THE POSITION
Reporting to the CEO, the Artistic Director is responsible for the overall artistic direction, personality and development of the festival; spearheading new work and commissions and overseeing their development; pro-actively developing partnerships with local, national and international arts organizations and artists; catalysing active participation in and knowledge of the local arts community; developing fresh thinking for the festival’s education, community, outreach and volunteer programs; oversight of curators in music, visual arts, literature and public programs; management and oversight of the Festival program and commissioning budget, and conducting staff performance reviews for the festival. Through this mandate, the new AD will help lead the Luminato festival forward into its second decade, working in close partnership with the CEO to grow its artistic vision, its scope and scale, its distinctive global reputation, and its local audience impact. The newly appointed CEO also brings experience in global cultural programming and in many different kinds of artistic leadership and management.
THE CANDIDATE
Your passion will ensure the festival delights audiences by providing exciting, unique artistic experiences, most of which would be impossible in Toronto without the leadership or collaborative involvement of Luminato. You will be on the ground and become deeply rooted in the character of Toronto – its spaces, psyche, and communities, while maintaining and continually extending your global network of artistic and creative relationships. You will create and present a focused curated Festival reflecting Luminato’s core mission and vision, providing audiences with a coherent experience they can recognise and be excited by as distinctively Luminato.
Your vision will achieve artistic excellence in all aspects of your programming, and you will stage and host a wide range of high-level world and Canadian Premieres each season. Outside of the festival as an event, you will also instil a sense of community, pride and ownership of the Festival within Toronto, the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) and Canada, creating civic energy around the Festival and helping to foster appreciation of arts and creativity year round both amongst the arts- experienced community and also the wider public.
This opportunity allows you to showcase the best of the world to Toronto, and the best of Toronto and Canada to the world, and to take a key leadership position, facilitating collaborations between artists from different genres both within Toronto and throughout the cultural sector nationally and internationally. You are excited to be building a lasting legacy by aiding in the growth and success of local and regional Canadian artists and arts organizations at national and international levels, and by leading Luminato’s programming into its second decade.
PRIMARY RESPONSIBILITIES
Artistic Programming & Audience Outreach
• The Artistic Director is responsible to the CEO for devising and delivering the program of Luminato that is consistent with the aims, objectives and strategic plan of the Festival within expenditure budgets agreed by the Board and CEO.
• Drive the growth of artistic programming, including new commissions and program development; work with internal and external stakeholders to establish new initiatives; explore new creative models for multi-year developmental partnerships, deriving the strongest possible curated program by skillful investing the Festival’s resources.
• Deliver a program that captures the imagination and engages a broad cross-section of Toronto audiences, while showcasing cutting-edge, pioneering work which may not always command the same scale of audiences but which is vital to Luminato’s position on the global stage, exemplifying the highest level of cultural credibility within Canada.
• Supervise the staff responsible for program administration, program curation, project management, budget management, and tracking; work closely with finance, production, fundraising, marketing and other administrative departments to establish policy and procedures for commissions and the effective and efficient administration of all programming.
• Develop and implement education, outreach and community programs; provide support to those programs as well as the Festival community volunteer program.
Partnerships
• Provide leadership and direction on all matters related to artistic partnerships; developing comprehensive strategies to leverage fully all program partnership opportunities with a sensitivity to building strong, enduring and ambitious relationships with local arts organizations and industry associations.
• Maintain a current, globally informed view of the industry; take part on local and international boards; participate at industry association events; monitor market trends; possess and constantly update your critical knowledge of emerging artists and the competitive landscape.
• Play a lead role as advocate for the Festival; involved in fundraising, public relations; as appropriate during the Festival presenting as host to audience, sponsors, media and participants.
• Represent Luminato at arts and culture events and conferences and speak at appropriate media and industry engagements as an effective communicator at all levels of cultural knowledge and experience; able to write and present information and act as spokesperson in a compelling manner to audiences and communities in a way that generates excitement for the Festival.
