To Prospective Artists
The COMPAS Artist Roster includes the top Teaching Artists in the state of Minnesota. More than 70 artists offer Residencies for schools and community sites. Another 40-50 artists/ensembles offer Performances and Workshops. Generally, we issue a Call for Artists once a year or so. Most often, we are looking for experienced Teaching Artists who work in specific art forms, or who are from particular cultural backgrounds.
To learn more about the current members of our Roster, check out the Artist Profiles that can be accessed through the Arts Education Program pages.
What Are Artist Residencies?
A Teaching Artist spends 1-3 weeks at a given site, providing four class sessions per day, as well as offering a Teacher In-service session and participating in a Community Event. (The nature of the In-service and the Community Event vary considerably, depending on school needs and artist specialties. The Community Event is an opportunity for students to celebrate and demonstrate what they've been learning with the artist. Most often it occurs during the school day.)
During a residency, the Teaching Artist:
- provides students hands-on opportunities to participate in the artistic process
- connects the arts to school curricula by shaping activities in conjunction with teachers
- draws community attention and support to the residency through a community event
How Do Performances and Workshops Work?
Workshops run 45-50 minutes, with a group no larger than 30. We make every effort to either link these to Performances or to ensure that the artist is booked for more than one Workshop at a particular site. As with Residencies, Workshops provide students with hands-on opportunities to participate in the artistic process.
Performances run 45-50 minutes, with an audience no larger than 300. Performances need to include both artistic and educational elements, and should provide some level of interactivity with the audience. Most often, Performances are scheduled during the school day, but increasingly we are getting requests for Performances on weekends or evenings as well.
Application Process
Once an artist has submitted the required information listed below, the application process consists of an initial round of consideration by COMPAS staff, followed by finalists having a face-to-face interview with our Arts Education Advisory Committee. If selected, incoming artists then attend a daylong New Artists Workshop, followed by individual training meetings with COMPAS staff, as needed.
Qualifications
While we are open to a wide variety of artistic approaches and backgrounds, without the following elements your application has little chance of being accepted:
- Minnesota resident
- Demonstrated ability as an artist
- Prior residency or teaching experience (of less importance if only applying to provide Performances)
- Hiring is contingent upon submitting a Criminal Background Check
To Apply
Please submit the following materials by the due date shown on the latest "Call for Artists." Application paperwork can be submitted electronically to Daniel Gabriel, daniel@compas.org, or mailed to COMPAS offices to Daniel's attention. Work samples other than straight literary text must be submitted on CD or DVD. Please note the very specific formatting requested. This is due to grant requirements from the MN State Arts Board:
- Cover Letter (one page only) Why are you interested in this program? What do you bring to the table? Are there important things we should know about you that don't fit on your resume? Please include name, affiliation and contact information for up to 3 professional references.
- Artistic Resume (2 pages max) Include the following elements, organized into these 4 categories (number and heading must be in bold):
- 1. Teaching artist background/education/training
- 2. Teaching experience (include dates/location)
- 3. Ages, demographics, and unique characteristics of past learners)
- 4. Professional artistic history (working/exhibiting/participating/honors
- Sample Lesson Plan Can be anything from a very specific one-hour plan for a given age group, to a more general weeklong overview. The key is to be concise, and to convince us that you do indeed know what to do when thrown into a classroom. Include the following elements, organized into these 8 categories (number and heading must be in bold):
- 1. Title and descriptive overview of lesson
- 2. Description of arts learning community (age/grade/developmental level; number of arts learners)
- 3. Time required for lesson
- 4. Resources and equipment required
- 5. Learning goals for arts learners
- 6. Lesson tasks and activities toward outcomes
- 7. Evaluation methods for assessment of learning goals
- 8. Lesson alignment to state/national educational standards or community learning goals.
- Performance Outline (Necessary only if you are applying to offer Performances) A performance is composed of a series of sections or events that flow in a logical sequence to form a clear, overarching structure. To help organize your ideas for a performance and to help us understand what you do and why, we ask you to outline your proposed program. You may provide this outline in standard "outline" form, in narrative form, or in a visual diagrammatic form—whatever is easiest, as long as it is legible and clear.
- Work Sample This should represent the best of your work, not the work of students whom you have taught.
- Writers: 8-12 pages, single-sided, double spaced, all pages numbered.
- Visual Artists: 5-6 images on CD (include title/medium/date created), or follow directions for time-based work
- Performing Artists: 2 minutes of time-based work on CD/DVD (include title/genre/date created). Be sure the work sample focuses on you. If, say, you're a choreographer or a playwright, let us know that so we understand your role in the production.
What Is the Rate of Pay?
Residencies and Workshops: We have been a standard setter for artist compensation since our inception. We continue to pay competitive rates, which are equal across the board for all our roster artists. Rates are set each school year.
Performances: Performers set their own rates, in consultation with COMPAS staff.
Questions?
Contact Daniel Gabriel at daniel@compas.org or 651-292-3254. Good luck!
