NYC Health + Hospitals Hiring Arts Program Manager

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Arts Program Manager

Job ID: 42212

Job Description
To foster the emotional well-being of patients, families, employees, and the greater H+H community and to improve the healthcare experience, NYC Health + Hospitals utilizes the healing power of the arts by offering various arts programs to engage individuals. The Arts Program Coordinator is responsible for working with the Facility Arts Program Manager to ensure the arts programs run smoothly, including resolving any day-to-day challenges that arise at the facilities, such as access to the facilities, space usage for art sessions, promoting the arts programs in concert with local facility public relations/communications staff and clinical leadership, and collect data to help evaluate the successful implementation of the arts programs. This position is for the duration of a 3-year grant. May occasionally required working on weekends and evenings.

Minimum Qualifications
1. A Masters Degree from an accredited college or university in Healthcare, Hospital, Public, or Business Administration, Industrial/Organizational Psychology, Organizational Behavior or a related field and three years of full-time experience planning, developing and monitoring programs, systems and/or procedures in support of administrative management initiatives, one year of which must have been in a responsible managerial or supervisory capacity; or

2. A Baccalaureate Degree from an accredited college or university in Healthcare, Hospital, Public, or Business Administration, Psychology or a related discipline and four years of fulltime experience as outlined in 1 above, two years of which must have been in a responsible managerial or supervisory capacity; or

3. A satisfactory combination of education, training and experience.

Department Preferences
Superior organizational and planning skills, attention to detail, ability to anticipate project needs, discern work priorities and work productively on multiple projects and tasks simultaneously and still be adaptable and flexible.
Desire and ability to work with patients and staff related to arts programs.
Excellent customer service and people skills.
Willing to travel to Health + Hospitals facilities within the 5 boroughs.
Background in expressive arts, art therapy, arts for health, or other related field.
A minimum of a Bachelor of Arts (BA) from a college or university in the field of museum studies, history, art, art history, arts for health, or a related field. (Preferably Masters)

How To Apply
Go to http://employment.nychhc.org and search for Job ID #42212,  or mail your resume, noting the Job ID #42212, to:

NYC Health + Hospitals
Talent AcquisitionHuman Resources Department
55 Water Street, 26th Floor
New York, NY 10041
Attn: Talent Acquisition

Holland Community Opera Fellowship

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The Holland Community Opera Fellow will act as a primary performer/artist in the company’s engagement programming initiatives.

He/She will contribute meaningfully to the success of the Community Opera Fellowship and serve as an ambassador of the company by developing relationships with community leaders and members of the Community Artist Panel. He/She will design and implement unique projects combining artistry and musicianship, leadership, advocacy, and citizenship. He/She will represent Opera Omaha while serving a broad and evolving community through engagement with civic and community organizations and institutional leaders; programming for adult, family, and community members; the development of educational resources; and the development of partnerships and programs with community institutions. The ideal candidate will be a practicing, professional artist interested in community collaboration and learning in a broad social context.The work of the Holland Community Opera Fellowship is done in collaboration with community partners to encourage change in many areas primarily: human services, health & well-being, and youth development.

Posted by: Opera Omaha

Deadline: January 1, 2019

For more information or to apply click here.

Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital Stanford Hiring Art Curator

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The art curator is responsible for implementing and managing the art exhibits and collections at Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital Stanford as part of Stanford Children’s Health. This includes maintenance of exhibits including collecting, installing, organizing, evaluating, and cataloging arts, collectibles. The Art Curator will participate in conceptualizing exhibitions, researching art work, and providing support for departments requesting art. The Art Curator must possess an understanding of the critical role art plays in providing support to children, perinatal patients and their families. The curator will be responsible for building the collection of art, pursuing acquisitions and loans (as applicable), while fostering relationships with donors and other supporters of the hospital. On an as needed basis, the Art Curator will be responsible for doing an outreach for the art program including instructional activities, educational and public services programs.  The Art Curator will be responsible for writing grants & periodically evaluating the effectiveness of the art program. The Art Curator will be supporting the Public Space Taskforces and will be involved in the ongoing development of the art program.

For more information and to apply click here!

Magic and Healing

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Although we were originally hired as storytellers at Rady Children’s Hospital-San Diego, we found that sometimes a magic trick might be just what is needed in the hospital setting. James began performing magic as a child and Patti also has a few tricks up her sleeve. The surgery waiting room is sometimes not the place for a long drawn-out story. So we might produce a magic trick that is really a disguised story about a kid breaking a window, or a boy who might have been given the job of collecting eggs, or a story about the girl who has to color all the pictures in a coloring book before she can go home from the hospital. Stories costumed as magic tricks can sometimes be just what the doctor ordered.