Administration
• Board management: Report at quarterly meetings of the Board of Directors on Festival program content and commissioning and on Luminato’s education, community and outreach initiatives.
• Staff Management: Lead and manage permanent and contracted curatorial and programming staff, ensuring high levels of management and HR practice and motivating them to commit wholeheartedly to Luminato’s continued evolving development.
• Coordinate all aspects of artistic programming and scheduling including all pre-contract communication, including experience and skill in negotiating with international artists at all levels across the cultural spectrum.
• Create, establish and achieve operating budgets for all artistic programs.
CANDIDATE QUALIFICATIONS
• Minimum five years of senior multi-disciplinary arts and leadership experience including international experience, preferably at a multi-arts festival or presenting organization; reflective experience in risk evaluation, experienced critical judgement, and a compelling artistic vision including elements with broad-ranging audience appeal.
• A proven track record in strategic artistic leadership and management; festival or equivalent arts management experience essential, and Arts Management or other related graduate degree desired.
• Demonstrated experience in planning, organizing, and directing the artistic aspects of production and presentation techniques across multiple genres, venues and outdoor locations; understanding of current production issues and relevant trends across multiple streams of arts and creativity.
• Proven ability to manage dependably to budget and provide clear financial analysis with respect to project costs and revenue potential.
• Understanding and willingness to participate comprehendingly and proactively in fundraising and securing of grants.
PERSONAL CHARACTERISTICS
• A high-energy visionary with business savvy, drive and dedication to outstanding programming and audience engagement; the proven ability to bring creative thinking to a wide range of tasks.
• Persistent, engaging, yet flexible; exceptional relationship management and team building skills; ability to lead and motivate staff teams and external partners and deal confidently, sensitively and effectively with local and international artists at all levels.
• Able to create an ambitious entrepreneurial culture; achieve the necessary buy-in for growth and development by working with senior level managers and local partners; able to partner with functional leaders to inspire and motivate people at all levels to achieve artistic excellence.
• High-level communication skills, orally and in writing, at all levels – within the professional cultural community and also as a persuasive and effective advocate for cultural programming with a wide range of different stakeholder communities.
• Able to communicate effectively on projects in diverse fields.
• Willingness and availability to undertake significant travel regionally and globally to maintain the constantly updated knowledge and relationships that are Luminato’s lifeblood.
• Energy, persistence and effectiveness in conceiving and realizing ambitious visions; a distinctive imagination, able to create and realise ambitious cultural projects.
• Unquenchable cultural and human inquisitiveness.
• A sophisticated, strategic belief in the identity and core mission of Luminato.
• High-level critical judgment across the performing, visual, digital and literary arts.
• Relationship-builder with a strong, established and constantly developing network.
• A commitment to work collaboratively and in strategic partnerships.
• Politically astute and able to understand the complex nature of management in a multi- constituent arts organization requiring strong local partner and stakeholder relationships.
• Embrace and respect the aspirations of local and national partners across all disciplines, and work to assist those partners in the achievement of their artistic goals.
• A sensitivity to the exciting opportunities contained in the distinctive cultural plurality of 21st-century Toronto.
• Ability to manage and monitor many projects simultaneously while maintaining forensic attention to detail, adjusting quickly and instinctively to changing priorities and opportunities.
• Culturally aligned with Luminato’s values of creative excellence, innovation, social and community responsibility, and financial and environmental sustainability.
COMPENSATION
A competitive compensation package will be offered, complete with salary and benefits. Salary range between $150,000.00 to $200,000.00 annual, commensurate with experience and eligible for annual review in accordance with company policy. Benefits include vacation allowance (4-5 weeks), group insurance benefits with extended health, dental, life insurance, AD&D, and LTD (employee paid).
TO APPLY
Please apply by email with your cover letter and résumé. Send to Searchlight Recruitment Inc.: luminato-ad@searchlightcanada.com.
Luminato is an equal-opportunity employer.
We thank applicants for their interest, however, only those advancing in the process will be contacted.
