SPEEDWELL projects

SPEEDWELL projects primary mission is to redress the art world’s commercial and institutional lack of attention to the work of women, BIPOC, and LGBTQ+ artists. Through comprehensive solo exhibitions, short documentaries, artists’ talks, residencies, and other forms of public engagement, SPEEDWELL raises awareness for the artists we represent.  SPEEDWELL is committed to social justice and dedicated to supporting work in multiple genres, including visual, documentary, performance, narrative, and literary arts.

SPEEDWELL has a hybrid format and is typically open for one to two shows in the Fall Exhibition Season(September through the end of December) and one to two shows for Spring Exhibition Season (March through the end of June).  

The gallery is closed for a two-month long residency for a single artist (or collaborative group of artists) in the winter (January and February) and for a single artist (or collaborative) in the summer (July and August). 

The Organization

SPEEDWELL was founded in 2015 by Jocelyn Lee and occupies a 1700 square foot space in a renovated 1900 historic brick building at Woodfords Corner in Portland, Maine. The gallery has buffed cement floors with 15-foot ceilings and wrap-around windows that face Forest Avenue. The glass expanse offers wide exposure on one of the most traveled roads in Portland. 

In its first five years, SPEEDWELL launched over 25 solo and group shows, exhibiting the work of 45+ artists. In response to the COVID pandemic, the gallery started SPEEDWELL LIVE!, a virtual performance/event series to keep fine art, music, literature, and poetry streaming into people’s living rooms. 

SPEEDWELL shares a moveable door with the nonprofit The Bakery Photographic Collective and encourages cross-disciplinary exchange with the Collective, which specializes in state of the art digital and analog photography. Additional neighbors in the small, friendly building include a halal grocery and boutique hotel designer.

The gallery is open four days a week, Wednesday through Saturday 12:00-6:00 pm during Exhibition Season and closed during Winter and Summer Artist-in-Residence. 

The Position: Managing Director

SPEEDWELL seeks an experienced, enthusiastic, creative, and driven individual to join in the exciting venture of maintaining and determining the future direction of the gallery. 

The ideal candidate will have arts administration leadership experience; knowledge of contemporary art and exhibition installation; excellent interpersonal, communication, fundraising, marketing, project management, and grant writing skills. 

Candidates should be interested in developing innovative programming that engages different communities, including work in social justice. 

Managing Director: Leadership Responsibilities

• Manage the day-to-day running of the gallery for eight months of the year during the Fall and Spring Exhibition Season (September-December and March-June.) 28-32 hours a week.
• Provide basic support for our Artist-in-Residence during January/February and July/August: providing keys, answering questions, troubleshooting, and welcoming them into the space. Approximately five (or fewer) hours a week.
• Year-round fundraising and grant writing. 
• Manage publicity and promotion of SPEEDWELL exhibitions, including correspondence with artists, press, and reviewers. Updating of website. 
• Coordinate the nuts and bolts of each exhibition, including receiving and installing of work with direct help of artist and intern, invoicing and making payments for sold work. 
• Staff the gallery during open hours with the support of Interns. 
• Organize and implement a public event/s for each exhibition. 
• Additional salary will be awarded to the Managing Director based on successful grant writing. 
• Coordinating and hiring of interns to help support the above efforts. 
• Cultivate professional affiliations and new collaborations with relevant community members, artists, donors, organizations, or corporate partners to further SPEEDWELL’S mission. 
• Manage the yearly fundraiser in December with the help of the Board. 

Qualifications

• Minimum three years of arts administration experience, as well as experience working with artists, art organizations, and local communities.
• An interest in curation, programming, and social justice. 
• Sensitivity and commitment to our mission to support LGBTQ+, women, and BIPOC artists.
• Highly motivated and self-starting.
• Proven project management skills to execute programming.
• Strong writing and verbal communication skills. 
• Marketing acumen and experience working with social media and developing original content strategies.
• Tech-savvy understanding of donor platforms and communications systems.

Current Staffing

SPEEDWELL is currently being led by founder and Interim Director Jocelyn Lee and supported by a robust community of partners, sponsors, funders, and volunteers.

SPEEDWELL uses interns from Maine College of Art (MECA) and University of Southern Maine (USM) to support the Managing Director. Our intention is to always have at least one intern working during gallery hours. 

Governance:

Operations oversight of SPEEDWELL is carried out by a five-person Board of Directors

Fiscal Sponsor:  Creative Portland. 

Compensation

Salary: $40,000. No benefits. Job begins April 1.

Position is for 28-32 hours a week during the eight-month Exhibition Season; and approximately five hours (or fewer) a week for the Winter and Summer Artist-in-Residence periods. (Fundraising efforts can include requests for additional salary.)

Application Process

Electronic submissions only. Please send cover letter, resume, and three letters of recommendation to Jocelyn Lee at speedwellprojects@gmail.com.  SPEEDWELL projects will begin reviewing applications on February 25, 2021 and continue until the job is filled.