Board Member Open Call 2021
Open Call for New Board Members
Info Session: Wednesday, May 26, 2021 | 7pm EST on Zoom
Applications Due: Sunday, June 6, 2021 at 11:59pm
Interviews: Early July, 2021
Application Decisions: Late July, 2021
New Members Begin: September, 2021
APPLICATIONS ARE NOW CLOSED
Vox Populi is seeking new voices and perspectives to bring unique ideas and connections to our community. Those who are committed to supporting independent community endeavors and the experimental work of early and mid-career artists in Philadelphia are all encouraged to apply. We seek passionate individuals who are invested in working collaboratively to provide oversight and governance of an alternative art space, contributing to our fundraising efforts and overall community.
Alongside professionals with backgrounds in the fields of Visual, Performing and Literary Arts, and complimenting our need for Board personnel with Legal and Financial expertise, an internal audit of existing Vox Populi membership indicated that individuals with backgrounds in Trauma-Informed Social Work, Progressive and Grassroots Community Organizing, Socially-Engaged Artistic Practices, Mutual-Aid Network Building, Cooperative Workplace Management, and/or Community-Focused Horticulture would be highly desirable additions to our community. Get to know members of our current Board of Directors.
Vox Populi is a member-run, non-profit artist space. Read our Mission & History. Our rotating collective of artist-members is the backbone to our ethos. Our members seek to dismantle the traditional gallery model through pushing the boundaries of artistic practice, and producing a wide and inclusive range of programming and events.
Vox Populi’s members are looking for people who are aligned to our core values. Over the summer of 2020, the Vox community met to discuss our organization’s need to better and more intentionally diversify Vox Populi, striving to be more reflective of the demographics of the city of Philadelphia. This led to the drafting of a long-form Values Statement and the strategizing of a transparent process for transforming the Vox Populi Board of Directors. That process included an amicable parting of ways with several long-standing board members who graciously chose to step aside for new leadership to emerge, many of whom are still active members and supporters of our community.
Before considering applying we encourage applicants to review our Values Statement.
Join Us at An Upcoming Info Session
Eligibility and Selection Criteria
- Please confirm that you live in Philadelphia, have plans to move to Philadelphia, or live near enough to Philadelphia that commuting in for regular gallery meetings and obligations will not present a burden.
- Vox Populi does not accept board members enrolled in a graduate or undergraduate degree-seeking program as of the Membership start-date of September 2021. Applicants pursuing a PhD are eligible to apply, contingent upon the specific time-demands of their program or stage of completion.
- Members of the Vox Populi Board of Directors are asked to divulge any potential conflicts of interest, including ownership of property and/or assets in the vicinity of our venue, their involvement on other Boards of Directors, and/or their involvement with other exhibition/event-presenting organizations within Philadelphia.
- Your application materials will be shared with our current Board of Directors, Collective Membership, and Executive Director. Major areas of consideration will be the applicant’s demonstrated commitment to supporting independent arts and culture in Philadelphia, how the applicant may expand, enhance, or compliment existing areas of expertise on the Board of Directors, and the applicant’s current or former role within the Vox Populi community, or the arts and culture community of Philadelphia at-large.
Application Materials to Prepare
Applicants to the Board of Directors are asked to supply us with an updated CV, as well as answers to specific prompts about your interest in Vox Populi and special skills or areas of expertise you’d bring to our organization. Applicants are not asked to provide any References at this time, but may be asked to do so at a later stage. Interviews will be conducted with candidates in early July, 2021.
Financial Expectations of Board Membership
The Board of Directors is expected to raise a significant portion of the budget per year through a combination of fundraising events, print-sales, raffles, and personal contributions (at a level that is meaningful to that board member), understanding that some members of the board may be less able to make personal contributions but more able to generate interest in and donations to fundraising activities than others.
As part of our internal review, Vox Populi has elected to shift from an “out of pocket” individual financial expectation of Board Members, to an overall fundraising goal. While individuals who are in the position to give directly are encouraged to still contribute at a level that is meaningful to them, it is no longer a mandate of board membership.
Additional Expectations of Board Membership
- Vox Populi’s Board of Directors exists to provide steady financial and programmatic oversight of the organization, supporting the Executive Director and the Collective Membership, and ensuring that the organization remains true to its Mission.
- Vox Populi’s Board of Directors meet every other month, or as often as they see fit, for a period of 90 minutes.
- Members of the board are expected to attend and promote Vox Populi fundraising events, opening receptions, artist talks, and special events.
- Members of the board agree to supply the Membership with a profile listing areas of expertise, skills, or services that they can offer.
- Members of the board make introductions and form meaningful relationships between the membership and Executive Director with local and national arts funders, likewise arts, community, and educational groups, visiting artists and curators, and other professionals from whom Vox Populi could benefit.
- Attendance of Membership Socials during which artists and curators with upcoming exhibitions will share project ideas, subsequently connecting artists with funding/grant-opportunities or material resources in support of their projects, as available or appropriate.
- Ongoing audience-generation for Vox Populi’s exhibitions, artist talks, and programs through the formation of strategic partnerships or the brokering of other advantageous relationships.
- Annually, the Board of Directors will attend and assist in paying for at least one organization-wide workshop dedicated to such issues as Anti-Racism, Anti-Oppression, Decolonization, and related subject-matter, arranged in collaboration with members of the artist collective.
- Annually, all members of the Vox Populi community (Board and Collective) will participate in a self-assessment process, the content of which will be decided at the relevant time.
Example of typical Board member contributions
- 5 meetings per year, usually bi-monthly for a few hours each in the evenings
- 2-4 additional meetings per year, related to specific Committee work
- Attendance of Annual Retreat
- Attendance of Annual Training
- Attendance of at least one annual fundraising event
- Offering mentorship and professional development opportunities to Collective Members
- Advising Executive Director and Membership on things specific to their area of expertise
- Promotion of organizational events and fundraising efforts
- Financial and/or In-Kind contributions
Benefits of Board Membership
- Being a part of an active member community dedicated to each other and their artistic home, Vox Populi;
- Connecting with other individuals and artists passionate about supporting independent artists, community projects, and events;
- Connecting with other individuals and artists passionate about changing the art world of Philadelphia and contributing to the cultural offerings of the city at large;
- Opportunities to mentor and provide professional support to early- and mid-career artists;
- Opportunities to learn from and share-skills with an extensive network of creative individuals in Philadelphia;
- Access to a community of artists and community organizers sharing ideas/concepts in a non-commercial space;
- Invitations to various social and artistic events events, including artist socials, exhibition previews, and more;
- Invitations to member exclusive events and retreats;
- Contributing to the shaping of the overall direction of our organization, contributing to its evolving ethos and spirit;
- Providing insight and leadership to a collective passionate about producing a more socially just organization;
- Access to Vox Populi’s extensive alumni and community network, and more!
Non-Discrimination Policy
Vox Populi does not and shall not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion (creed), gender, gender expression, age, national origin (ancestry), disability, marital status, sexual orientation, or military status, in any of its activities or operations. These activities include, but are not limited to, hiring and firing of staff, selection of volunteers and vendors, and provision of services. We are committed to providing an inclusive and welcoming environment for all members of our staff, members, volunteers, subcontractors, vendors, and clients.
Vox Populi is an equal opportunity employer. We will not discriminate and will take measures to ensure against discrimination in employment, recruitment, advertisements for employment, compensation, termination, and other conditions of employment against any employee or job applicant on the bases of race, color, gender, national origin, age, religion, creed, disability, veteran’s status, sexual orientation, gender identity or gender expression.