Alameda County Arts Commission

Call for Teaching Artists Teaching Artist Assistants

Areas of Focus:

  • Visual Arts: Drawing/Painting, Ceramics, Sculpture, Sewing, Other Mixed Media
  • Digital Music and Sound Production
  • Digital Video Recording and Editing

Multiple part-time, short-term, temporary positions are available.

Deadline: Friday, December 13, 2013 by 5:00pm

Applications will be reviewed as they are submitted.

The Alameda County Arts Commission, a division of the County of Alameda, is seeking applicants to fill part-time, short-term, temporary positions forTeaching Artists and Teaching Artist Assistants for a range of programs including weekly classes, and special programs and workshops for school age youth, teens and young adults,and multi-generational families. Locations include primary sites in Oakland and San Leandro as well as locations in cities throughout Alameda County such as: Albany, Castro Valley, Dublin, Fremont, Newark, San Lorenzo,and Union City.

Ideal Teaching Artist Applicants should have:

  • At least 3 – 5 years of experience teaching youth, teens, young adults, and all ages;
  • A strong knowledge of their art form(s);
  • Strong experience with course work planning and collaboration;
  • Facilitation and classroom management experience and skills;
  • Experience planning and leading projects with positive themes related to youth empowerment and community involvement;
  • Experience working with diverse communities and communities with less access to resources;
  • Knowledge of art education frameworks, Studio Habits of Mind and Making Learning Visible, is preferred.

Ideal Teaching Artist AssistantApplicants should have:

  • Some experience teaching or assisting a teaching artist for youth programs;
  • A working knowledge of their art form(s);
  • Strong interest in learning facilitation and classroom management skills, arts education frameworks, participating in collaborative planning, and assisting with youth projects on positive themes related to youth empowerment and community involvement;
  • Some experience working with diverse communities.

Current Arts Commission programs with openings include:

  • 100 Families Alameda County: Art & Social Change (various locations throughout Alameda County)
  • Art IS Education 2014 (various locations throughout Alameda County)
  • REACH Ashland Youth Center (San Leandro)

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Areas of Focus:

  • Workshops in Visual Arts, which may include drawing/painting, sewing, ceramics, sculpture, mixed media, and “Makerspace” type projects using recycled materials or sewing, etc.
  • Workshops in Digital Music and Sound Production at REACH Ashland Youth Center. The Digital Media Arts center,located at REACH, contains two performance recording booths and two digital audio workstations, equipped with MacPro computers, mixing boards, ProTools11, and Propellerhead Reason 6.5 software. Recording booths are equipped with microphones for spoken word, vocalist, and band recording. Additionally, the digital media arts studio is equipped with 14 iMac computer stations running Apple’s GarageBand and Propellerhead’s Reason 6.5 software. Students have access to USB/Midi keyboards and headphones to produce projects.
  • Workshops in Digital Video Recording and Editing at REACH Ashland Youth Center. The Digital Media Arts center, located at REACH, is equipped with 14 iMac computer stations running Apple’s iMovie and Adobe’s Premiere video editing software. Students have access to DSLRs with HD video capabilities to produce projects.

Pay Rate Ranges:

Teaching Artist Assistants: $15-18 per hour

Teaching Artists for weekly classes: $20-27 per hour

Teaching Artists for special programs and workshops: $150-250 per special workshop session

Please note: All Teaching Artists and Teaching Artist Assistants will be required to pass an Alameda County fingerprinting and background check.

ALL Interested Applicants are Required to Submit:

A completed Application Packet including:

  1. Completed Application and Checklist Form (see next page)
  2. Resume (inserted into Application Form document)
  3. Brief letter of interest including a brief statement of teaching artist philosophy, highlights of the applicant’steaching artist experience with youth and community members and information about art forms (inserted into Application Form document).
  4. Two current or recent professional references with email and phone numbers(inserted into Application Form document.)
  5. 5 Artworks created by applicant: Visual artists to submit images of visual artworks in a single PDF format document with captions including description, materials, size and date*; digital music artiststo provide web links to music pieces with descriptions of the artwork as part of the Application Form; video artists to provide web linksto video artworkswith descriptions of the video artworks as part of the Application Form.

PLUS the following for Teaching Artist Applicants:

  1. Course outline for a successful, recent class or workshop for youth or community members the applicant has taught.
  2. 3 – 5 digital imagesof artworks created by youth/community members during a session with the applicant OR images of applicant working with youth/community members in the classroom/workshop setting in a single PDF format document with captions included.*

* If possible, these two PDF format documentsmay be combined into one document.

