APPLICATION PACK FOR: HERITAGE PROGRAMME ASSISTANT. Closing date: 19 JULY 18

Transcription

1 APPLICATION PACK FOR: HERITAGE PROGRAMME ASSISTANT Closing date: 19 JULY 18

2 3 rd July 2018 Dear Applicant, This application pack for the position of Residents Programme Assistant at the South London Gallery includes: About the South London Gallery Job Description Person Specification Please complete the South London Gallery application form and equal opportunities monitoring form, which you can download from our website The purpose and key tasks and responsibilities of the position are set out in the job description. The knowledge and experience and skills and attributes we are looking for in the successful candidate are listed in the person specification. It is important to read carefully all the information before completing the form. Please do not attach CV, references or educational certificates to your application form. Applications in the form of CVs will not be considered. Please send completed applications to with the subject line Programme Assistant. The closing date for receipt of completed applications is 5pm Thursday 19 th July. We regret that applications received after that time cannot be considered. Interviews will be held on Tuesday 7 th August. Shortlisted candidates will be contacted by phone or and invited to attend. The selection process will include a written application form and a group interview/workshop. If you will require any special arrangements at any stage of the selection process please fill in the relevant section of your application form or contact Cathy Hirschmann at cathy@southlondongallery.org or telephone We guarantee to interview all applicants with a disability who meet the essential criteria listed in the person specification and to appoint on the basis of objective criteria. Unfortunately we are unable to write back to all applicants at the shortlisting stage, or to give specific feedback on why you have not been shortlisted. If you do not hear from us by Wednesday 25 th July please assume that you have not been shortlisted in this instance. If you have any queries regarding the process or the role please contact Cathy Hirschmann, Deputy Director, on or at cathy@southlondongallery.org Thank you for your interest in the South London Gallery. We look forward to receiving your application. Cathy Hirschmann Deputy Director

3 South London Gallery The South London Gallery (SLG) is a locally, nationally and internationally recognised centre for contemporary visual art with an acclaimed and award-winning education and outreach programme. The gallery opened on its present site on Peckham Road in 1891 as the South London Fine Art Gallery and Library. Its founding mission to bring art to the people of south London is a vision which continues to hold true to this day, with a particular emphasis, over the past twenty years, in showing challenging new work by emerging and established British and international artists. Offering a rich programme of exhibitions, film, performance, artist commissions and residencies, together with innovative education and outreach projects, the SLG aspires to be internationally recognised for excellence and innovation and to enhance the cultural offer in the local area. The SLG s ambitious education programme invites people of all ages and levels of interest to engage with contemporary art and to challenge assumptions of who art is for. Our approach to education is guided by the audiences that we work with and our programme has evolved through developing long-term relationships with people living close to the SLG. The South London Gallery is a registered charity and receives annual income from funders Arts Council England, as a National Portfolio Organisation, and Southwark Council, while the remainder is raised from a range of sources including statutory funds, individual donations, corporate sponsorship and trusts.

4 The former Peckham Road Fire Station In September 2018 we will open a second site in the former Peckham Road Fire Station, across the road from the SLG s main site. Dating from 1867 and the earliest surviving example of a purpose-built fire station in London, the derelict, four-storey building is being transformed into a new cultural centre, enabling the SLG to expand its programme, create a publically accessible archive and deliver a range of focused activities. This new development will enable the SLG to respond to increasing demand for its programmes, simultaneously ensuring that the Fire Station will be preserved for future generations to enjoy and provide much-needed free public space at a time of rapid change in the local area. The SLG has been awarded funding from the Heritage Lottery Fund, the Mayor of London and others to enable the SLG to restore the building, deliver an extensive archive and heritage programme and open the building to the public. Image credits 1. South London Gallery. Photo: Andy Stagg 2. Katharina Grosse & Stefan Schneider, Tiergarten, South London Gallery, 2017, photo: Mark Blower. 3. Big Family Press with OOMK, South London Gallery, Photo: Manuela Barczewski 4. Visitor in Under the Same Sun: Art from Latin America Today, in the Main Gallery in Courtesy: Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation and the South London Gallery. Photo: Andy Stagg 5. South London Gallery Bookshop. Photo: Rosie Reed Gold 6. School visit in the Orozco Garden. 7. Installation view of Pae White's 2013 exhibition Too Much Night, Again. Photo: Andy Keate 8. Big Family Press with OOMK, South London Gallery, Photo: Andy Stagg 9. View of proposed exterior of the former Peckham Road Fire Station by 6a architects South London Gallery is a registered charity, number Trustee: The SLG Trustee Ltd, company number Registered office: Peckham Road, London, SE5 8UH

