Outreach Co-Ordinator (Maternity Cover)

Outreach Co-ordinator (Maternity cover)

Aspex is looking for a highly motivated and dynamic individual with a passion for arts education and experience of delivering activities for diverse groups to join its committed team. This is a crucial role with key responsibility for the development and delivery of our outreach programme, focused on offsite delivery in our Mobile Learning Studio.

Aspex is a unique visual arts and educational charity, based in Gunwharf Quays, Portsmouth. Our mission is to support emerging artists and reveal the, often hidden, creative process behind artist’s work to our participants and audiences. We believe that everyone has the fundamental right to access the arts and the importance of this to our physical and emotional wellbeing. We create opportunities for people of all ages and backgrounds to experience contemporary visual art in a variety of ways - from looking and discussing, to making and curating.

At the core of Aspex is a lively participation programme that is recognised by the arts industry as one of the best in the country - enabling us to work with over 5,500 people per year, delivering activities for a broad range of ages and groups.

We run an ongoing programme of activities within the gallery, as well as a variety of projects inspired by our exhibition programmes and we now have a Mobile Learning Studio (van) enabling us to take our work out on the road to more people!

The successful candidate taking up the post of Outreach Co-ordinator (Maternity Cover) will be joining Aspex at an extremely exciting period, enabling them to shape and develop our offsite programmes, making connections with new audiences across the city.

Application procedure

Applications should be received by Aspex no later than Wednesday 31 January 2018.

Only email or hard copies of the completed application form will be accepted (no CVs please). Please mark the envelope or subject line ‘Outreach Co-ordinator’.

Please send applications to: Joanne Bushnell, Director, Aspex, The Vulcan Building, Gunwharf Quays, Portsmouth, PO1 3BF or

Interviews will take place on Thursday 1 March 2018.

If you have not heard from Aspex by this date please assume that on this occasion your application has not been successful. Aspex welcomes applications from all members of the community, irrespective of gender, race, disability and age.

Aspex Visual Arts Trust Job Description

OUTREACH CO-ORDINATOR (Maternity Cover) Salary £18K pro-rata

Hours: Part-time (21 hours per week)

Responsible to: The Participation & Learning Manager

Line Management: Freelance artists and volunteers

Job summary: Responsible for the development and co-ordination of all aspects of the outreach programme focused on working offsite using Aspex’s Mobile Learning Studio. To work closely with the programming team to develop and deliver activities which reach out to audiences across the city.

You will be responsible for:

OUTREACH PROGRAMME CO-ORDINATION

● Co-ordinating all aspects of the outreach programme, particularly the use of the Mobile Learning Studio (Van) which will include: liaison with partners, artists, educational organisations and other agencies; the preparation of contracts, licences, risk assessments etc; driving the van to site and setting up for events.

● Developing and deliver outreach activities at key events and sites across the city, working with Creative Apprentices, freelance artists and volunteers.

● Developing partnerships with schools, colleges and community groups to extend audience reach.

● Undertaking data collection and use agreed mechanisms to measure project impact.

● Evaluating projects and report to funders.

● Ensuring that all activities organised take place within the parameters of the Children’s Act and other relevant legislation (ie. freelance artists complete DBS checks etc.)

PROGRAMMING

● To be an active member of the programming team, initiating and developing projects and links with potential and current project partners to engage new audiences.

PROMOTION & PROFILE

● The preparation of press releases, publicity, interpretative, educational materials and other resources in relation to projects, including digital materials.

● Organising the documentation and archiving of materials for all projects.

● Representing Aspex through attendance at events, giving talks/tours/workshops, and externally through attendance at meetings, seminars and conferences as required.

FUNDRAISING

● Researching and identifying appropriate sources of funding and work with the Participation & Learning Manager and Director to make applications in support of the development of the outreach programme.

BUDGET ADMINISTRATION

● Monitoring income and expenditure related to outreach work within the Participation budget.

LINE MANAGEMENT

● To recruit, support and when required train, freelance artists, volunteers and other staff to work on projects.

GENERAL

● To be part of the rota of Duty Managers during daytime opening and special events including evenings and weekends.

