Closing date midnight Friday 4th September 2020.
The Golden Thread Gallery is pleased to announce that we are offering a new paid internship for an individual who identifies as a member of the Black, Asian or Minority Ethnic (BAME) communities, supported by funding from the Community Foundation NI New Needs fund. Previous experience in the Arts sector is not required, and there is no age limit for applicants.
The intern will provide assistance and support across the Gallery’s programme and range of activities. Responsible to the Senior Management, this training role will include working with the gallery team and volunteers, liaising with artists and arts organisations, learning about arts funding in Northern Ireland and beyond, general administration including financial procedures, developing outreach activities, exhibition assistance, and visitor experience. The successful candidate will be expected to contribute to the work of the organisation, rather than taking on a purely shadowing role.
This role offers a fantastic training opportunity in one of Northern Ireland’s leading contemporary visual art galleries. For candidates, the internship could be either their first experience of a role in the Arts sector, or the ‘next step’ on from, for example, a volunteering role. Previous experience of working in the arts is not a requirement.
We intend this internship to provide mentoring and training for working in the arts for the successful BAME candidate, but also to work as an exchange, in which our intern can highlight to us what we need to do differently to reach BAME audiences and participants. Throughout the 6-month period as the intern gains experience and new skills across the gallery’s operations, they will also work with us to devise a series of workshops specifically targeted at BAME participants.
We will host a series of talks and discussions inviting people from across the Arts sector (visual arts, music, theatre, literature, dance) to see how we can work together to make the arts in Northern Ireland more accessible to BAME communities, and how we can attract BAME candidates to arts jobs in the sector. We do not have the expertise to do this on our own, as we do not presume to know the many specific needs and interests of this diverse and growing section of our population.
About the Golden Thread Gallery
Since its establishment in 2001, the Golden Thread Gallery (GTG) has built its reputation as a leading visual art provider through engagement with recent histories and re-imagined futures. As a contemporary visual art gallery, our purpose is to present innovative artistic programmes of high quality that embrace the breadth and variety of contemporary arts practice, and to develop, support and promote the work of contemporary Northern Irish artists and creative practice. Our motto with outreach has always been “Nothing about us without us”, meaning that we do not speak for communities, but rather work with them to devise projects that they want.
Key Info
- Gallery hours: Tuesday – Saturday
- Working Hours: 32hpw. Hours determined by a monthly rota and will include evenings and weekends. Applicants must be flexible to the needs of the organization.
- Duration of Internship: 26 weeks
- Salary: £8.75ph (full time equivalent £18,200)
- Leave: 28 days annual holiday pro rata (including Bank Holidays)
- Contract: This is a 6-month training position. Please note that this appointment is subject to continuing funding/grant aid, and the contract may terminate earlier if funding is withdrawn.
Please note: this role is specifically intended for a member of the Black, Asian or Minority Ethnic communities.
Application Packs can be downloaded below or emailed on request.
Closing date for applications is midnight on Friday 4th September 2020. Applications must be emailed to [email protected]
Disclaimer: This document does not constitute an offer of employment nor forms any part of any contract.
FAQ
Why is this opportunity specifically for people from the Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic communities?
No studies have been done in Northern Ireland to look at the cultural makeup of its workforces, but Panic! Social Class, Taste and Inequalities in the Creative Industries was the first sociological study on social mobility in the cultural industries, released by Create London and Arts Emergency on April 16th, 2018. In it, it found that across the UK, in Museums, Galleries and Libraries only 2.7% of employees were from BAME backgrounds.
Given the tiny proportion of BAME communities in Northern Ireland, in order to help these communities #buildbackbetter we need to take direct action to include them in the Northern Irish visual arts sector.
Isn’t a BAME-only opportunity another kind of discrimination?
We don’t believe it is. This internship is designed to address an identified under-representation of people from ethnic minority backgrounds in certain roles in the Arts sector, particularly in Northern Ireland. This role is a paid training and development opportunity for a 6-month period, and is permitted under current legislation.
We know that BAME communities have been disadvantaged across every area of society, and in trying to reach diverse communities through our arts activities is it clear that this lack of representation is stopping us reaching BAME communities.
By taking this positive action to limit applicants to the internship to members of the BAME community, we will ensure that BAME needs and interests are given a voice in the Northern Irish visual arts sector.
I think the term ‘BAME’ is insulting and should not be used.
We understand that ‘BAME’ is seen by many people as an overly broad and clunky term, which doesn’t reflect the complexity of the many different categories that people may belong to, nor the many ethnicities and nationalities that it includes. We’re using it as an administrative term for brevity and clarity, as it is the most widely used term within the Arts sector and employment research. We hope to work with our successful candidate to find better language.
Do I need to have previous experience in the Arts sector to apply?
No, previous experience is not a requirement. We are looking for someone with a passion for the Arts who can make good use of this opportunity to develop their career, work with us to address issues around representation and bring us new ideas, but who may be at an early stage of their career or seeking a change of career. If you have transferable skills from other jobs and experience, an interest in the Arts and believe you could fulfil the role as described, you are welcome to apply.
Is there an age limit for candidates?
No, we welcome applications from candidates of any age for this role.