5 Heritage Programme Assistant With the restoration of the former Peckham Road Fire Station the SLG has placed heritage as an ongoing theme within its programmes. The programmes will spark a new interest in heritage and will play a key role in attracting new audiences to the gallery. A new publically accessible archive room will be on the ground floor of the Fire Station exploring the histories of the gallery and the neighbourhood through displays of archive material, digital resources and oral histories. There will be projects and workshops with community groups of all ages, exploring their own stories and history as part of our long-term heritage project Evidence of Us. Central to the Evidence of Us programme is the Big Family Press, a child-led printing press which supports children to develop a vocabulary around heritage, using DIY publishing to support children and their families to directly contribute to the archive. Image: One of My Kind (OOMK), installation view of The Big Family Press with OOMK, First Floor Galleries, the South London Gallery, Photo by Manuela Barczewski.

6 Heritage Programme Assistant Job Description Job Title: Heritage Programme Assistant Period: Fixed term, 52 weeks, August 2018 July 2019 Hours: Full time: 35 hours per week Working week: Sunday, pm Monday - Thursday, 10am 6pm Occasional evening work will be required for which time off in lieu will be given Salary: 18,564 per annum (London living wage) plus 6% employer pension contribution and 26 days holiday pro-rata (plus bank holidays) Reports to: Deputy Director Place of Work: South London Gallery, Peckham Road, London SE5 8UH Working across all SLG sites and in the neighbourhood as required. The appointment is subject to a satisfactory DBS check as you will be working with children and young people. We are particularly interested in applicants from low-income backgrounds and those from black and ethnic minority communities, who are under-represented in museums and galleries. Purpose of the role: The Heritage Programme Assistant will support the South London Gallery s wideranging programme of heritage activities. This includes projects and workshops with community groups of all ages, exploring their own stories and history as part of our long-term heritage project Evidence of Us, a publically accessible archive room which will open in September 2018 with exhibitions and digital materials about the history of the gallery, its buildings and the local area. You will find this role rewarding if you are enthusiastic and proactive and enjoy working with members of the public, including children, families and older residents, and would like to help them to get the most out of their engagement with the SLG whether that is through supporting them to share their stories through our oral history programme, helping them explore archive materials, or talking to them about the history of the Fire Station and the local area. The role also includes opportunities to undertake administration and organisation duties and develop these important skills. This post is part of the SLG s training programme for people beginning careers in the arts and cultural sector. Therefore, as well as practical work experience you will benefit from an individually tailored training programme which will include external courses, visits to other cultural organisations, one-to-one time with an industry mentor, membership of a peer support network, internal training opportunities and independent research time. The successful candidate will join the SLG at an exciting time in its history, as we open new galleries, education space, public archive, communal kitchen and artist studio in the former Peckham Road Fire Station.

7 Key Tasks and Responsibilities What you will be doing Education Working closely with the Heritage Education Manager: supporting the preparation and delivery of a number of regular workshops and for children, families and older people, both at the SLG and in the neighbourhood; your role will involve sourcing materials, setting up the workshop space, supporting artists and workshop leaders during the workshops and working closely with adults and children to help them with the activities; helping with the running and administration of the Big Family Press, the South London Gallery s new risograph printing press based in the Fire Station education space; helping children, families and other community groups to participate in related activities; supporting the delivery of a selection drop-in and ticketed events, including performances, talks and open weekends; coordinating the education space materials cupboard at the Fire Station, ensuring it is clear and accessible at all times, reordering materials as required; and supporting monitoring and evaluation of our activities, including updating attendance figures and processing participant comments. Archive Working closely with the Archive and Records Manager: working closely with volunteers, researchers and visitors in the Fire Station Archive, supporting their research into the archive and collection including assisting the delivery of a monthly drop-in open archive session; supporting the development of, and working closely with, a local interest group to co-create a display of local and contemporary significance in the Fire Station Archive; supporting the SLG s oral histories volunteers to research and collect oral histories, including transcription, file preparation and archiving as required; and undertaking a series of archive-related administrative projects, developing your administrative skills and experience of working with archive materials and databases. Visitors Working within the South London Gallery s Front of House team: welcoming visitors and groups to the SLG and providing them with relevant information; working alongside volunteers, front of house, reception and retail staff to ensure that the SLG is friendly and welcoming to all visitors; talking to visitors about the history and heritage of the SLG, including the Fire Station, the architectural history of its buildings, their uses over time and importance to the local area, through the delivery of a weekly heritage-focused tour for members of the public; supporting local community group use of the Fire Station spaces, including the set-up and packdown of spaces; ensuring the protection of exhibition and display materials and visitor safety in line with current risk assessments; dealing with any difficult situations in a calm and effective manner; and being an informed and approachable representative of the South London Gallery.

