Creative Strategist Initiative

Now in its second year, CS-AIR Cycle 2 embeds an artist as a creative strategist and art maker into a County department for a year-long residency. The participating departments include: Mental Health, Parks and Recreation and Public Health. The selected artist will work alongside staff, project partners, community stakeholders and artists in a collaborative process to develop, strategize, promote and implement artist-driven solutions.

The Creative Strategists will work with LACAC and partner departments to develop an evaluation plan. The Creative Strategist will document the process, approach and lessons learned to help transform County practices and responsiveness. The Creative Strategist may work with at-risk populations, such as Foster Youth, Probation, Homeless, LGBTQ and others.

 Opportunity No. 1: Department of Mental Health (DMH)

LA County Arts Commission and the Los Angeles County Department of Mental Health (LACDMH) seek artists as Creative Strategist Artist-in-Residence. An artist as creative strategist will provide community building activities and messaging around mental health issues that encourage dialogue and action. Artist must be available for part-time hours the months of May for the We Rise campaign and September for suicide prevention and recovery month.

 Opportunity No. 2: Department of Parks and Recreation

LA County Department of Parks and Recreation seek artists as Creative Strategist Artist-in-Residence. An artist as creative strategist will; develop and integrate arts and cultural programming as a core program in parks; develop a framework for arts and cultural programming; and develop a phased implementation plan.

Opportunity No. 3: Department of Public Health

LA County Department of Public Health and the county Office of Violence Prevention (OVP) seek artists as Creative Strategist Artist-in-Residence. An artist as creative strategist will be a thought partner in the creation of the OVP and help to both develop an environment that fosters innovative ideas and open dialogue on trauma and violence prevention and communicate ideas in innovative ways. The artist must be available during Public Health Week April 1-7, 2019 with mandatory participation on April 4 for the official launch even of the Office of Violence Prevention.

Further information on the Department focus is found on Attachment A: Department Opportunity Information.

Creative Strategist Initiative Background

In June 2017 the LA County Board of Supervisors unanimously approved a motion to fund the placement of artists, arts administrators or other creative workers who are representative of diverse constituencies in paid positions as creative strategists in County departments “to develop innovative solutions to social challenges.” The LA County Arts Commission (LACAC) manages implementation of the artist residency.  This project is part of the Cultural Equity and Inclusion Initiative, a County initiative designed to ensure that everyone has access to arts and culture, and to improve inclusion in the wider arts ecology for all residents in every community.

 Eligibility

This residency is open to professional artists who live or work in Los Angeles County. The Creative Strategist must be available to participate onsite for a part-time flexible schedule in the designated LA County Department for the duration of the AIR program: DMH/Korea Town; DPR/Alhambra; and DPH/Alhambra as well as locations throughout LA County for field work and engagement—County of Los Angeles is over 4,000 square miles and serves a population of nearly 10 million residents speaking over 200 languages. Access to transportation is required.

For DMH, artist must be available for part-time hours the months of May for the We Rise campaign and September for suicide prevention and recovery month. 

For DPH artist must be available during Public Health Week April 1-7, 2019 with mandatory participation on April 4 for the official launch even of the Office of Violence Prevention.

Budget

The Creative Strategist will be given an all-inclusive budget of $50,000 per year broken down as follows:  $40,000 allocated to artist fees and travel/mileage/parking and $10,000 allocated for all costs associated with the development and execution of community-specific engagement, activities and art making.

Selection Evaluation

An artist as Creative Strategist is someone who can bring artistic methods to help County departments achieve clearly articulated goals. This project requires a deep commitment. Artists must be driven by collaborative work and a commitment to community engagement. They must have a portfolio which demonstrates their ability to align creative practice with social and public need. To assure that the goals of the project are met, artists will be required to participate in a competitive selection process. Applications will be reviewed by a committee of stakeholders and evaluated on the following:

Art Practice:

• Artistic merit and professional qualifications demonstrated in a dynamic portfolio of past work
•   A broad range of creative skills applicable to the development and execution of the residency program, including but not limited to: social practice, happenings, permanent and temporary artworks, convenings, pop-ups, etc.

