitment of 12-15 hours per week, or approximately 50-60 hours per month. The Artistic Director is expected to attend all dress rehearsals and performances, and performances most frequently occur on evenings and weekends. The Artistic Director reports to the Executive Director, and is a member of the senior leadership team.

Salary is set between $22,000-$24,000, commensurate with experience, and does not include health, dental, or other benefits. 

Artistic Responsibilities 

  • Conceive, develop, and direct Intercultural Journeys’ annual programming, special projects, and season themes, in keeping with IJ’s mission and budget.
  • Research, identify, and select artists for mainstage season, special projects, and educational programs; work with artists and/or management to secure commitment to IJ’s season.
  • Communicate effectively with artists, their representatives, and IJ staff, to ensure that performance standards for excellence are met.
  • Oversee production for mainstage programs, including:
    • Venue research
    • In conjunction with artist(s), overall design and integration of artists, space, and visual elements, as necessitated by artist/production
    • Planning, timelines, and communication with artists
    • Stage plots and technical audio/visual requirements
    • Planning dress rehearsals/tech rehearsals, and additional preliminary rehearsals, as necessary
  • Design educational and community based programs in line with IJ’s mission and season; build IJ’s network of partners; with ED, oversee strategic planning and growth of educational programs.
  • Provide timely written information for grant proposals, marketing materials, and program books.

Leadership and Development Responsibilities 

  • Be a significant onsite presence at IJ performances in service of artistic, audience, and donor cultivation, and take a leadership role in cultivating donors and new audiences.
  • Maintain a visible and active role in Philadelphia’s artistic community as a face of IJ, including communicating when applicable with the media, while helping develop the image of IJ within the Greater Philadelphia area.
  • Provide artistic vision and written material, as needed, for grant, program, and project proposals. 
  • Track grant-funded project and program goals, and provide detailed artistic evaluation at the completion of each project and/or program.

Required Skills, Experiences, Knowledge, and Abilities

  • Experience developing and implementing imaginative programming ideas that have significance to artists and the community at-large; this may require both a willingness to explore a variety of directions in art-making and experience in diverse repertoire.
  • Dedication to the principles of IJ’s mission, and a commitment to fostering productive dialogue through cultural exchange.
  • Deep knowledge of the arts scene in Philadelphia, and familiarity with a network of professional performing artist colleagues across the United States.
  • Experience and efficacy in long-range artistic planning and strategic thinking.
  • A demonstrated ability to communicate responsively, and to develop and maintain positive, productive working relationships with staff, artists, board members, donors, and volunteers.
  • Excellent writing skills, including evidence of collaborations on successfully funded grant proposals, publicity materials in a variety of media, and more.
  • The ability to multi-task and manage firm deadlines.
  • A bachelor’s degree, preferably in an arts-related field of study
  • 5-7+ years of experience as a curator, performing artist, administrator, and/or a combination of the three; preferred 2-4 years of successful performing arts programming experience.

Intercultural Journeys seeks an engaging and visionary Artistic Director to begin work in summer or fall 2020. Application deadline has been extended due to the covid-19 pandemic.