8 General Responsibilities operating in accordance with the SLG s safeguarding, access and diversity, employment, health and safety, equal opportunities and other practices, policies and procedures; ability to work evenings and weekends on a regular basis, for which TOIL (time of in lieu) will be given; attending relevant staff meetings; and undertaking other duties as may be reasonably required. Training and Development In addition to a year of practical work experience you will have dedicated time to undertake an ongoing tailored research, training and development programme. This will include, but is not limited to: attending short courses, conferences and seminars relevant to your role and career aspirations; participating in internal training opportunities relevant to your role and career aspirations, including a full induction to the role and the work of the SLG and workshops (including job application and CV writing) supporting your next step into employment; ongoing research and learning opportunities through supported visits to local archives, museums, galleries and cultural organisations; attending regular meetings with a London-based industry mentor, relevant to your aspirations; and reflecting on and sharing your ongoing learning and development through the publication of six posts for the SLG s online journal.

9 Person Specification Who we are looking for: This is a great opportunity for your first job in a gallery, or if you are looking for a career in the arts or education. You do not need to have worked in a gallery before and you do not need to have a degree to apply. We are looking for people with previous experience of working (paid or unpaid) with your local community (for example through schools, community centres, youth clubs or other charities) or working in a customer facing role (in a shop, cafe or on a reception desk) and a strong desire to learn new skills. Knowledge and Experience Some experience (paid or unpaid) of one or more of the following: working with the public or community groups, caring for children and/or older people; working with young people. Some experience of working in a customer facing role and/or office environment. A developing interest in either the arts, heritage, archives or cultural sector. Ability to work with people of diverse ages, backgrounds and abilities in a personable and friendly manner and an interest in widening access to art, heritage and culture for people underrepresented in the sector. A knowledge of Peckham and Camberwell and some understanding of the issues affecting the communities that live and work in the area. Skills and Attributes A strong desire to learn new skills. Motivated to undertake training and development opportunities. Ability to communicate with a wide range of people, including visitors, participants of all ages and backgrounds, staff and artists, in-person, via and telephone. The ambition and potential to develop core communication skills. Good organisational and administrative skills, including diary management, and basic competencies across Microsoft Word, Excel and Outlook. An ability to handle difficult situations calmly and sensitively. Reliable, punctual and trustworthy. Ability to commit to a year-long position for five days a week, including one weekend day. Willingness to engage and contribute to the supervision, training and mentoring associated with the position. Requirement Desirable Requirement

10 What your week will look like You will work across a range of varied and exciting responsibilities, encompassing education, archive and front of house roles. The sample week below is included as an indication of what you will be doing, although there will be variation during the year. Morning Front of House Afternoon Front of House Sunday Welcoming visitors to the Fire Station archive, supporting public access using interactive displays. Leading on the delivery of a heritage-focused tour of the SLG s sites and surrounding neighbourhood. Education Education Monday Updating visitor figures. Ordering materials and equipment for upcoming Evidence of Us programmes. Setting up the kitchen and archive ahead of afternoon workshop. Supporting delivery of an archival/reminiscence workshop with older people. Research, Training and Development Research, Training and Development Tuesday For example, offsite meeting with an external mentor for reflection and guidance. For example, supported research trip to London museums, galleries and archives, meeting with curators and artists. General Responsibilities Archive Wednesday Participation in the gallery and operations meeting. Meeting with your line manager. Working with volunteers in the archive to co-develop an archival display. Helping members of the public visiting the archive room. Archive Education Thursday Supporting the Archive and Records Manager with archival administration, including digitisation and records management. Setting up the education studio and preparing materials ahead of afternoon workshop. Supporting delivery of the Big Family Press after school club with children aged 4 12.