SHIFT Curatorial Mentorship at The Elizabeth Foundation For The Arts – Museum Studies

Job Title: SHIFT Curatorial Mentorship

Location: New York, NY

SHIFT Curatorial Mentorship: Description and Responsibilities
The SHIFT Curatorial Mentorship is a new program established by EFA Project Space, debuted in January 2023. The main purpose of this program is to prepare emerging curators to the practicalities of working alongside professional artists and supporting them through research, administration, and production towards the final product and exhibition space. The mentee will work closely with our new cohort of SHIFT residents, who are experienced artists and arts workers. The mentorship program will begin with welcoming the artists into their shared studio at The Elizabeth Foundation for the Arts, and will end with the mentee as Assistant Curator of the resident artists’ exhibition at EFA Project Space in June-July 2025. The mentee will work closely
with the exhibition curator and EFA Project Space staff throughout this period to establish a thesis for the exhibition and experience firsthand working collaboratively in a professional non profit setting. We are looking for candidates that are aligned with the mission of EFA Project Space, and The Elizabeth Foundation for the Arts at-large.

General information
● The mentee will begin the mentorship at EFA Project Space in January 2025, through
July 2025.
● The mentee will be required to work in-person at Project Space on Wednesdays
12-8:30 PM, one day per week plus evenings and weekends as needed to support the
residency programming and events. An equivalent of 10-12 hours per week. Some
remote hours may be required.
● This year EFA will host up to six SHIFT artists residents. The mentee will work closely
with Project Space’s SHIFT residents to support their process and practice at their
shared studio at EFA.
● The mentee will also work closely with the curator of the SHIFT residency final exhibition in June-July, 2025, and will be assigned as Assistant Curator for this exhibition.

Responsibilities
1. Studio Practice
a. Will take part in welcoming the artists into their new studio.
b. Support the SHIFT Coordinator to make sure artists have everything they need
on a technical level (equipment etc.) throughout the residency.
2. Research and Administration
a. A preliminary meeting and introduction with artists and EFA Project Space staff
will take place during the first few days of the residency. During this meeting the
residents will be introduced to EFA’s various departments and facilities. The
mentee will be required to participate in this meeting.
b. Support the SHIFT Coordinator and assist in researching guest visitors outreach
(curators, critics, artists, and other professionals).
c. Attend peer critiques with SHIFT Coordinator and residents.
d. Support the SHIFT Coordinator and assist in research, reaching out, and
organizing career development workshops for the artists.
e. The mentee will schedule and take part in studio visits with the exhibition curator
over the course of the residency.
f. Assist in research for exhibition catalog and text.
g. Support in composing newsletters.
h. PR and press outreach, as well as support SHIFT social media.
3. Exhibition
a. The mentee will work closely with the EFA Project Space staff to arrange the
exhibition space, assist in production of works, catalog, and events.
b. Assist and attend the exhibition install, de-install, and exhibition design.
c. PR and press outreach, and checklists.
d. Participate in exhibition receptions and events.
e. Contribute a researched essay to the exhibition catalog.
f. Option to arrange artists’ talks at the exhibition site.

Eligibility
MA students in Curatorial Studies, Critical Studies, Art History, and related fields, residing in the NY metropolitan area and eligible for receiving 2-course credits for the full duration of the mentorship.

Apply:
Please send resume, cover letter, a writing sample (up to 3 pages long), and two
references (including contact info) to danielle@efanyc.org

Please include subject line: SHIFT CURATORIAL MENTORSHIP APPLICATION
Application deadline: [DEPENDING ON ACADEMIC PROGRAM’S SCHEDULE)

Mentorship start date: Wednesday, January 8, 2025

About SHIFT:
Since its inception in 2010, SHIFT residency has been providing peer support, mentoring, and studio space for over eighty artists who work in arts organizations (as curators, educators, administrators, accessibility workers, etc.) to advance their personal creative practices. SHIFT recognizes the contribution of arts workers to the art community, and for whom their livelihood is a passion and responsibility, demanding attentiveness and creativity. The SHIFT residency honors these artists’ commitment to the arts community with a supportive environment.

SHIFT has hosted over eighty artists working in a range of media, from sound and installation to painting, performance, and social practice. In addition to its role as a support network, SHIFT promotes advocacy for arts workers and seeks to increase equity and representation within the field.

To date, SHIFT has welcomed arts workers as residents from the following institutions: Abrons Art Center, Andy Warhol Foundation Arts Writers Grant Program, Artists Alliance Inc., Bronx River Arts Center, Bronx Museum of the Arts, Children’s Museum of Manhattan, CUE Art Foundation, Czech Center New York, Elastic City, Eyebeam Center for Art + Technology, Flux Factory, FreeDimensional, Henry Street Settlement, International Center for Photography, Lower Manhattan Cultural Council, Metropolitan Opera, Metropolitan Museum of Art, Joan Mitchell Foundation, Museum of Arts & Design (MAD), Museum of the City of New York, Museum of Modern Art (MoMA), New York Foundation for the Arts (NYFA), NURTUREart, Queens Museum, Reanimation Library, Residency Unlimited, Time Out New York, School of Visual Arts,
Skowhegan School of Painting and Sculpture, Triangle Art Association, Vera List Center for Art + Politics at The New School, Whitney Museum, and Wave Hill, among others.

About EFA Project Space and The Elizabeth Foundation for the Arts:
EFA Project Space, launched in September 2008 as a program of The Elizabeth Foundation for the Arts, is a collaborative, cross-disciplinary arts venue founded on the belief that art is directly connected to the individuals who produce it and the communities that arise because of it. By providing an arena for exploring these connections, we empower artists, curators, and other participants to forge new partnerships and encourage the expansion of ideas.
The program is based on Open Calls as well as invitational exhibitions and projects. It is a home for emerging, mid-career, as well as established curators and artists. We focus our attention on community engagement and public programming.

The Elizabeth Foundation for the Arts is a 501(c)(3) public charity, dedicated to providing artists across all disciplines with space, tools and a cooperative forum for the development of individual practice. We are a catalyst for cultural growth, stimulating new interactions between artists, art professionals, creative communities, and the public. For more information please contact us at: danielle@efanyc.org

EFA Project Space
323 W. 39th St, 2nd Floor
New York, NY 10018
Between 8th and 9th Avenues
@efaprojectspace