The Lower Manhattan Cultural Council was founded in 1973 to improve the area's quality of life through free cultural programs, while creating a fertile and nurturing environment for arts groups and artists. For 30 years, LMCC has played a major role in establishing the area as a healthy business, residential and cultural district. Now one of Manhattan s oldest and largest arts councils, we bring artists and audiences together in innovative ways in the financial district and throughout the diverse neighborhoods and cultural communities of Manhattan. With its former office, performance venue, studio and exhibition spaces in the World Trade Center, LMCC was hard hit by the events of September 11. LMCC has come through as a leading force in the downtown arts community, acting as a clearing house of information and resources, while providing much needed services to smaller arts groups and artists. ARTS SERVICES MANAGER is a one year contract position beginning in September 2002. The position is part of LMCC s Arts Services Initiative. It includes management of a special services initiative that will be administered in partnership with C. W. Shaver & Company, supported by Empire State Development. The initiative will provide technical assistance and services to the arts community most directly impacted by the events of September 11 artists, arts-related businesses, and nonprofit cultural organizations located in Lower Manhattan. The initiative will focus primarily on the development and implementation of approximately five financial planning workshops customized for specific groups mid-sized and small performing arts organizations; visual arts institutions and organizations; self employed artists, writers, and performers; and arts related businesses. In addition to the workshops, LMCC will identify individual organizations to receive one-on-one technical assistance from C. W. Shaver & Company. In addition to these workshops, LMCC currently offers a number of services to the arts community which will be managed by the Arts Services Manager. Services include (but are not limited to) managing the expansion and update of an extended DowntownNow Map (a project in partnership with CultureNow and New York New Visions) as well as its citywide distribution; assessing arts advocacy needs with the ability to create a plan for implementation; coordinating a space needs assessment for the downtown arts and cultural community; and identifying and forging strategic partnerships with other service organizations to maximize the Arts Services Initiative s reach and impact. The Arts Services Manager will also coordinate with a part time artist services specialist to deliver ongoing services to individual artists, including fiscal sponsorship, information services, fundraising support, membership, professional development workshops, and the development of web-based services. Qualifications The ideal candidate for this position will possess a thorough knowledge of downtown arts organizations, artists and community concerns, strong administrative skills, an ability to work on a number of projects simultaneously, and an understanding of and an interest in the range of challenges faced by artists and arts groups impacted by September 11, especially downtown. The ideal candidate should be able to work with artists and arts groups with varied levels of readiness to receive technical assistance. The Arts Services Manager should have a graduate degree in arts administration or equivalent work experience in the field; an interest in and knowledge of the many artistic disciplines that LMCC supports and presents; excellent written and verbal communication skills; proficiency with budgets and proposals; and an ability to work both independently and as part of a team. Salary commensurate with experience.