Teaching Artist (Visual Art, Design, Music, Music Production, Theater, Poetry, Dance, Entrepreneurship, Career Readiness)

About the organization

DreamYard Project is guided by a vision of building artists, building community, and building dreams in order to help change the world. The organization has a long-standing anti-racist commitment and centers racial equity in its work with young people, families, schools, and artists across the Bronx.

Founded in 1994 by co-executive directors Jason Duchin and Tim Lord, DreamYard has partnered with more than 100 public schools and served over 100,000 young people and families. Its work includes in-school partnerships, DreamYard Preparatory High School, and out-of-school programming at the DreamYard Art Center in Morrisania.

Role overview

DreamYard is hiring Teaching Artists for the 2023-24 school year in visual art, design, music, music production, theater, poetry, dance, entrepreneurship, career readiness, and related disciplines. These roles are available for in-school, after-school, and summer residency programs at Bronx partner schools and at the DreamYard Art Center.

Teaching Artists are expected to be skilled artists and educators who can create equitable learning environments through collaborative teaching methods and social justice-based instruction. The position reports to the Program Director and receives support from Department Heads and Program Coordinators.

Program formats and time commitments

In-school residencies typically involve 45- or 90-minute sessions each week for a classroom, plus weekly planning meetings with the classroom teacher, running from September through May for 30 sessions.

After-school school-based programs usually include two 90-minute sessions per class each week from September/October through May/June for a total of 60 sessions.

Out-of-school programming at the DreamYard Art Center generally follows a similar structure, with one to two 90-minute sessions per week. Saturday High School Program Teaching Artists lead four-hour sessions each Saturday, and Art Center residencies run for 25 sessions from October through May.

Legacy Internship Program residencies focus on work-based learning, entrepreneurship, career awareness, and readiness. These residencies help interns build industry-specific knowledge, skills, and networks while connecting school and work experiences.

Instructional responsibilities

Teaching Artists are expected to build project-based learning experiences through a social justice lens and provide instruction both in the arts and through the arts, supporting academic goals as part of school curricula.

Depending on the residency, responsibilities may include teaching in-school and after-school groups each week, developing long-range project-based units, assessing student learning against goals, and organizing at least two student work sharing opportunities.

For in-school residencies, Teaching Artists work closely with classroom teachers to plan lessons, share arts-instruction strategies, co-teach with clearly defined roles, and coordinate at least one trip to an NYC cultural institution or one guest artist visit per class.

After-school programs are generally not co-taught with classroom teachers, but they are designed in collaboration with school administration.

For Legacy Internship Program residencies, Teaching Artists must also attend three 90-minute professional development sessions before the program begins, design and facilitate 132 total hours of entrepreneurship curriculum over 6 weeks (22 hours per week) for approximately 15 interns ages 16 to 19, arrange a public sharing of intern work, mentor one college-aged Assistant Teaching Artist, and complete mid-program and end-of-program evaluations for both interns and the assistant TA.

Documentation and program support

Teaching Artists must maintain curriculum maps, student rosters, and detailed project plans using DreamYard templates and planning tools. They are also expected to gather student work portfolios through photos, videos, and classroom artifacts.

Professional development and community engagement

The role includes participation in DreamYard’s annual Teaching Artist retreat, a total of 40 hours of professional development, individualized coaching, and ongoing contribution to peer learning by sharing expertise and leading meetings when appropriate.

Teaching Artists are also expected to help celebrate student accomplishments by supporting public presentations of student work, including school and regional arts festivals, DreamFest, and fundraising events. Participation in one or more of these events each year is expected.

When needed, Teaching Artists may collaborate with Development and Administrative staff to gather information that helps communicate DreamYard’s work to funders and broader arts and education audiences.

Qualifications

Applicants should have strong expertise in their art form, demonstrated through a degree and/or professional accomplishments such as published writing, exhibitions, or performance experience. A bachelor’s degree and/or master’s degree in an arts discipline or a related field is required or strongly expected for the role.

Candidates must have at least two years of full-time teaching experience in an arts discipline in a school or community-based setting, or the equivalent of four years in part-time teaching. Experience in NYC public schools is preferred.

Fingerprinting through the Department of Education (PETS) is required, and DreamYard will cover part of the cost.

Competencies

The ideal Teaching Artist is creative, collaborative, mission-driven, reflective, and professional. The role calls for someone who can bring energy and originality to learning spaces, work well with others, stay aligned with youth development and school/community reform goals, maintain high expectations for students and self, and manage responsibilities reliably and respectfully.

Compensation

The stated pay range is $2,700 to $7,100 per residency. Teaching artists typically complete several residencies each year.

Application requirements

Applicants must submit a resume, a cover letter, and contact information for at least three academic or professional references.

Equity and inclusion

DreamYard encourages applications from a diverse range of candidates and strongly welcomes Bronx-based and Spanish-speaking applicants. The organization states that it does not discriminate on the basis of race, sex, sexual orientation, religion, national origin, age, disability, or other non-performance-related attributes.

Additional information

DreamYard is committed to arts education, educational reform, and social justice, and designs its programs to serve urban communities that have been underrepresented because of race, sex, ethnicity, and socioeconomic status.