National Portrait Gallery

People and Portraits Creative Connections

Participation Project Manager

Learning is central to the work of the National Portrait Gallery.  The Learning department is responsible for working with new and existing audiences to increase opportunities for learning and participation with the Collection both in London and regionally through our National Programme. The Department is committed to an approach that is stimulating and inclusive by working with audiences and creative expertise to develop approaches that represent the diversity of Britain today.

Thanks to generous support from Midge and Simon Palley, the opportunity now exists, through an ambitious four year project, People and Portraits- Creative Connections, to shape and lead a significant participation project at the Gallery working in collaboration with different communities across London. The aim by working in partnership with young people is to create a series of contemporary responses to portraiture and create material that has relevance and interest for young people and general visitors today. The project will act as a catalyst for best practice in the Gallery to sustain and further embed participation activity.

Purpose To scope, develop, manage and produce all aspects of the People and Portraits- Creative Connections project. To facilitate the collaboration of young people, contemporary artists and educators in order to produce displays, interpretation and digital material on-site and online each year. To establish an effective model for community collaboration and participation across the four year programme. To ensure effective evaluation practice is integral to the project. To ensure that the project connects and contributes to wider participation, interpretation and programming activity and to ensure that the project contributes to sustained audience development practice.

Reports to

The post holder will report to the Head of Participation.

Responsible for

The post holder will be responsible for associated artists, freelance practitioners and educators involved in the Project delivery.

Main duties

Overall

Working with colleagues to set the conceptual framework for the project

To establish and set up an overall participation, consultation and evaluation methodology for the project

To scope, build, develop and manage relationships with target community organisations, participants and stakeholders in East and West London

To develop an approach for the use of digital content and the use of social media across the project to increase collaboration and participation (both targeted participants and more generally)

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Annually

To brief, appoint and manage input from a lead contemporary artist and further develop the model for artist-led participation practice

To engage additional freelances to collaborate with the lead artist and deliver the individual thematic creative projects

To produce an exhibition display and associated interpretative material in the Gallery each year through consultative and collaborative practice

To collaborate with designers (internal and external) on the development of the exhibition design and communication material

To work with Exhibitions and Collections Management department on the use of the collections and scheduling associated art handling needs

To collaborate on the planning of public programmes for families, schools and young people associated with the exhibition and to build on the outcomes of the project

To establish a project evaluation and participant tracking methodology as part of the project

To deliver the project to agreed timescale and budget

To complete formal written reports including evaluation involving the project intern as required

Working relationships

The post holder will work closely with and be line managed by the Head of Participation. They will work closely with the Head of Young People and Programme Managers across the department including Family Programme Manager, Learning Manager, Art and Young People’s Programme Manager. They will establish two annual paid internships with the project and liaise with Personnel to ensure this complies with Gallery practice and procedures.

They will also be responsible for establishing effective working relationships within the Gallery with Curatorial, Digital Programmes, Visitor Services, Communication and Development to ensure the Project is well informed and communicated across the National Portrait Gallery.

Further information and an outline on the People and Portraits - Creative Connections project is provided in Appendix 1

This is not an exhaustive list of duties and the Gallery’s management may at any time allocate other tasks which are of similar nature or level.

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National Portrait Gallery

Person Specification

Participation Project Manager

Qualifications and Experience

Educated to degree level with at least three years experience working in arts/ cultural sector

Knowledge of museum/gallery access, education and curatorial issues

Creative thinker with insight/ ideas in exploring contemporary issues through collections

Track record of working with contemporary artists and participative practice with young people and communities

Experience of working with learning/ arts projects that encourage participation and dialogue with stakeholders in the community

Demonstrable track record in the production and delivery of creative cultural participation and learning projects

Experience of commissioning evaluation/ education research projects

Skills Knowledge and Attributes

Expertise in management and fostering collaborative relationships between a diverse range of project partners and audiences

Proven ability to work independently and manage experimental projects

An excellent team player with the ability to motivate

Excellent communication and interpersonal skills

Ability to set, manage and work and deliver to tight deadlines and schedules

Ability to write and present reports at a senior level

Able to work to manage an allocated budget

A flexible approach to work

High degree of computer literacy

Other A very strong interest in the mission and aims of the National Portrait Gallery, its

collections and its potential to connect with diverse audiences and young people through participative practice

Eligibility to work in the UKNational Portrait Gallery

Participation Project Manager

Details of the post are given below and in the job description. You should take care to show in your application how you can fulfil the requirements of the job.

Term of appointmentThis post is fixed for a period of 4 years.

Hours Your contracted hours of work are 24 gross (3 days) per week, from Monday to Friday, including a lunch break of one hour a day for a full day worked. Flexibility with regard to working hours will be necessary as there are occasions when the post holder may be required to work evenings and weekends in response to when the project partners community groups meet.

Pay The salary for this post will be pro rata £33,031 per annum.

Annual LeaveYour annual leave allowance is pro rata 25 days per annum. Annual leave needs are usually agreed, but must be coordinated with colleagues to ensure that there is sufficient cover in the Department.

Place of WorkMost of the work is based in the Gallery at St Martin’s Place, but all staff are required to work at other locations if necessary.

