Production Manager

CARA
Center for Art, Research & Alliances

PRODUCTION MANAGER

(Short Term Position with possibility of transition into a full-time salaried position after August 15, 2022)

OVERVIEW and MISSION

Opening to the public in spring of 2022, CARA is a nonprofit art and research institute and publisher located at 225 West 13th St, New York City. CARA will be a space for reflection, un/learning, and experimentation, working to support artistic practices through aligning with kinship and care.

Care sits at the center of our aspirations - both across partners and with artists, collectives, curators, writers, researchers, thinkers and other practitioners - to complement the rich fabric of New York’s cultural ecology and beyond. Our work together will be formed by attending to the many different streams of knowledges and voices, silences and omissions, gut intelligences and cosmic forces that inform how we weave our work and our worlds together.

CARA wants to pay attention to and to look after processes and the people that enact them. CARA considers this work a vital part of cultural production, and of re-evaluating institutional models. CARA will be perpetually in-formation and we will habitually review our activities, concerns, and ethics, in dialogue with independent practitioners, so we can keep assessing and re-drawing our future as our work together continues.

POSITION/ROLE

CARA is seeking a Production Manager to support the production of the first activations of the new building.

This is a short-term position, anticipated to run from June 1 to August 15, 2022 with a possibility of extension or transition into a full-time, salaried position with benefits. See below for details.

The opening of CARA will unfold over three weekends in July and August 2022. CARA will host “Conjurings,” a series of public programs led by a curatorial collaboration with artist and music producer Lamin Fofana, curator Erika Sprey, and artist and filmmaker Sky Hopinka.

Please see further information below for information regarding this project.

The Production Manager will be responsible for developing and delivering these opening events, working with our Executive Producer, Consultant Producer, Program Team and Facilities Manager.
The Production Manager will work alongside a range of artists and creative partners. This role is for a gifted organizer, producer and communicator with a problem-solving mindset, to be part of an open and agile team, delivering outstanding contemporary art to a diverse audience.

ACCOUNTABILITY

The Production Manager works within the Program Team and will report to the Executive Director and Public Program Curator while supporting relevant staff required for the delivery of this program.

RESPONSIBILITIES

• Support the Programs Team on the delivery of the Conjurings events.
• Have experience working with art, artists and other practitioners and delivering projects.
• Have overall responsibility for the production, installation, maintenance and de-installation of the project.
• Create and maintain a weekly agenda tracking the production process and production needs of the Conjurings program.
• Maintaining production within the budget established for the Project, in collaboration with the Deputy Director.
• Any other responsibilities that may be assigned.

CONCEPTUALIZATION

• Working with Artists and Curators to facilitate the sourcing, installation and operation of the technical equipment required for the program.
• Finding the best possible scenarios and solutions with artists and other practitioners in order to produce the event within the limitations of CARA.
• Have a good knowledge of sound, light, projection and associated AV equipment.
• Liaising with the relevant suppliers to procure materials and services as required.
• Working with the Executive Director and Curators to ensure access and inclusion are designed into all audience experiences and the highest quality of interaction with partners and the public is maintained.
  

MANAGEMENT

• Support the Programs team in the technical realization of CARA’s Conjuring program.
• Work closely with the Facilities Manager to realize the program. 2
• Support the production management of the Conjuring program from planning through to delivery and breakdown including line managing temporary trades and freelance staff, as required.
• Support the planning process as required such as delivery plans, budgets, and schedules.
• Liaise, communicate, convene, attend and record meetings, and oversee the general ‘hosting’ of artists and guests.
• Stage manage the Conjuring events.
• Support the recruitment of Technical/Art Handling personnel as required, to design, fabricate, rehearse, fit-up, run and breakdown/close-out the program.
• Adhere to and maintain internal communication systems between the Program Team and other departments.
• Organize files and records for CARA including the management of records of materials, condition reports, contact lists, minutes, meeting schedules, logistics and reports.
• Work to satisfy the needs of multiple stakeholders, ensuring the best outcome for CARA, partners, sponsors, and artists.
  PLANNING & DELIVERY
• Work with the production schedule in conjunction with the Program Team. Communicate the content of those schedules effectively to all relevant parties – this includes keeping all schedules up to date.
  