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Deadline: Friday, December 13, 2013 by 5:00pm

Please email the Application Form Word document and the artwork documentation PDF y Friday December 13, 2013 by 5:00 pm.

About the Alameda County Arts Commission

The Alameda County Arts Commission is dedicated to improving the quality of life in Alameda County by nurturing a thriving environment for the arts and for cultural activities; promoting economic opportunities for Alameda County’s artists and arts organizations through services such as arts and cultural funding, public art, and arts education; encouraging public participation in the arts and actively advocating for the arts. The Arts Commission supports all art forms such as music, dance, visual arts, literature, theater, film and video, traditional crafts and folk arts, and new media. All of the Arts Commission’s services are based on the belief that the arts and creativity are an essential part of every successful and thriving community.

The Alameda County Arts Commission is dedicated to cultivating meaningful experiences and educational opportunities in the arts for Alameda County residents. The Arts Commission implements this broad-based approach through the following partnerships and services: Art IS Education, 100 Families Alameda County: Art & Social Change, and Arts & Creativity at REACH Ashland Youth Center.

The County of Alameda, through the Alameda County Arts Commission, reserves the right to alter any aspect of this call, process or overall opportunity in any way for its own convenience at any time. This Call for Teaching Artists and Teaching Artist Assistants does not constitute an agreement.

For more information, please contact Violet Juno, Program Coordinator, Alameda County Arts Commission at

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Alameda County Arts Commission

Call for Teaching Artists & Teaching Artist Assistants

Application Checklist and Form

Applicant’s Legal Name:

First Name:

Middle Name:

Last Name:

Other Names Used:

Street Address:

City: State: Zip: _____

Phone: Home:______Cell:______Other:______

CHECK LIST for all applicants:
(Put an X next to each completed item and include this form as the first page of your application):

__Completed Application and Checklist Form

__Resume (inserted into Application Form document below)

__Brief letter of interest (inserted into Application Form document below) which includes a brief statement of teaching artist philosophy, highlights of the applicant’s teaching artist experience with youth and community members and information about art forms (inserted into Application Form document).

__Two current or recent professional references with email and phone numbers (inserted into Application Form document below).

  1. ☐5 Artworks created by applicant: Visual artists to submit images of visual artworks in a PDF format document with captions including description, materials, size and date; digital music artists to provide web links to music pieces with descriptions and dates as part of the Application Form; video artists to provide web links to video artworks with descriptions and dates as part of the Application Form.

PLUS the following for Teaching Artist Applicants:

__Course outline for a successful, recent class or workshop for youth or community members the applicant has taught.

__ 3 – 5 digital images of artworks created by youth/community members during a session with the applicant OR images of applicant working with youth/community members in the classroom/workshop setting in a single PDF format document with captions included.*

* If possible, these two PDF format documents may be combined into one document.

Applicant’s Legal Name:

I am interested in being considered for the following opportunities (check all that apply):

☐Teaching Artist

☐Teaching Artist Assistant

Total number of years of experience teaching arts classes or workshops: ______

Total number of years of experience assisting arts classes or workshops: ______

Highest Level of Education:

☐High School Completion

☐Associate’s Degree in ______

☐Bachelor’s Degree in ______

☐Master’s Degree in ______

☐Certificates or Specialized Training:______

Areas of Experience (please check all that apply):

☐Teaching a workshop in Visual Arts, please specify art form(s) : ______

☐Teaching a workshop in Digital Music and Sound Production

☐Teaching a workshop in Digital Video Recording and Editing

☐Conducting a short-term workshop, please specify: ______

☐Other, please specify:______

Please insert your resume here.

Please insert a brief letter of interest which includes:

  • a brief statement of your teaching artist philosophy.
  • highlights of your teaching artist experience with youth and community members.
  • more information regarding your area(s) of interest and areas of expertise.

Please insert two current or recent professional references with email and phone numbers.

5 Artworks created by applicant: Visual artists to submit images of visual artworks in a separate PDF format document with captions including description, materials, size and date; digital music artists to insert web links here to music pieces with descriptions and dates; video artists to insert web links to video artworks with descriptions and dates.

Deadline: Friday, December 13, 2013 by 5:00pm

Please email the Application Form Word document and the Work Sample PDF to:

Violet Juno, Program Coordinator, Alameda County Arts Commission at

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