Equality The Gallery believes in the employment and advancement of people solely on their ability to do the job required. When recruiting people, we will therefore disregard their gender, marital status, race, colour, nationality, ethnic origin, religion and sexual orientation. There will be no unfair discrimination on the basis of disability. If you would like to submit your application in a different format we are happy to allow this. Please contact us (telephone: 020 7306 0055 email: personnel@npg.org.uk) so that we may discuss suitable alternatives.

PensionPension benefits are provided under the Principal Civil Service Pension Scheme (PCSPS).

Probation and Trial PeriodAll appointments are subject to satisfactory employment and character references and security clearance. There is a probationary period of 1 year for all permanent posts. For fixed term appointments the probationary period may be less than 1 year. The probationary period for this post is 1 year.

Data Protection ActInformation provided by you as part of your application will be used in the recruitment process. Any data about you will be held securely with access restricted to those involved in dealing with your application in the recruitment process. Once this process is completed the data relating to unsuccessful applicants will be stored for a maximum of 6 months and then destroyed. If you are the successful candidate, your application form will be retained and form the basis of your personnel record.

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Information provided by you on the Equal Opportunities Monitoring Form will be used to monitor National Portrait Gallery’s equal opportunities policy and practices. By signing and submitting your completed application form you are giving your consent to your data being stored and processed (if you submit your application by e-mail and the application form is un-signed we will assume that consent by you is given) for the purpose of the recruitment process, equal opportunities monitoring and your personnel record if you are the successful candidate.

Season TicketsInterest free loans are available for the purchase of a season ticket for travel to work.

Please return your completed application form to:

Caroline WynterHead of PersonnelNational Portrait Gallery2 St Martin’s PlaceLondon WC2H 0HE

by first post (9.00 am) on Friday 9th March 2012

We are expecting to hold interviews on 23rd March 2012. Please indicate on the form if there are any dates during this week that that you will not be available.

If you are delivering your application by hand, please take it to the reception desk at 39-45 Orange Street.

Due to our funding position we are unable to respond to every application, therefore if you have not had a response to your application by Thursday 15 March 2012 please assume that you have been unsuccessful on this occasion.

Thank you for your time and effort in completing and returning your application.

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Appendix 1: People and Portraits – Creative Connections People and Portraits – Creative Connections is a new four year participation project at the National Portrait Gallery. Funded by Gallery Patrons, Simon and Midge Palley, the project seeks to engage new and harder to reach young people and extend the relevance and educational value of portraiture. In particular, the project aims to support new and developmental participation practice with young people and explore how this can be embedded and shared across the wider programme for families and young people.

Diversity and different perspectives will be central to all aspects of the production of this project including audiences, artists’ practice, interpretation programming.

The Project Manager, working closely with the Head of Participation is central to delivering the vision of the project. Working in collaboration, they will scope the project concept, content and partnerships. On starting in role, they will develop the model for participation and artist engagement.

The project

Target audience

The definition of communities will be explored in broadest terms. Centred around communities of cultural identity, location, space, experience, interest and ideas. Participants will be involved from both East and West London. The target audiences will be:

Young people 14-16

We are planning to work directly with community partner organisations and young people’s groups across London who may already be involved in the arts in general. However the groups may not be active in the visual arts and will not already use the National Portrait Gallery.

Each year, we plan to explore additional relationships to the existing community partnerships by way of extending audiences drawn from these areas. Developing the relationships with audiences from each area of London will be a goal over the project period.

Content outline

The values of connection, exchange, encounter and journeys will inform the overall concept for the 4 year project

The project framework is intended to embody and facilitate an exploration of movement and its relationship to people

Broad themes will be developed each year as part of the overarching project concept. Themes could include the movement of people, ideas, influence, culture and trends. Both the experience and the impact of these will be explored

Different geographic location will provide starting points and connections across London, working as a device through which we will aim to explore specific and comparative audience perspectives. By drawing audiences

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together the project approach seeks to bring different perspectives on these themes

Connections with individuals, interpretative narratives and representations in the Collection will be central to the each project theme

Activity

Working with artists and other practitioners, the project framework aims to provide a way in which participants develop, respond and contribute perspectives to the themes and their interpretation. Creating the opportunity to introduce, explore and create connections with the people, ideas and artists represented in the Gallery’s Collection. The features include:

Two – three targeted annual participation projects with young people from across London

Digital content and digital platforms e.g. web, mobile, podcasts, film and social media will be used as a way of connecting groups, documenting progress, sharing ideas and encouraging engagement with the Gallery will be developed. It is also a way in which process will be revealed and connected with interpretative content produced on-site

Developing audiences beyond the project activity will be a part of the approach from the outset. This will trialled through ‘transition’ or ‘introductory’ approaches to the wider programme as part of the provision for young people at the Gallery

Linkages to other display, exhibition and programme planning are considered and will be planned in

Thorough documentation and evaluation will be carried out across the project

The role of the artist

New lead artist/s each year Participation and responsive practice has a part in their overall work Experience will probably be early/ mid career Exposure to practice and ideas as a role model for young people Interested in the use and interpretation of historic collections and the issues

they present and demand Practice can explore the techniques and processes in the Collection Demonstrates a clear sense of the potential to engage with NPG collections

and ideas

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