There was a teenager who was disgusted at the fact that he had to be in a children’s hospital. He had scoffed at most of the entertainment options offered to him, and when we came to his room and asked, “Would you like to hear a story? We know some good ones teens like,” he just rolled his eyes. But, when we followed up with, “Or, would you like to see a magic trick?” he said, “I guess that doesn’t sound too lame.” We proceeded to do our best magic tricks. And finally, at the end of 45 minutes as we were leaving, he smiled and asked, “Will you be back tomorrow?” The staff stopped us to remark, “This is the first time he has smiled since getting to the hospital several days ago. That was great!”

We saw a young cancer patient getting her final chemo treatment in the outpatient Hematology-Oncology Clinic. We had told her stories and done magic tricks for the past 18 months as she endured a very difficult treatment regimen. When she saw us, she asked, “Do you have any new magic tricks that I haven’t seen?” We did, and showed her one that caused her to laugh and laugh. She said, “This was the best day ever.” Her mom shook our hands, and then gave us hugs saying, “You don’t know what a difference it made that she could count on you being here on days she had her treatments. I never had to fight with her about going to the hospital. She just said, ‘I am going to see my friends the storytellers and the musicians.’ What a blessing!” We replied, “We hope that we run into you guys at the library or the beach!” It is bittersweet to see these kids over and over for a long time. But we are always thrilled when they are released from hospital care because they are healthy.

There are also kids who come to the hospital ready for magic.

Child Life staff asked us to stop and see a boy to show him some magic. As it turns out, he brought his own duffel bag of magic tricks to the hospital. He met us in one of the family waiting rooms so that we could take turns sharing magic tricks. He took a couple breaks to talk to doctors or get some medication, but made sure we would be waiting once he returned. He said, “Magic is my life. I knew I couldn’t make it through being in the hospital without bringing my tricks along. But I never, ever thought I would meet up with real magicians here. This was the coolest thing ever!” His parents smiled and said, “You made his week.”

(Note, patient information has been changed to protect their privacy and identity)

Patti Christensen and James Nelson-Lucas are part of The Healing Arts Program at Rady Children’s Hospital-San Diego. This program consists of eight professional artists who are on staff and bring the arts to children. Patti and James have been performing together for 18 years as The Patchwork Players Story Theatre. They have brought stories to life for audiences of all ages, performing at schools, hospitals, libraries, senior centers, family literacy programs and museums throughout Southern California. They use improvisation and audience participation, costumes and props to create engaging experiences. In their work at Rady Children’s Hospital, they also use and teach magic tricks to delight children and help them heal. Patti is a clinical social worker and therapist, and James is an organizer of the Vista Viking Festival.

Anyone Can Dance: Elders teach the audience about gumption and joy

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I received an Arts and Change Grant in 2015 from Philadelphia’s Leeway Foundation, to do a collaborative project between my elder dancers (average age 83) and the Philadelphia Dance Academy (average age, 14). Our final project was a performance piece within the Dance Academy’s spring concert, but the point of our year together was for  people of different generations to become a team. After we listened to music and worked on choreography together, and planned the costumes, the group sat in a circle and talked about their lives, their experiences, their frustrations, and their thoughts and fears about performance.
My choreography (to The Marvelettes, “Please, Mr. Postman’) started with the women seated in chairs and the kids dancing around them. But halfway through, they switched places, and the women stood and moved together. Although they all used canes or walkers offstage, they performed without them.
During rehearsals, the women in my group could not sit on the floor and change their shoes, and I was pleased to see the generous help the kids gave them, leaving the performance chairs in place for their older colleagues and getting them water. The elders didn’t hassle the kids with demands about their homework, their grades and what they wanted to be when they grew up.
After the performance, we got a standing ovation and cheers, and I realized that the limited movement I had designed–keeping things as simple as possible–allowed the audience (mostly parents and friends in young middle age)  to imagine what their capacity might be at 80 or 85 on a stage, under the lights, getting wild applause.
Last week, 3 of my dancers (average age now 86) and I (71) performed for Leeway’s 25th anniversary cabaret. This time the dancers stayed seated throughout the piece. They were fabulous. And, they got paid for the first time in their dance careers! Although none of them cared about this, it meant a great deal to me to be able to honor these women and show the value society places on their art.
Submitted by: Judith Sachs
Organization: Anyone Can Dance

Arts For Life brings creative joy to pediatric patients in North Carolina

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Arts For Life puts creativity, discovery, and joy into the hands and hearts of children who need it the very most.

Every day across North Carolina, the Arts For Life teams of staff members, volunteers, interns, and teaching fellows brighten the lives and healthcare experiences

of children and families facing serious illnesses and disabilities. By bringing visual art, music, and creative writing programs into hospitals and clinics, they help children and teens remember that they’re not just patients: they’re artists, musicians, and poets, with a world of possibility at their fingertips.