Process:

• Experience working collaboratively with diverse stakeholders
• Ability to communicate effectively and synthesize complex concepts related to program development
•  Basic knowledge of the diverse services provided by the designated LA County Department (DMH, DPR and/or DPH) and eagerness to learn more and a sincere desire to work on the goals and directives of Department

Selection Process

Up to five artists will be selected for interviews based on evaluation listed above. The selected artists will be required to develop a short presentation for a committee of County staff, project partners, community stakeholders and local residents. The committee will evaluate artist’s applications and presentations to select the artist-in-residence.

Tentative Schedule

RFQ issued                                         February 1, 2019

Deadline                                              February 28, 2019 at 11:59p.m. Mountain Time           

Finalist interview

            DPH                                                     March 13, 2019

            DMH                                                    March 19, 2019

            DPR                                                     March 21, 2019

CS-AIR                                               April 2019-May 2020  

To Apply: https://artist.callforentry.org/festivals_unique_info.php?ID=5750

Applications must be uploaded to Call for Entries (CaFE) no later than February 28, 2019

10:59 p.m. Pacific Standard Time (or 11:59pm Mountain Time).  Any application materials received after the date and time specified above will be rejected and considered non-responsive.

CHECKLIST:

Incomplete application will result in disqualification

¨Resume

¨10 images

¨Annotated list with image thumbnails

¨Reference letters (two)

Letter of interest (check the department to which you are applying, no more than two departments is permitted)

¨Department of Mental Health

¨Department of Parks and Recreation

¨Department of Public Health

Submit:

1. Resume including name, mailing address, phone number(s), email and web page (if applicable). Resume should not exceed three (3) pages.

2. Up to ten (10) images or video clips of your work – total of ten (10) work examples:

• Submit digital images in JPEG format, PC compatible no larger than 1920 X 1920 pixel resolution (do not zip or stuff your files) and no larger than 2MB. 
• Title each image with artist’s name and a number which corresponds to the annotated image list – for example 01JaneJones, 02JaneJones.
• Do not insert multiple photos into one image.
• Optional: Artists may submit up to two (2) videos of relevant past work up to one (1) minute each and/or up to two (2) publications documenting past work, however, only up ten (10) examples of your work are allowed, anything that exceeds this amount will not be reviewed.

3. Annotated Image list to include:

• Title, date and location of artwork;
• Very brief project description (250 words);
•  Medium and dimensions;
• Budget; and
• Commissioning agency or client, and project manager, if applicable.

 4. Two letters of recommendations specifically addressing the strengths and outcomes of your work. 

5. A letter of interest addressing the following, including, where possible, examples of where you have done the kind of work you are describing:

 Only letters that specifically address these points will be considered.

 CS-AIR general questions:

1. Why are you interested in an Artist in Residence in County government?
2. Your experience with engaging or organizing community members in creative and collaborative processes;
3. Your ideas about the role of art in society. How can art help bridge conversations between generations and cultural backgrounds?

Department Specific Questions: You may apply up to two (2) Departments and must answer the Department specific questions.

 Further information on the Department focus is found on Attachment A: Department Opportunity Information.
 

Mental Health
1.     How do you believe art can play a role in an individual’s sense of purpose and well-being?

2.     How do you see art playing a role in building communities?

3.     Describe how you intend to approach the scope of work and goals of this Creative Strategist AIR.

4.     What is your availability the months of May and September?

Parks and Recreation
1.     How will your skills, knowledge, and vision assist Parks and Recreation develop an arts and cultural program framework?

2.     How has your experience and background prepared you to work in diverse unincorporated communities to assess their needs for arts and cultural programming?

3.     Describe how you intend to approach the scope of work and goals of this Creative Strategist AIR.

Public Health
1.     How can art help to promote safety, healing and wellbeing in communities with high levels of violence?

2.     Describe how you ensure that your arts practice is culturally relevant, inclusive and community centered?

3.     Describe how you intend to approach the scope of work and goals of this Creative Strategist AIR.

4.     What is your availability the first week of April?

For questions, please contact Pauline Kanako Kamiyama, Deputy Director of Civic Art and Acting Cross-Sector Manager/Creative Strategist Initiative at 213-202-5920 or pkamiyama@arts.lacounty.gov.

For additional information about the Civic Art Program, please visit the Civic Art Program online at www.lacountyarts.org/civicart.htm.

Application Requirements

Eligibility Criteria