2021 COMPAS Call for Teaching Artists

Submissions due by November 28, 2021

COMPAS is looking for new artists to add to their roster of professional Teaching Artists

COMPAS has been putting creativity into the hands of Minnesotans for over 50 years. Their professional artists work alongside students, teachers, older adults, adults with disabilities, hospital patients, teens, and just about any other community member to spark their imaginations and infuse their lives with creativity. Please see their website for more information: COMPAS.org.

COMPAS Teaching Artists connect with community members through performances, workshops, residencies, professional development, and more. Programs take place throughout the state during school hours, after school, during the evening and on weekends. Locations include schools, libraries, older adult living communities, parks and rec, youth programs and other community sites.

Teaching Artists are paid competitively for workshops and residencies, and performance fees are set by the artist. Hiring artists embedded in indigenous communities and communities of color continues to be a high priority at COMPAS.

In order to best serve our communities needs they are especially looking for teaching artists in these areas.

  • Performance groups (music, dance, theater, etc.)

  • Spoken word artists

  • Fiction Writers

  • Drummers

  • Muralists

  • Clay/Pottery artists

  • Animation artists

  • Graphic Novel/Comic Artist

  • Mosaic artists

  • Poets

  • Artists with experience in integration with STEM

  • Artists who work with individuals with disabilities

  • Artists who work with Youth Organizations

  • Artists who work with justice systems

  • Artists who work with early learners, grades K-2

Application and Selection

Once an artist has submitted the required information listed below, the application process consists of an initial round of consideration by COMPAS program staff, followed by finalists having a face-to-face interview with our Arts Advisory Committee consisting of community partners, artists, students, and COMPAS staff. If selected, incoming artists then attend a New Artist Orientation, followed by individual training meetings with COMPAS staff, as needed.

Timeline

Applications will be open Oct 18 and close Nov 28, 2021 

Application initial review Nov 28-Dec 6, 2021 (COMPAS Staff will review submitted materials and move forward around 50% of the applications)

Application finalist interviews Jan 6 and 7, 2022 (Community Panel will review materials, participate in a 10 minute artist demo, discuss both and score applicants)

New Artist Orientation March 11, 2022

Suggested TA observations April –May, 2022

Desired Qualifications

While COMPAS is open to a wide variety of artistic approaches and backgrounds, artists with the following criteria have a higher chance of being interviewed:

  • Minnesota resident

  • Demonstrated dedication to an artistic practice

  • Prior teaching artist experience (ideally 3-5+ years)

  • Ability to fill a gap on the COMPAS roster

  • Demonstrated ability to model, breakdown, explain, and customize projects within their artform

Note: Hiring is contingent upon completing a Criminal Background Check

To Apply

Follow this link to submit your materials.

You will be expected to upload:

  • Cover letter (.Doc .Docx or PDF)

  • Resume (2 pages .Doc .Docx or PDF)

  • Sample lesson plan for an individual 1-2 hour lesson within a series or stand alone (2 pages .Doc .Docx or PDF. Have the document follow this format)
    a. Teaching artist name (individual or group)
    b. Title and descriptive overview of lesson
    c. Description of arts learning community (age/grade/developmental level/number of arts learners)
    d. Time required for lesson
    e. Resources and equipment required
    f. Learning goals for arts learners
    g. Lesson tasks and activities toward outcomes
    h. Evaluation methods for assessment of learning goals
    i. Lesson alignment to state/national educational standards (school based projects) or community learning goals

  • 4-6 work samples that align with your other materials ( .Doc, .Docx .PDF .MP3 .MOV from no earlier than 2018)

  • Work sample description document. Include the following information about each work sample
    Title the work − Enter a title for the artwork
    Completion date – Enter the date on which the artwork was completed
    Type (image, audio, video, written work)
    Medium/Role/Genre
    Dimensions/Duration/Pages
    Statement (Optional; 250 characters maximum)

To learn more about the current members of our Roster, check out the Artist Profiles.

COMPAS is available for consultations to provide input on your application. If you would like to do so, or you have other questions, please contact Julie Strand julie@compas.org.