Arts For Life is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization dedicated to providing arts in health programs to transform healthcare experiences for pediatric patients and their families. Arts For Life currently serves four communities in North Carolina, including Duke Children’s Hospital in Durham, Brenner Children’s Hospital in Winston-Salem, Mission Children’s Hospital in Asheville, and Levine Children’s Hospital in Charlotte.

 

Submitted By: Sarah Ness
Organization: Arts For Life
Email: Sarah@artsforlifenc.org
Website: http://www.artsforlifenc.org/

Three Openings at the Office of VSA and Accessibility at the Kennedy Center

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There are currently 3 job openings in the Office of VSA and Accessibility at the Kennedy Center.

1) Assistant Manager, Special Education
The Assistant Manager, Special Education supports the Kennedy Center’s work as a national clearinghouse in arts and special education practices, and assists the Manager, Special Education in the development, design, implementation, evaluation, and oversight of the extensive professional learning opportunities for arts and special educator conducted through the Office of VSA and Accessibility. The Assistant Manager is responsible for: (1) administration and management of the annual VSA Intersections: Arts sand Special Education Conference, (2) development and preparation of resources and materials for educators, (3) work across- education department projects and programs, including advising and consulting on best practices in special education and inclusive arts education programing, assisting with research and evaluation, assisting with VSA annual national contracts, and 4) operational support for the VSA Special Education Team.  This position is supervised by and reports to the Manager, Special Education.

2) Coordinator, Accessibility
The Coordinator, Accessibility (Daytime) is a crucial member of the Kennedy Center’s Office of Accessibility team which ensures compliance with disability rights law and the cross-institutional delivery of a broad spectrum of access accommodations and programs for patrons and visitors of all ages with disabilities.  The Coordinator is responsible for:  1) Executing all aspects of accessibility accommodations and services for performances, programs, activities and events including facilitating compliance and technical assistance with internal and external users; 2) Customer relations, determining appropriate accommodations, customizing and adapting services, responding to requests, resolving problems/complaints, and communication with all parties involved;  3)  Testing and evaluating new initiatives, technologies and services;  and assisting with other projects such as conferences, events, etc.; and 5)  Managing and supervising volunteers, training staff and volunteers, day-to-day administration, and ensuring that projects are executed to the highest standard of quality and professionalism; as well as other duties as assigned. This position reports to the Manager of Accessibility.

3) VSA Programmer
The Programmer, VSA Programs and Projects in the Kennedy Center Office of VSA and Accessibility, oversees the development, administration, coordination and implementation of performing and visual arts programs, projects, competitions, performances and exhibits for/by/with children, youth, emerging and professional artists with disabilities.  Programs and projects include but are not limited to:  1)  Music competitions, programs and performances,  2) Writing for theater/performance competitions, programs, readings and performances,  3) Visual arts competitions, programs, exhibitions and touring exhibitions, 4)  Performances, festivals and events, 5) Art and media collection exhibition, loan, archive and preservation, 6) Arts-based career and professional skills development programs such as internships. The Programmer will also be engaged in other programs and activities of the Office of VSA and Accessibility including the execution of meetings, annual conferences; and social media, marketing and communication. Responsibilities and the intensity of the workload will vary depending on the cyclical and seasonal nature of the programming. This position may have supervisory duties and all work is accomplished under the direction of the Director, VSA and Accessibility.

To apply, click the links above or visit https://chp.tbe.taleo.net/chp01/ats/careers/v2/jobSearch?act=redirectCwsV2&cws=38&org=THEKENNC for a listing of all jobs available at the Kennedy Center.

Storytellers to the Rescue

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As storytellers at Rady Children’s Hospital- San Diego, we might be called in when a child is having a difficult time getting an IV inserted, having a dressing changed, or dealing with something that is upsetting. There are times we are told that the patient could use the opportunity to take a story break.

One afternoon, as we entered the outpatient clinic where children were receiving chemotherapy, we heard a young girl crying, “No, it hurts!” A nurse slipped out of the treatment area to alert us that this girl needed to have a procedure done on an embedded port in her chest. There was a problem that meant she could not get her essential medication, but because the girl was so upset and so tense, they couldn’t do it. We tried a couple of magic tricks, which she liked, but it was still too much. Her mom finally suggested they take a break and let the girl run around outside. She asked if we could come along. We all went out to one of the Healing Gardens right outside the clinic. There, for the next 20 minutes, we created a rousing story which included running back and forth between a rowboat sculpture, and a giant bird sculpture. Two other boys who were waiting joined in and the story unfolded. By the time we brought it to a satisfying conclusion, everyone was laughing and wiggling around. The whole energy had changed. The grateful mother took her daughter by the hand and said, “Just what we needed. We can go back in ready to get this done. I really appreciate your being here for my daughter today.” And when we checked back later, all was well. These are times we refer to as “Storytellers to the Rescue.”