• Support the creation and oversight of risk assessments with Facilities Manager, Deputy Director, and Programs Team.
• Ensure that the planning and delivery of all aspects of the program are well managed, with strong and clear lines of delegation of roles and structured team working.
• Working with the Facilities Manager and Program Team, arrange (through hire or purchase) for the resourcing of all technical equipment, fixtures and fittings, and other required materials for the project.
• Liaise with the Facilities Manager and Program Team regarding space management and storage of temporary and permanent infrastructure and materials.
• Establish and formalize production protocols for the organizational knowledge of the operation of the project.
  
• Work with CARA staff, gather cost estimates, procure and oversee deliveries, shipping and transport needs for the project.
• Ensure relationships with production partners are managed effectively and communicated internally and externally.
• Ensure adequate tools, materials and supplies are provided for the production, installation and maintenance of artworks.
• Ensure that designs, plans, structural calculations, method statements and risk assessments pertaining to individual and group works are written and circulated as required in collaboration with Facilities Manager and Programs Team.
• Create or procure digital design plans with the use of CAD software (including SketchUp), if required

EVALUATION/REPORTING

• Maintain files and records for the project including the management of records of materials, condition reports, contact lists, minutes, meeting schedules and logistics.

COMPENSATION

Employment at CARA is at will, and may be ended at any time by either you or CARA for any reason (including prior to August 15). This is a full-time, non-exempt, temporary position beginning June 1 and ending August 15. Compensation is $40 per hour. Given the anticipated duration of the role, we anticipate that the candidate selected to fill it will not be eligible to participate in CARA’s employee benefit programs (eligibility is determined by plan terms and applicable law). The schedule is 40 hours per week, Monday - Friday. The role includes 3 weekends of working on-site: July 8-10; July 22-24; and August 5-7. Attendance these weekends is required.

After this temporary position ends, there is a possibility of extension or transition into a full-time, salaried position with benefits generally available to full-time CARA employees. A job description will be shared at that time.

PROJECT OUTLINE

“The Years of Dreams: How can we dream not only about ourselves?” 2022-24

Os brancos dormen muito, mas só conseguem sonhar com eles mesmos” [White people sleep a lot, but only dream about themselves] writes Davi Kopenawa, the philosopher, shaman and spokesman of the Yanomami in Brazil. Not to dream about ourselves means dreaming about beings of the forest, the water, animals, of invisible beings or of the universe. [The Falling Sky Davi Kopenawa (2013)]

How can we dream not only about ourselves?

For “The Years of Dreams 2022-24” (Title TBC) what matters is the body. This body. A body existing in a space-time coalition, in a particular location, whilst paradoxically never being fixed to any one place in particular. Inhabiting this body is a journey in the ongoing processes of consumption and production, through which we are interdependent on each other, and with everything around us. We perceive the limits of our bodies and we perceive the limits of our own making. The body, therefore, is not a theme to us — there is no “about” in the way we work, no defined meaning or end-point — but rather a concern, an investigation, that will accompany us in the next few years.

Through “The Years of Dreams” we will unpack the questions we shared about how ‘universal’ or standardized definitions of the body came to be the current, dominant forms. How were these ideas of the body fabricated? By whom? In the interest of whom? At what moment? Informed by what? And to expand these questions; how might we disrupt these definitions? How can we expand or resist them?

