Position Profile
The City of Eugene Cultural Services team is seeking a Public Art Manager.
Our Community
Eugene — Oregon’s second largest city — has an excellent mix of recreation, education, scenic beauty and passion for arts and culture.
Located in the heart of wine country and within an hour’s drive of the Pacific Ocean and Cascade Mountains, Eugene is the county seat for Lane County.
The city boasts a plethora of parks, hundreds of miles of bicycle trails and numerous lakes, rivers and streams nearby.
Eugene is well-known as the home of the University of Oregon. With 20,000 students and more than 6,000 employees, the university plays a major role in the community, as does Lane Community College and Northwest Christian University.
The employment base is becoming increasingly dominated by the creative class and knowledge based industries in addition to services, trade and government.
Eugene is a gigabit city and its arts, culture and entertainment are significant drivers in the local economy. Nonprofit arts and culture are a $124 million industry — one that supports more than 2,700 full-time equivalent jobs.
Eugene is a friendly, progressive community with residents who are active and adamant about maintaining a high quality of life. The University of Oregon brings a cosmopolitan feel to the community, and its collegiate teams have contributed excitement and pride on a national level.
Many residents are health and fitness oriented, and Eugene hosted the IAAF World Track and Field Championships and the Eugene Riverfront Festival in 2022.
Living in the City of Eugene offers all of this, along with the advantages of higher education, a strong public school system and a short commute to work.
Our Organization
Eugene has a council-manager form of government. The City Council develops legislation and policies to direct the City. The City Manager, hired by the City Council, provides administrative direction to the organization, oversees City of Eugene personnel and operations and carries out the City Council’s direction.
The City has more than 1,500 employees and a $1.7 billion biennial budget. The City of Eugene is a service-oriented and innovative organization that provides services through six departments:
1. Library, Recreation & Cultural Services (LRCS)
2. Central Services
3. Fire and Emergency Medical Services
4. Planning & Development
5. Police
6. Public Works
About Library, Recreation and Cultural Services
The work of the Library, Recreation and Cultural Services department is beloved throughout the community and is considered an essential component to the community’s quality of life.
The wealth of recreation opportunities, thriving cultural sector, welcoming community centers and libraries help make Eugene one of the most livable cities in the country.
Cultural Services: Community and Cultural Affairs
The Cultural Services division’s Community and Cultural Affairs Section — public art, Farmers Market Pavilion, downtown events, permitting and grants — are evolving programs that best support our community in these rapidly changes times. We believe the work of the arts creates a stronger, more vibrant and more creative community through shared experiences that uplift the soul and tell the diversity of stories from our communities.
Eugene’s vision for a public art experience is to offer our city as both exhibit and studio. The public is as much the audience to public art as they are potential contributors. Our goal is to support public art that authentically expresses the timeline we live in, inspires wonder and invokes dialogue.
The Ideal Candidate
In addition to demonstrating a passion for arts and culture and an aptitude for the position duties, the successful candidate will have the ability to work individually as well as collectively to design and implement innovative cultural initiatives, programs and projects for the community. They will be an experienced project/program manager with considerable knowledge and experience with contemporary and public art; will be familiar with the theory, principles, practices, and procedures of art programs; and will be passionate about improving the quality of life in this community by promoting diverse artistic and cultural innovations and initiatives.
As a representative of local government they will have the ability to steward relationships with historically marginalized and underrepresented communities with empathy and care while navigating projects that explore the cultural relevance historically and within today’s understanding of best practices regarding cultural identities. The candidate needs to possess the abilities and skills to translate visions into plans, transform inspiration into actions through leadership, and bring authenticity to their work in engaging with the fullness of Eugene’s many communities.
The candidate must possess the abilities and skills to translate visions into plans, transform inspiration into actions through leadership, and bring authenticity to their work in engaging with the fullness of Eugene’s many communities.
This position receives general direction, vision and division goals for the Public Art Program from the Cultural Services Director and the Community and Cultural Affairs Senior Manager.
Minimum Qualifications
In order to successfully complete responsibilities for the role, the following minimum qualifications are required, or any equivalent combination of education and experience that provides the applicant with the necessary knowledge, skills and abilities:
-Work Experience: four and a half years of related professional experience, including two years in cultural programs as a project or program manager or lead staff person involving significant collaboration.
-Preferred Experience: at least two years in the visual arts field, and two years supervisory or management experience.
-Education: Bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university with major course work in any of the following: Arts, Architecture or Design or related field. Relevant high-level or complex administrative support and/or paraprofessional experience may substitute for the required years of educational training on a two-for-one year basis. Thus, four years of professional level experience in arts programming, especially for the public sector, may qualify as a waiver for this educational requirement.
-License or Certificate: valid Oregon driver’s license, or ability to obtain by date of hire; must pass driving records check and, if hired, maintain a driving record that meets the City’s standard. Oregon law requires that an out-of-state license holder must obtain a valid Oregon license (with appropriate endorsements) within 30 days of becoming domiciled in the state (ORS 803.355).
To read a full description of the Public Art Manager position with instructions for applying online visit: https://tinyurl.com/4wnmzma8
The salary range for this position is $85,134.40–$110,656,00 annually, or $40.93–$53.20 hourly.
Closing Date: Dec. 2, 2024
City of Eugene, Employee Resource Center: 500 E. 4th Ave. Suite. 102, Eugene, OR 97401. Phone: 541-682-5061
Learn more about the City of Eugene Cultural Services division here: https://tinyurl.com/mryy4xuk