● Undertaking all other appropriate duties for the effective administration and operation of the gallery as required by the Director.

The post holder will at all times carry out his/her duties with due regard to Aspex Visual Arts Trust’s Health and Safety and Equal Opportunities policies.

Person Specification
All criteria are essential unless specified by (D) in which case they are desirable.

Experience:

● Significant experience of working within an educational environment

● Leading workshops and or talks/presentations

● Working with children

● Working with adults (ie. colleges, community groups etc.)

● Working with artists

● Overseeing budgets and of preparing monthly budget monitoring reports

● Fundraising (D)

● Experience of managing people (D)

● Undertaking risk assessments (D)

● Negotiating contracts (D)

Skills & Knowledge:

● Educated to degree level in a relevant subject or can demonstrate equivalent experience

● Good knowledge of and enthusiasm for contemporary visual art

● Ability to contribute creatively to the programmme

● Good knowledge of art and design techniques

● Strong attention to detail

● Excellent organisational skills

● Excellent administrative skills

● Excellent communication skills, both written and verbal

● Work productively and positively within a team

● Ability to be self motivated

● Be able to act on own initiative and prioritise workloads

● Good IT skills

● Excellent literacy and numeracy skills

● Have a proactive and supportive approach with the managing of freelance artists and volunteers

● Be flexible and adaptable with the changing needs of the organisation

● Commitment to equal opportunities and cultural diversity

● UK driving licence, able and willing to drive a van – clean record of driving.

OUTREACH CO-ORDINATOR (Maternity Cover)

Aspex Background

Our mission is to support emerging artists and reveal the creative process to audiences.

We have a 37-year track record of supporting artist at key points in their career, offering the exhibition or studio space, curatorial and technical support to make a step change in their practice. We’ve given an early break to a long list of contemporary visual art’s current international stars!

Established in 1981 by artist members of Art Space Portsmouth, Aspex Gallery was based in a converted chapel on Southsea’s Brougham Road for 25 years. Aspex Visual Arts Trust was formed in 1991, no longer part of the studio group, but continuing to work in close partnership. Participation has always been an integral part of the organisation and this work has continued and developed to reflect the diverse Participation & Learning programme we have today,

We relocated to the Vulcan Building, a former naval storehouse on the waterfront at Gunwharf Quays in 2006. The award-winning conversion of this stunning historic building provides an attractive base from which to work. A further small capital project in 2016/17, significantly improved the building’s facilities and enabled the development of a large new learning space and an artist’s studio.

Our outreach programme focuses on developing new audiences across the city through delivering activities at special events and within schools, colleges and community centres.

Key projects & events include:

● Development and delivery of an offsite schools programme

● Coordinating and delivering ‘The Inventors’, a summer programme of activities inspired by our exhibition programme, including a series of offsite workshops

● Delivery of activities at Victorious Festival, Fratton Family Festival, Portsea Carnival, Fratton Festival of Light, St Mary’s Fete

Aspex Visual Arts Trust is a registered charity (1007620) and a company limited by guarantee (267597), governed by a board of Trustees. A National Portfolio Organisation of Arts Council England, South West, we have been offered continued support through to March 2022 (subject to agreement). We also receive revenue support from Portsmouth City Council. Additional support for the programme is raised from trusts and foundations, sponsorship from businesses, and donations from individuals. Income is also earned through craft sales, premises hire, education activities and provision of other services related to the staff teams’ expertise, all of which is invested back into the creative programme.

Our mission and vision provides a simple focus that is consistently applied in the development of the artistic programme, and more broadly within our trading activities. All activities either provide an opportunity to support emerging artists; or seek to reveal the creative process to our audience; but ideally achieve both.

For further information about Aspex please see:

Previous Employment

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Aspex Visual Arts Trust - Equal opportunities recruitment monitoring

Aspex strives to be an equal opportunities employer and is committed to ensuring that no job applicant is discriminated against on the grounds of sex, marital or parental status, religious or political beliefs, colour, race, ethnic origins, sexual orientation, age, disability or any other criterion not relevant to their prospective employment.

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