Another girl in her hospital room was in excruciating abdominal pain, waiting for her pain medication to take effect. Her nurse, after trying everything she could think of, asked, “Would you like to hear a story while you wait? I just saw the storytellers down the hall.” When the girl agreed, the nurse found us and quickly explained the situation. After introducing us, you could almost see the nurse crossing her fingers that this would help. The teen asked, “Do you know any pirate stories? I love pirates!” Did we ever! Over the next 25 minutes, we spun tales of pirates on the high seas, and she laughed and gasped, and finally clapped her hands when the brave woman pirate saved the day. As we were leaving she said, “I don’t know how I would have made it through that time, but I got to ‘take a break from it all,’ almost like a mini-vacation. I feel a lot better now and think I am ready to take a nap.” The grateful nurse gave us a ‘thumbs up’ as we walked away to our next patient.

 

(Note, patient information has been changed to protect their privacy and identity)

Patti Christensen and James Nelson-Lucas are part of The Healing Arts Program at Rady Children’s Hospital-San Diego. This program consists of eight professional artists who are on staff and bring the arts to children. Patti and James have been performing together for 18 years as The Patchwork Players Story Theatre. They have brought stories to life for audiences of all ages, performing at schools, hospitals, libraries, senior centers, family literacy programs and museums throughout Southern California. They use improvisation and audience participation, costumes and props to create engaging experiences. In their work at Rady Children’s Hospital, they also use and teach magic tricks to delight children and help them heal. Patti is a clinical social worker and therapist, and James is an organizer of the Vista Viking Festival.

Call for Artists: Design New Sculpture For Erlanger Cancer Institute

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Erlanger Health System is announcing a call to artists for a sculpture to be designed for the lobby of Erlanger’s Cancer Institute at the Baroness Hospital.

The project will be funded by a grant awarded to Arts at Erlanger from the Lyndhurst Foundation.

“We are very excited about this addition to our Arts at Erlanger program,” said Katharine Toledano, one of the chaplains at Erlanger.  “The new installation will have a tremendous impact not only to the environment of our cancer center and first floor of the Baroness Hospital, but also to both the healing and inspiring properties we want to achieve for our patients and visitors.”

The plans for the sculpture include suspension from the ceiling, attached from several points via steel hooks and cannot exceed 600 pounds.

The total budget for the project will depend on the artist and materials, and cannot exceed $40,000. Projected date of completion and installation is May 1, 2019.

Local artists, who live within a 75-mile radius of the Erlanger Baroness Hospital, are encouraged to submit a letter indicating their interest and include a resume, photos of examples of previous works and other qualifications to create the requested artwork.  Submissions can be hand delivered or addressed to Arts at Erlanger c/o Katharine Toledano at Katharine.Toledano@erlanger.org or Spiritual Care Attn: Katharine Toledano 975 East Third Street Chattanooga, TN 37403.  Deadline for submission is Dec. 10.

Artists are also welcome to tour the proposed location.  An informational meeting and tour will take place on Tuesday, Nov. 27, at 10 a.m.  The tour will start at the Starbucks in the Erlanger Baroness Hospital Medical Mall. Other appointments can be scheduled by contacting Katharine.Toledano@erlanger.org.  However, a site visit is not required for submission.

 

For more information, call 423-778-5030.

Arts for Healing Connects Grieving Families and the Hospital Community

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Each year, the Evening of Remembrance event at Yale New Haven Children’s Hospital in New Haven, CT creates a nurturing space for families grieving the loss of their child. Families come together to share memories and reconnect with caregivers through a variety of expressive art activities. Participants at the Heartstrings Chorus table were co-creating a song with music therapists, Shannon Kiley and Judy Engel, from the Arts for Healing Program. The song was to be played during the service, just before the infants and children who had passed away in the last year were to be honored by the reading of their names.

Shannon had been collecting the voices and heartbeats of staff members for weeks, creating the foundations of the Heartstrings Chorus recording. From the start of the event families approached the table in a nearly steady stream.

Often through tears, family members took turns sitting in the “recording booth” at the table and speaking into the microphone. Their voices layered one on top of the other in a chorus of loving sentiment. “Love will always connect us.” “El amor siempre nos conectará.” “L’amour nous connectera toujours.” “We love you!”

Simultaneously, Judy assisted other family members to record their heartbeats through a stethoscope. Each heartbeat, stacking one after the other in the computer, creating a dynamic breathing rhythm. The gentle sounds of the piano connected the heartbeats and voices into a cohesive musical piece. Many families had a poignant connection to heartbeat recordings, as they had previously received a legacy recording of their child’s heartbeat during their last days in the hospital.

Later, as we sat in the service and listened to the result of this community soundscape of voices and heartbeats from staff and families, a palpable bond emerged from the grief that had brought us all together that night. “Love will always connect us.”