Brief for engage International Summer School Coordinator

December 2009 – July 2010

engage wishes to commission a freelance Coordinator to support the delivery of the engage International Summer School, to be held in July 2010 in Berlin.

About engage

engage, the National Association for Gallery Education, is the lead professional association in its field, with around 1100 members in the UK and abroad. Members include: education and learning staff in galleries, curators, freelance artist educators, teachers, gallery directors, arts policy makers, and academics.

engage is a limited company with charitable registration, governed by a Board of Trustees which meets quarterly, and a Council of Area and Special Interest Representatives which meets three times yearly.

engage currently works in four main strands:

  • Continuing Professional Development:an annual international conference, seminars and briefing events throughout the UK, international events and visitsand the teacher and gallery educator placement programme Watch this Space
  • Research and projects: including enquire, which explores how young people learn in galleries and with artists through research with galleries, HEIs and schools and Visual Roots a placement programme for hard to reach young people working in galleries. In July 2009 engage ran Children’s Art Day across the UK: recent evaluation suggests that c.50,000 children and their parents and carers were involved in participatory visual arts events as part of this initiative
  • Advocacy: making the case for education and learning in galleries with government key partners and stakeholders
  • Dissemination: sharing practice through engage’s website, publications and the twice yearly journal

engage is a regularly funded client of Arts Council England and receives funding for its programmes in Scotland from the Scottish Arts Council and for the programme in Wales from the Arts Council of Wales. Programme funding is also received from Arts Council England, through the National Lottery; the Department for Culture, Media and Sport; the Department for Children, Schools and Families and from trusts and foundations.

You can find more information about engage on our website

The engage International Summer School is a peer-led event for experienced gallery educators, artists, curators and academics. It represents a significant opportunity for colleagues at a similar stage in their careers to work together to:

• Reflect on aspects of current practice in contemporary arts and gallery education
• Review current research and political agendas
• Consider the positioning of gallery education within the cultural sector
• Learn about international contexts for gallery education
• Network with UK and international colleagues

Freelance Coordinator role

The Coordinator will work closely with the engage CPD Programmer and with engage core staff. Duties will include timetabling summer school, liaising with delegates and the host venue, researching and booking delegate accommodation, managing logistics, travel, catering and technical support, and collating materials. The Coordinator will be expected to attend Summer School and to support the programmer on a planning visit to Berlin in early 2010.

Person Specification

Essential

  • Experience of coordinating education events of up to 50 delegates
  • Knowledge of gallery education or the visual arts and education
  • Knowledge of visual arts and education venues in Berlin
  • Good verbal and written communication skills in English and German
  • Research skills
  • Good record keeping skills
  • Experience of managing a budget
  • Ability to meet deadlines
  • Ability to work flexibly as part of a team based in different sites
  • Availability around key dates

Desirable

  • Familiarity with the work of engage
  • Located in, or near to, Berlin
  • Fluency in both English and German languages

The fee for this work is £4,050 (inclusive of VAT) for 22.5 days work @ £180 per day. Up to £1000 is available for expenses (phone, travel, accommodation and subsistence, including costs of attending and supporting the summer school).

The Coordinator will work from their own home/office and will report directly to the CPD Programmer.

Coordinator Timeframe

January/ February 2010

  • Support and advise CPD Programmer on suitable arts organisations to visit in Berlin during Summer School
  • Support CPD Programmer to plan and undertake a research visit to Berlin to confirm venue booking, catering, logistics and arts organisation visits
  • Support CPD programmer with the registration of Summer School on the Grundtvig European exchange database
  • Support CPD Programmer to book the keynote speaker for Summer School
  • Arrange visits, transport, and participant accommodation
  • Liaise with engage staff to advertise Summer School

February/March

  • Liaise with engage staff to take bookings for Summer School
  • Continue to manage and confirm visits and logistics

April

  • With CPD Programmer continue planning and co-ordination of Summer School

May/June

  • Liaise with all delegates and obtain summaries of delegate presentations, and technical requirements
  • Liaise with all delegates on their dietary requirements and access needs
  • Produce Summer School programme, delegate notes and information packs

July

  • Attend and contribute to the delivery of engage International Summer School, managing logistics

July/August

  • Evaluate Summer School with CPD programmer. Review and develop plans for Summer School 2011

To apply please send the following:

  • A letter of no more than 2 sides outlining how your skills and experience meet the brief
  • A CV
  • The details of two referees (who will be contacted only when an offer has been made).

Applications should be sent by email only to by 12noon on Friday 15 January. Shortlisted applicants will be contacted by the 5pm on Wednesday 20 January.

Interviews will be held on Tuesday 26 January at Goldrausch Künstlerinnenprojekt, Berlin.

engage is committed to equality of access to its employment and services, and is developing equality policies and an Action Plan. We welcome applications from all sections of the community. Should you need this information details in another format please contact engage on 020 7729 5858 or email