Northern Spark 2019 – Outreach and Projects Festival Apprentice

Northern Lights supports artists in the creation and presentation of art in the public sphere, focusing on innovative uses of technology to imagine new interactions between audience, artwork and place and explore expanded possibilities for civic engagement.

Our largest program is Northern Spark, a free, annual, late-night, multidisciplinary arts festival that takes place in June and draws tens of thousands of Minnesotans each year. In collaboration with arts organizations and community partners, we turn the city into a surprising arts experience.  For more information about Northern Lights.mn, visit our website: http://northern.lights.mn/.  For more information about Northern Spark, visit northernspark.org

In 2019 Northern Spark takes place in three neighborhoods: Downtown East (Minneapolis) in The Commons, American Indian Cultural Corridor (Minneapolis) along Franklin Ave., and Rondo (St. Paul) at Hallie Q. Brown Community Center. The apprentice positions seek applicants with strong cultural ties to the latter of these two neighborhoods.

Since 2011, Northern Spark has created a spirit of adventure and belonging, with the help of hundreds of artists and community partners. The goal of the apprentice program is to share the systems we’ve built over the years, and to foster an exchange of skills and community knowledge in the neighborhoods where the festival is taking place. Festival apprentices get an inside view at how a large public event comes to be, as part of a dynamic team that works together to produce this beloved event. 

For this year’s Apprentice Positions we are looking for candidates with cultural connections and community involvement in the Rondo neighborhood of St. Paul and the American Indian Cultural Corridor in Minneapolis.

DEADLINE: Friday, January 11, 2019
To apply, please submit a resume and cover letter online here.
Questions? email jobs@northern.lights.mn 

Job Description: Outreach and Projects Festival Apprentice

The Outreach and Projects Festival Apprentice works with the Program Council and Projects Manager on all aspects of project support and community outreach.

A successful candidate will have experience working with communities/neighborhoods along with a general knowledge of monitoring, supporting, collecting, and organizing data, project deliverables, and milestones.

Core areas of learning and responsibility include, but not limited too:

• Managing information and contracts for artists, vendors, partners, volunteers, and special project contractors.
• Updating information systems (civi CRM, Asana, Google Calendar, MailChimp) and web resources (wordpress).
• Attend Bi-weekly staff meetings.
• Attend Program Council meetings.
• Outreach in specific neighborhoods and communities to promote NS and NL opportunities.
• Research, gather, and input data information.
• Participate in debrief of apprenticeship program.

Required Meetings and Events

• Attend bi-weekly Northern Spark staff meetings
• Attend monthly Program Council meetings (March, April, May)
• Attend Artist and Partner Kick Off meeting (February)
• Attend Final Production Meeting and Press Preview (May)
• Attend and work Northern Spark, June 14 & 15, 9 pm – 2 am

Stipend: $5,000
Estimated hours: 10 hrs/week (hours may change in May and June)
Duration: January through June 30, 2019
Festival Dates: June 14 & 15, 2018
Reports to: Program Council and Project Manager

Required skills: Excellent written and verbal communication skills, self-motivated and able to meet changing deadlines. Ability to work with a fast-paced schedule with overlapping project timelines.

Required availability: Weekday schedule to be determined with supervisor. Must be available Wednesdays from 2-3:30 pm for staff meetings. Some evening and weekend availability is necessary.

Required equipment: Own computer and internet access when not in the NL office.

Download the job description here.