Executive Director Job Description for Orange County Council of the Arts Background A brand new organization, the Orange County Arts Council received its articles of incorporation in May 2007 and will soon have official 501c3 status. Developed through the input of the Cultural Affairs Committee of the Orange County Citizens Foundation, the community and from Orange County Government, the vision for the Arts Council is to meet the following long-range goals that emerged as recommendations from the County's 2004 cultural needs assessment: coordinate information and services to make the arts more visible and accessible to Orange County residents; integrate the arts into economic development and county planning initiatives; advocate for arts education; provide technical support to build capacity of arts organizations and individual artists to create quality arts programs. A board of directors was set in place in 2006 and meets monthly to oversee the direction and future of the arts council. Priorities for 2007 have been established; a few projects have begun. The Board now seeks a full-time executive director to provide ongoing momentum towards overall goals and 2007 objectives and to bring the Arts Council to its next phase in development. As one of the fastest-growing counties in New York State in the last decade, Orange County is located approximately one hour from Manhattan and has a population of 371,000. Although numerous independent arts organizations and artists exist within the county, activities are not coordinated and do not provide full-time services to either artists or arts organizations. The Executive Director of the Orange County New York Arts Council will lead this Emerging coordinating entity in providing and facilitating communication, organizing collaborative marketing and promotion, advocating for arts education, and representing the county's cultural economic sector in partnerships and promotions with other agencies. Job Duties The Executive Director will: oversee the development, long-range plans, and overall management of the new organization act as a liaison between the arts council, community arts organizations, artists, and county government develop all funding streams for the organization establish the foundation of the organization, including board development, by-laws, mission statement and goals in collaboration with the Board of Directors advise all arts council committees whose tasks are to address the goals of the organization address issues of economic development of the arts in the county educate the community on the benefits of arts on the quality of life in the county advocate and develop arts in education and life-long learning programs develop presentations of arts programs of excellence for the benefit of Orange County residents oversee the development of support staff and volunteer programs provide technical assistance in arts development and capacity building to other arts agencies in the county manage all fiscal policies and financial records as set by the Board of Directors Qualifications The Executive Director will have a minimum of five years experience in arts management, with an appropriate educational background. The Executive Director must have experience in developing new organizations or non-profit agencies and be prepared for the challenges of creating a new 501(c)(3), with an express focus on financial sustainability of the organization. In-depth knowledge of Orange County's arts stakeholders and a broad-based understanding of the local potential for artistic growth and development in a myriad of disciplines is preferred. Skills and Characteristics Ability to work independently Simultaneous supervision of a variety of projects and tasks Preparation and management of budgets Successful history of fund-raising, grant-writing, membership development and corporate giving Ability to oversee long-range and strategic planning Ability to work with various arts and business communities to create partnerships in the county Ability to work with diverse cultural communities and underserved constituencies in Orange County Represent the Arts Council to the community, county, municipal politicians, media and stakeholders Management of staff Strong advocacy skills In-depth knowledge of at least one arts discipline through either education or experience and the ability to work within all arts disciplines Provide leadership to the Board of Directors and community partners Reporting Relationship The Executive Director will report to the Board, as represented by the Chair of the Board. The Mission of the Orange County Arts Council Our misson is to strengthen the arts in Orange County by providing educational, promotional and information services. We accomplish this by coordinating and facilitating relationships among the arts, schools , businesses, government and the public. The Orange County Arts Council has been formed collaboratively by the Orange County Citizens Foundation and the County of Orange/Orange Arts. The Orange County Arts Council is grateful to the Orange County Legislature and County Executive Ed Diana for providing $75,000 to develop the Council. Arts Council Board of Directors Officers Dawn Ansbro, Chair Andy Komonchak, Vice-Chair Lori Jansen Gary Schuster Board Members Claudia Cummings Wayne Decker Michelle Figliomeni Frank Fornario Angela Kays-Burden Sandy Leonard Rebecca Lust Daniel Mack Barry Plaxen Nancy Proyect Gordon Rauer Stephanie Simon Dorothy Szefc   Lycian Centre ARK Graphics Vanacore, DeBenedictus, DiGovanni & Weddell Jacobowitz & Gubits Opera Company of the Highlands Orange County Legislator Orange County Historical Society Orange County Legislator Orange County Planning Department Town of Monroe Orange Arts Rustic Furnishings D&H Canvas Orange County Citizens Foundation Hudson Valley Showcase Neutral Grey SUNY Orange   For more information, call 845-469-9459 ARTS FOR VETS The Orange County Arts Council wants to work with veterans and their families. The newly formed Orange County Arts Council, with the backing of the Orange County Executive and the Legislature, is offering a wide range of ongoing arts-related activities for military families in Orange County. "Arts for Vets" reaches beyond the stereotype of what art is, and reaches the artist in everyone. The project starts this summer, with the kickoff event held at the Orange County Veterans Picnic on June 2. The Orange County Veterans Picnic is an annual event sponsored by the coalition of the 27 veterans groups in Orange County. It is held at Thomas Bull Park on Rt 416 in Montgomery at the Day Camp Pavilions from 12 noon to 4pm on Saturday, June 2. All are invited. Blacksmith Norm Paulson of Florida is bringing his portable forge to demonstrate various metalworking techniques. The Mid-Hudson Wood Carvers will demonstrate techniques of carving wood. The Wallkill River School will offer an introductory lesson in painting. Everyone is invited to help make a mural or poster which will be sent to Orange County service people on active duty. "Arts for Vets" continues after the picnic and we're looking for veterans and their families to get involved in the project activities. Orange County artists are scheduled throughout the summer to present workshops and demonstrations on a wide range of topics, from stone, metal and woodworking to the more traditional studio arts of painting, pottery, photography and carving. There is no charge for workshops for veterans and families. One of the first workshops is the rebuilding of the stone wall at the Veteran's Cemetery in Goshen. Mason and stone artist Bob Hilfiger is teaching this workshop entitled: 'The Art and Craft of the Stone Wall'. Heading the Arts for Vets Program is Megan Cooke. Hired by the Orange County Arts Council for the project, Ms. Cooke is a graduate of Vassar College and was the Music & Theatre Director for the US Army's National Training Center at Fort Irwin, CA. In Fort Irwin, Ms. Cooke created arts programming for military service members and their families. She is the spouse of an Operation Iraqi Freedom Veteran and has a vision to see younger Iraq veterans and their families also connect with the project. Ms. Cooke discusses her ideas . . . "We are also talking about one night a week where vets and their families can drop in to make some music and there's some interest in starting a writing project where vets and families can record their deployment experience. We want to include the entire deployment experience from as many different angles as possible; from preparing to go overseas through the deployment to life after coming home. A book like this was just published and we're looking at an Orange County version." The Orange County NY Arts Council, Inc was formed just a few months ago after several years of planning and as the result of a county-wide cultural needs assessment. The Council's mission is to strengthen the arts in Orange County by providing educational, promotional, and information services. It accomplishes this by coordinating and facilitating relationships among the arts, schools, businesses, government, and the public. Dawn Ansbro is the President of the Arts Council Board of Directors. "The arts — and that's a very wide range of activities — have the ability to create a wonderful sense of community wherever they are taught, displayed, or experienced. With this Vets project, we are looking to the Arts in all its forms to help us connect with each other and find common ground." For more specific information on the workshops or to volunteer to work on this project, contact Megan Cooke at 845-469-8111 or artsforvets@hotmail.com

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