EAP/SFBA 2010-2011 Fellowship Program

Emerging Arts Professionals/SFBA
2010-2011 Fellowship

This Fellowship program seeks to answer the question: What’s next? and looks to the future by bringing together insightful and energetic leadership and emerging models in a convergence of participatory practice and action learning.

The new frontier of creative leadership requires new competencies, skills and sensitivities that are adaptive, engaging and relevant. It is in this spirit that the Emerging Arts Professionals/San Francisco Bay Area (EAP/SFBA) are pleased to announce our 2010-2011 Fellowship Program.

This program aims to introduce an alternative model for professional development that balances traditional structure with increased creativity and experimentation.

Over the course of nine months, the Fellowship is designed to enrich and expand the professional skill-sets of emerging and mid-level leaders working in the Bay Area’s arts and culture field.

General Framework and Action-Learning

Principles of networked learning inform the design of the EAP/SFBA Fellowship program. This model is intended to promote inquiry-based learning that is both empowering and flexible, as it adjusts and aligns to address each Fellow’s specific aims. Fellows should be self-starters, interested in building cross-sector relationships and willing to take an active role in the learning process. From the start, Fellows will work with the EAP/SFBA Leadership Group to identify specific learning goals and methods for achieving those goals. Milestones, collective expectations and personal benchmarks will then be developed collaboratively.

Leadership Group Chairs will support Fellows by connecting them to ideas, materials, expertise and human resources (e.g., speakers, mentors and/or consultants). Chairs will also coordinate individual goal setting and project timelines, moderate discussions, facilitate problem-solving sessions and supply overall guidance throughout the program.

Program Divisions

The EAP/SFBA Fellowship consists of five divisions, including: Business Development, Finance & Administration, IT & Digital Tools, Marketing and Public Programming. A member of the EAP/SFBA Leadership Group oversees activities within each division. Fellows will work primarily with colleagues from their own division; however, there will be ample opportunity for inter-departmental collaboration.

Fellows will participate in a range of activities that support EAP/SFBA’s internal functions and external programs. For example, a Fellow within the IT / Digital Tools Division will play a central role in helping to develop our online vehicle (internal action). In addition he or she will create his or her own action-learning project. These field-based projects, selected and directed by the Fellows themselves, with support from the Division Chairs will accelerate the professional growth of the individual fellow.

General Fellowship Participant Criteria
Applicants to the Fellowship program should demonstrate the following criteria. **Please also see Program Division descriptions here to learn about specific group activities and qualifications.**

● Expertise or strong interest in individual working group area (public programs, admin/finance, it/digital tools, business development, marketing/communications)

● Deep interest in innovative thinking, new business models and new ways of working

● Commitment to advancing the Bay Area’s arts and culture sector

● Clarity in communication, both written and verbal

● Results oriented; Proactive and self-motivated

● Solid project management skills, able to meet deadlines and manage work-flow with a high degree of organization

● Able to work with diverse partners and constituencies

● Team oriented, with a collaborative working style

● Commitment to personal and professional growth

Duration and Key Dates

●  The 2010-2011 Fellowship will run from October through June

●  Monthly time commitments will be approximately 10 hours

●  Fellows will be required to participate in the following events, as such we kindly ask that applicants reserve these dates:

○   Saturday, October 2nd, 2010: Orientation
○   Saturday, November 6th, 2010: Share Action Plans
○   Saturday, December 4th, 2010: Fellows Social
○   Saturday, June 4th, 2011: Internal Review
○   Saturday, June 25th, 2011: End of Year Report & Celebration

Benefits of Fellowship Participation

●      Develop projects that will have a deep and lasting impact on our region’s creative sector and it’s approach to leadership development in the future

●      Coaching and mentoring from a unique collection of seasoned professionals

●      Increased professional competencies in self-targeted areas

●      Reinvigorated professional practices

●      Hands-on opportunities to learn in the field and to test new ideas in a live environment

●      A semi-structured blend of independent and collective learning experiences, using the greater Bay Area as a classroom

●      Diverse opportunities to collaborate with other talented emerging leaders and to gain a deeper understanding and appreciation for the complexities of different operating environments

●      Access to statewide and national networks of emerging arts leaders

●      Big picture perspective, recognizes connectivity, is consistently attuned to trends and forces shaping the arts and culture sector

●      The opportunity to connect with highly-skilled professionals working outside of the arts and culture sector

Application Process

Applications open on Wednesday, August 25th and will be accepted online here until Wednesday, September 15th at 5:00pm. ***Applicants who best fit the criteria may be asked to participate in a short phone interview the week of September 20-24. All applicants will be notified of their status by September 25th.

Two optional information sessions will be held at Intersection 5M, 925 Mission Street @ 5th Street, 94103 on:

●  Tuesday, September 7th from: 6:30pm to 8:00pm.

●  Monday, September 13th from: 12:30pm to 1:30pm.

Please check in with the guard at 901 Mission Street.

Questions? Contact Ebony McKinney, EAP/SFBA Director at nextgenerationsf@gmail.com.