Photo: Scott Shaw
Can you talk about your role as Accounts Manager and HR Staff Liaison? How many hours a week do you work, and what are your main tasks?
I have worked at Gibney Dance Center for about 2 ½ years. I started out as an intern and worked my way up to part-time and then full-time. Currently, I work a full-time, 30 hour/week schedule.
My main responsibilities as Accounts Manager include tracking space rentals for 17 studios spanning our two locations (280 and 890 Broadway) and managing the accounts receivables (the money coming in to the organization). I oversee the financial processes and protocols for the staff and center interns. I get to work with various departments throughout the organization and help them use data to inform their decisions and trajectory of the organization.
In addition to my role as Accounts Manager, I also serve as the HR Staff Liaison. I work closely with our amazing staff on interpreting the Employee Handbook and addressing any issues relating to that. I am the point person for health insurance, tracking vacation and sick time for full-time employees and simply being a resource for anyone in the organization that needs it.
How is arts admin also a creative/artistic endeavor?
I have had the unique opportunity to create and develop my own role within a growing organization. There is something about working within our dance community. Each artist has his/her own visions and own processes, and even as an administrator, you need to work creatively with that artist to make her/his visions come to life. Due to the growth of the organization I have had to be creative in building, implementing, and revising systems to fit our expanding needs. I am part of a community that already thinks outside the box, so to see that come to life in an administrative setting is exciting!
No day or problem is the same in arts admin, and I often find myself saying that I feel like a detective in my day-to-day work life. I find a problem, I have to figure out what caused that problem, and then work to find a creative solution. There is quite a dichotomy in the work I do as Accounts Manager versus the community I serve. It is an exciting challenge to combine something concrete like numbers with the ever-changing artistic world.
Are you performing, choreographing, and teaching as well in 2016?
I consider myself to have two full-time positions: one as the Accounts Manager & HR Staff Liaison at Gibney Dance and the other as a professional, freelance dancer. Performing is a top priority for me, and I am able to have a flexible schedule at Gibney to fit my needs. I currently perform with three contemporary/modern companies: The Moving Architects, Treeline Dance Works and SoHa Dance. Like most artists, my life is a juggling act of time, energy and responsibilities.
What do you love and enjoy about arts administration?
I love working in a community that collectively strives to move the dance field forward. I am immersed in the culture, and I get to advocate for artists in a community that is so underrepresented. There is no question to why everyone is there, doing what they do. The arts are built on passion, and that is the driving force. I specifically love working in an administrative environment run by artists. We are given the opportunity to see what the community needs and be able to have conversations and work creatively to come up with solutions. Everyone just gets it.
Advice to dancers who are interested in arts administration, but have little experience in it….where and how to begin….
Do an internship, talk to people, and say "yes!" Internships provide an opportunity (especially if you have little experience) to be immersed in a specific environment and to learn skills that you can take with you to any job. Especially for dancers who maybe have never worked in an office setting, an arts administration internship could be a good segue. Networking is key, so engage yourself in conversations! What are people doing? What are the benefits? What do you want to learn? What is missing? Keep in mind that you have to start somewhere. You never know what you could fall into just by saying yes to opportunities!
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