2012-13 Fellowship Components & Structure

 
In the first part of the program, the Fellows will collaborate to define personal and team learning goals, identify topics of interest for the broader EAP network, and shape projects and programs in support of the EAP mission. Fellows will reflect and explore with guidance and inspiration from facilitators, peer coaching, guest lecture presentations, collaborations, and mentorship.

In the second part of the program each Fellow will have the opportunity to work on EAP projects and pursue personal action learning projects of their own design, and will be provided with access to a variety of resources and support mechanisms.

Action Learning Projects
Drawing upon their personal reflections, the EAP Fellowship cohort, and the other resources provided, Fellows will develop and execute their own action learning projects. These projects may be realized within the context of EAP programs and organizational development, or produced separately, with support from EAP.

EAP Projects
At the same time, Fellows will work in project teams to fulfill the mission of EAP. Participants will have the opportunity to work on multiple teams, applying their expertise or learning new skills in hands-on situations. In the fall, these projects will be defined by the EAP Leadership Group and shaped by ongoing EAP efforts. In the winter and spring, Fellows will be expected to take a more active role in defining the direction of EAP programs and projects, through their participation in ongoing organizational development, articulation of the key issues affecting their peers and colleagues in the arts and culture sector, and initiation of creative, relevant and impactful responses.

Networked Learning
The EAP Fellowship also provides unique opportunities for in-depth discussions, panels and events with innovative thought leaders from the arts, design, social justice and social entrepreneur sectors. Each year, the roster for presentations is programmed in response to the needs and requests of Fellows, creating a “networked” learning environment. Following are a selection of collaborators and guest speakers from the first two years of the Fellowship:

  • David Cody, President, San Francisco Permaculture Guild
  • Deborah Cullinan, Executive Director, Intersection for the Arts
  • Rachel Fink, Director, Berkeley Repertory School of Theatre
  • Ken Foster, Executive Director, Yerba Buena Center for the Arts
  • Joe Goode, Executive & Artistic Director, Joe Goode Performance Group
  • Adam Huttler, Executive Director, Fractured Atlas
  • Stanford School of Design (d.school)
  • Marc Vogl (formerly of the William & Flora Hewlett Foundation, now ED of BAVC)
  • Akaya Windwood, Executive Director, Rockwood Leadership Institute

Affinity Areas
The Fellowship cohort will be balanced around five affinity areas, to promote knowledge sharing and inquiry-based learning. These topics will help the cohort develop key questions and goals, which may be applied in any of the three ways listed above (Action Learning Projects, EAP Projects, Networked Learning). Each group is listed with examples of projects that could be undertaken in the coming year.

  • Business Development
    • For you: Create a business plan for yourself or your new business; analyze your organization’s business model;  make a pitch or request resources from potential donors or partners; evaluate the potential for increasing or diversifying income at your organization
    • For EAP: Develop resources from a variety of sources; analyze business models; build partnerships and collaborations; support public programs
  • Communications
    • For you: Write or edit articles relevant to your work; develop and execute your personal brand in multiple channels; experiment with emerging media and technology platforms; re-brand your organization’s communications and produce corresponding collateral
    • For EAP: Edit and Publish EAP content and communications including event documentation, the EAP Blog, social media, and other interactive discussions; evaluate brand communication; establish guidelines for communication platforms including online moderation
  • Engagement
    • For you: Expand your network to include the arts leaders you most want to meet; integrate a participatory component to an existing program of your organization; conduct focus groups or surveys to evaluate the alignment of your organization’s mission and strategy with user experiences and responses
    • For EAP: Guide strategy for engagement and user experience design; build relationships with community leaders and adjacent networks; translate messaging to suit distribution channels
  • Knowledge & Information Systems
    • For you: Build a system to maintain the “institutional memory” of your organization; curate your own sources of knowledge and information to align with your personal vision; develop analytic tools that will drive strategic improvements for your organization’s programs or your own work
    • For EAP: Develop the lifecycle of knowledge published by or through EAP; build integrated interaction tracking; experiment with models for organizing and sharing data, information and knowledge relevant to the EAP network; conduct and publish research into a specific topic relevant to next generation leadership or the evolving arts sector
  • Program Development
    • For you: Create a new program at your organization; initiate a program evaluation; build or improve a program through collaboration and networking; evaluate alignment of program offerings with mission and strategy
    • For EAP: Evaluate program offerings; facilitate program conceptualization and execution; incubate and encourage new program ideas; develop platforms for program building and generation

Participants will be encouraged to share their expertise or build their capacity in all five of these affinity areas throughout the Fellowship.

