The Northampton Center for the Arts (NCFA) seeks five community members to serve on a steering committee that will work this fall to establish criteria and norms for the dedicated art gallery, opening in January 2024. Community members will work with 3-4 NCFA staff/board members. The committee will meet three times between the beginning of September and end of October 2023 for two hours each, with an additional half hour of prep time for each meeting, and compensation will be offered in the form of $200 in gift cards to local businesses.* Meetings will be held in person if possible, but Zoom or hybrid meetings are an option if necessary/preferred by individual committee members.
Applications will be accepted from August 1-18, 2023, and applicants will be notified by August 25. NCFA seeks to create a steering committee of people who are invested in visual art in varying ways, and who represent a cross-section of our local community, taking into consideration factors such as age, gender, sexual orientation, ability, race/ethnicity, and geography (we serve Franklin, Hampshire, and Hampden counties).
Committee Goals:
To decide what types of artists/exhibits will be hosted in the first year of operation (January-December 2024)
To create a template for a future curatorial gallery committee that prioritizes transparency and accessibility
To create criteria and protocol for inviting future curatorial gallery committee members
To advise NCFA staff and board on community priorities that will inform future decisions related to the art gallery
Art Gallery Mission and Values:
The art gallery that the Northampton Center for the Arts (NCFA) stewards at 33 Hawley is a space which supports NCFA’s mission to foster community connections through the arts. The art gallery provides dedicated space to cultivate constantly evolving and transformative conversations between and among artists and viewers. In managing this community resource, NCFA uses the following intentions as a guide:
To create an art space that is accessible and inclusive, with transparent criteria, that welcomes a wide variety of artists and art mediums
To steward the art gallery in such a way that it is available to as many artists and community members as possible
To provide space to learn more about how people with varying identities express themselves through art
To maintain a rotating curatorial committee of NCFA staff and board and community members that makes recommendations on curatorial decisions
To make financially sound decisions that will enable us to continue to provide opportunities for our community to experience the arts for years to come
Are you interested in serving on the steering committee for the new art gallery?
Apply here!
*Thank you to River Valley Co-op, Northampton Gift Cards, Bueno Y Sano, and Daily Operation for supporting this important work!