We have been educated into a very Eurocentric structure of thinking. The ‘discovery’ of the Americas enabled Europe to situate itself at the economic and epistemological center of the modern world system, whereby knowledge is produced through so-called rational and conscious thinking. This system pretends that knowledge has no locus, even as it makes itself the center of all. Descartes’ proclamation of a separation of body and mind, among other things, has led to an image of humans as abstracted from all social, sexual and racial realities. So yes, while it is hard to reconnect the mind and body, it is not entirely impossible. For instance, we have scientific research on the gut-brain connection, and we also know that the modern idea of universal history — the writing of the history of humankind within a framework of progressive and linear time and space — is a Western construct.

For “The Years of Dreams” we will invoke the thinking of Davi Kopenawa - a member of the Yanomami people of North Brazil, a shaman, human/land-rights activist and a philosopher - to open us to a multitude of journeys and a new consciousness of the world as a whole and never total. Os brancos dormen muito, mas só conseguem sonhar com eles mesmos” [White people sleep a lot, but only dream about themselves] writes Davi Kopenawa. Not to dream about ourselves means dreaming about beings of the forest, the water, animals, buildings, concrete of invisible beings or of the universe. We will invoke Kopenawa thinking to ask: How can we dream not only about ourselves?

Requirements

QUALIFICATIONS/CORE COMPETENCIES

• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent and/or six years of relevant experience.
• Highly organized and detail oriented.
• Self-motivated with excellent written and verbal communication skills
• Ability to be resourceful and a creative problem solver.
• Proven ability to collaborate with a range of partners, stakeholders, and artists in the delivery of ambitious creative projects. Ability to identify potential issues in creative and production processes and find creative solutions.
  
• Proven planning, event, and project management skills.
• Experience in negotiating contracts.
  
• Proven ability to draft and manage multiple budgets and develop and negotiate financial deals.
• Excellent people and team management skills.
  
• Self-motivated and enthusiastic to learn new skills and ways of working.
• Open to developing new approaches to program management that consider access, care, and equity at all stages of design and delivery.
• A strong commitment to equality and diversity.
  
• A strong commitment to sustainability and understanding of climate change agenda.
• Interest and experience of reducing environmental impact.
• Knowledge of a full range of the key elements of technical production & stage management (e.g., lighting, sound, video, construction, set construction, wardrobe etc.), or demonstrably transferable knowledge from equivalent fields.
• Ability to coordinate resources in a busy organization – with proven experience of planning, managing, and monitoring budgets and resources.
• Excellent understanding of risk management, emergency planning, and business continuity.
• Ability to learn, interpret, understand, and explain technical plans and diagrams - and have proficiency in CAD, preferably generation of production, construction and working drawings with 3D visualizations (eg SketchUp).
• Familiarity with Health & Safety legislation and procedures in a venue context and ability to implement legislative requirements.
  
• Ability to nurture the skills of individuals under their supervision.
• Strong interpersonal skills and an ability to work with individuals at all levels.
• Ability to manage several projects simultaneously, meeting artistic and financial targets and deadlines.
  
• Ability to work within a dynamic and expanding organization.
• Knowledge of a diverse range of cultures and traditions, and proven ability to work with people from a wide variety of backgrounds.
• Enthusiasm for training, mentoring and support of early career talent. Knowledge of and passion for contemporary art practices.
• Experience of working with artists and delivering new commissions
• The ability to work with an analytical and creative approach
• Understanding of Equality and Diversity in the arts sector and implementation of positive action.

Application Instructions

CARA is an equal opportunity employer and strongly encourages applications from BIPOC, persons with disabilities, women, LGBTQ+ and other underrepresented applicants.

CARA considers all candidates for employment regardless of race or color, religion or creed, alienage or citizenship status, sex (including pregnancy), national origin, age, sexual orientation, disability, gender identity or expression, marital status, domestic partnership status, genetic information or predisposing genetic characteristics, military status, domestic violence victim status, arrest or pre-employment conviction record, sexual and reproductive health decisions, or any other characteristic protected by law.

Please send resume and cover letter to careers@cara-nyc.org. Applications will be processed on a rolling basis.