Each affinity group will be  led by 1-2 members of the EAP Leadership Group. The EAP Director, Adam Fong, and Fellowship Program Director, Chida Chaemchaeng, will coordinate Fellowship activities with support and participation from the Leadership Group and the EAP network at large.

 

General Fellowship Participant Criteria

Successful applicants to the Fellowship program will exhibit the following qualities:

● Strong interest in exploring and developing understanding of at least one specific affinity area
● Self-starter, willing to take an active role in the learning process
● Evidence of 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
● Interest in providing or developing applicable special skills (graphic design, social media management, a/v production and editing, in-kind donation procurement, etc.) welcome

 

Application Process, Time Commitment, Key Dates

Applications open on Monday, June 4, 2012 and will be accepted until 11:59pm on Friday, July 6, 2012.

1.) Complete the online application. Your answers will not be submitted until you click the final “submit” button. If you wish, you may also download the application questions as a .pdf.
2.) Please also send your resume as a .pdf to chida@emergingsf.org
3.) All applications are DUE by 11:59pm on Friday, July 6, 2012.
4.) Applicants who best fit the criteria will be asked to participate in a short interview (in-person preferred, Skype/phone possible) between July 13 and July 17. All applicants will be notified of their status by July 23.

Information sessions will be held at times to be announced.

The 2012-13 Fellowship will run from August through early June. The monthly time commitment will be approximately 10 hours, consisting of one large gathering each month (typically Saturday morning to early afternoon), plus smaller meetings and offline work as needed. Fellows are expected to miss no more than one of the monthly meetings, which are scheduled for:

Friday, August 24, 2012, 6-10pm:  Orientation & Welcome Mixer
Saturday, September 15, 2012, 10am-2pm: Project Kick-off and Personal Leadership Visioning
Saturday, October 13, 2012, 10am-2pm: Action Planning & Peer Coaching
Saturday, November 10, 2012, 10am-2pm: Collaborative Project Development
Schedule as needed, December, 2012: Meetings for Peer Coaching, Affinity Areas, Projects
Saturday, January 12, 2013, 10am-2pm: New Year Goal Review, Coach & Mentor Development
Saturday, February 9, 2013, 10am-2pm: Work Session & Speaker Series #1
Saturday, March 9, 2013, 10am-2pm: Work Session & Speaker Series #2
Saturday, April 13, 2013, 10am-2pm: Work Session & Speaker Series #3
Saturday, May 11, 2013, 10am-2pm: Work Session & Speaker Series #4
Monday, June 3, 2013, 9am-5pm: Emergence

Questions? Email Chida Chaemchaeng, EAP Fellowship Program Director

 

Emerging Arts Professionals Fellowship FAQ

1) What kind of qualities are you looking for in an Emerging Arts Professionals Fellow?

We are more interested in what you want to do than what you have done. We want participants who are mission driven and want to develop projects that will have deep and lasting impact on the creative sector. We are looking for people who want to explore new and innovative approaches to leadership development in order to create effective future leaders. We want people who are not afraid to get their hands dirty and who love to learn by testing new ideas in a live environment. We want Fellows who want to connect with other people from across sectors and who wish to develop big picture perspectives attuned to current trends and forces shaping the cultural sector. We want people who believe in a culture of learning and are willing to share their thoughts, knowledge, and questions.

2) What can I expect?

You can expect a professional and inviting experience catered to your specific needs, peer coaching and mentorship opportunities designed to help you define your goals, intentions and create deeper career engagement opportunities with peers. You will not get paid but you won’t be doing busy work. You will be working with people who have a sense of mission and want to do something worth doing. You will not be working alone and will have access to many mentorship opportunities and exposure to professionals in other sectors who are driving new and emerging ideas in their own communities and sectors.

3) What can I get out of the experience?

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

Questions? Email Chida Chaemchaeng, EAP Fellowship Program Director