Lead Eco-Art Educator (Emphasis on Visual Arts)

Title:                                         Lead Eco-Art Educator – (Emphasis on Visual Arts)

FLSA Status:                     Full-time Hourly

Reports To:                        Education Program Manager

Growth Potential:        Program Coordinator in 2 to 3 years

Pay Rate:                              $19 – $24 per hour

Pay dependent on qualifications and experience. Preference given to American Canoe Association Certified Instructors, Certified National Association of Interpreters, and 1st Aid and CPR Certified Providers. Salary is dependent on years of experience in art education; participation in public art installation or large-scale art works; training in non-formal educational environment, and depth of knowledge of Galveston Bay and Gulf environmental community.

Benefits:                     Include health care contribution, vision and dental, IRA, Short/Long Term Disability/Life Insurance, Holiday Pay, and Paid Time Off

For immediate hire

Essential Function: Primary duty of an Eco Art Educator is to interpret habitats, ecosystems, science, and the environment through the disciplines of art and science for people of all ages while engaging in Eco-Art experiences in the classroom, in the field and on the water with Artist Boat. Educator will clearly and enthusiastically use the arts and sciences as the primary discipline toconvey knowledge and engage participants in outdoor education, service learning, in-class workshops or artist residencies. Educator must be flexible and willing to learn multiple components of conservation and education skills.

The ideal candidate will possess the following qualifications and personality traits:

• Minimum BFA with Fine Arts Major
• 1-3 years’ experience delivering visual arts programming post-graduation to school aged or adult audiences.
• Experience delivering and planning events for 10 to 25 learners
• Experience speaking in front of large groups and audiences with interpretive skills to convey art concepts
• Basic skills in Microsoft Office Suite including Excel and ability to use those tools to achieve desired results
• Exceptional writing and interpersonal skills.
• Willingness and ability to transfer to Apple computer and companion software
• Highly motivated, natural leader that fosters and maintains collaboration and partnership
• Deadline driven planner seeking to gain a high level of performance in the field of environmental education.
• Must pass background check and be fingerprinted to serve the 7,500 youth that Artist Boat works with annually

Key Responsibilities:

Program Vision, planning and development:

• Carries out the initiatives of the Executive Director and Board of Directors in accordance with the strategic plan and assists Artist Boat in fulfilling its mission to promote awareness and preservation of coastal margins and the marine environment through the disciplines of the sciences and the arts.

Program and plan implementations

• Be able to work with a team member who is a specialist in nature education.
• Be able to design compositions and foster participant collaborations.
• Be able to design, lead and install large scale public art works, murals (painting and ceramic) and nativescaped habitats.
• Possess a deep understanding of watercolor painting technique
• Be able to present high level art skills in classroom and field contexts to coworkers and participants.
• Obtain and present high level science skills pertaining to the Gulf Coast Regions’ natural history, flora and fauna, coastal margins and marine ecosystems of the Gulf of Mexico.
• Design, and deliver programs funded by grants or partners to deliver K-Grey education programs.
• Be able to lead kayak trips, service-learning events, and other outdoor experiences with 10-15 participants as a solo guide, and trips of up to 27 participants with one other Artist Boat Educator.
• Meet professional standards of program delivery

Program management

• Clean, disinfect and maintain all materials and equipment used for
• Collect and record statistical data from Education Programs and surveys
• Assist the Education Program Manager with grant reporting
• Assist with training of educators and give feedback for betterment of program
• Lead colleagues in absence of manager

Communication and Safety

• Daily communication with Education Program Manager about assigned tasks to assure programs run smoothly
• Ability to communicate with coworkers, partners and participants in person, by email and by phone in a prompt and direct way to avoid misunderstandings.
• Interact with persons of all ages in a positive, professional, encouraging, and informative manner, including through conferences, networking events, fundraisers and festivals
• Social media marketing of education programs
• Be able to obtain and sustain American Canoe Association Level 1 or 2 Kayak Instructor Certification and First Aid/CPR Certification.
• Be able to lift 60 pounds, load and unload a kayak trailer and spend 8 hours outside on a regular basis.

Other

• Be willing and able to drive own vehicle to destinations throughout the Galveston Bay region.
• Be willing to work nights or weekends, depending on what the program needs are.
• Be able to tow kayak and / or habitat trailer.
• Be able to utilize personal cell phone to communicate with co-workers, partners, teachers, and some participants in the field.
• Understand the benefits and challenges associated with non-profit work including conservation land management efforts on a 1,039+ acre preserve requiring regular teamwork.

IMPORTANT

Be committed to working through academic school calendars and sessions (i.e. August 15 to May 30, May 15 to August 10, or upon hire through the agreed upon session ending date). Artist Boat commits educational staff up to one year in advance based on grant agreements, school contracts, and other sponsored programming. Artist Boat provides trainings and certifications required and invests in the Education members being fluent in art, science, environmental education, ocean and science literacy, and water-borne education.

Artist Boat is a small and growing non-profit organization that needs dedicated and contributing employees who are personally committed to the environment and seek growth and leadership opportunities and challenges in order to pursue a lifelong career in environmental education and conservation.

Complete package should include cover letter, resume, college transcripts, and three contacts or letters for professional references/recommendations. Complete application packages will be reviewed in full, and interviews based on meeting the qualifications described below. Mail complete package to Artist Boat at 13330 Settegast Road, Galveston, TX 77554 or email complete PDF package to Todd Cleveland, executive.assistant@artistboat.org.

Artist Boat is an Equal Opportunity Employer