Employment Opportunity

Join our passionate and growing team of arts administrators who care deeply about inclusivity within the arts.  Our work culture is supportive and fun with a strong boundary around work/life balance.  Our studio is rooted on core values of compassion, kindness, and most of all, magic.   

TIMELINE: Deadline to apply is February 13, 2026.  Interviews will begin the week of February 16th with an anticipated start date of March 2, 2026.

Position Title: Director of Creative Partnerships
Location: Portland, OR
Reports to: Executive Director

40 hrs/week, exempt
Compensation: $68,000 annually
Benefits: Health and dental insurance, 120 hours of PTO (first year), 7 paid holidays annually
Hybrid Work: Combination of in Studio and WFH (must live locally in Portland)

ABOUT NORTH POLE STUDIO

North Pole Studio was founded in 2020 with a mission to support careers in the arts, and increase opportunities for artists with autism and intellectual/developmental disabilities to thrive as active members of the arts community.  We foster self-determination and facilitate meaningful connections through total engagement in the arts.  Our core programs are our Professional Studio Program, Art Classes & Workshops, and our Exhibiting Artist Program.

About North Pole Studio

Founded in 2020, North Pole Studio is a dynamic and rapidly growing non-profit organization dedicated to supporting artists with autism and intellectual/developmental disabilities to pursue careers in the arts. We provide opportunities for artists to thrive in the arts community, fostering self-determination and meaningful engagement. Our core programs include:

• Professional Studio Program

• Art Classes & Workshops

• Exhibiting Artist Program

With an expanding footprint, in April 2025 moved to a new 5,000-square-foot space in the Pearl District to further our impact, serving over 575 artists in the Portland metro area annually.

Position Overview

The Director of Creative Partnerships will find, pursue, develop and manage partnerships and projects across exhibition, commission, licensing, leasing and other opportunities with the goal of facilitating North Pole Studio artists’ professional engagement in the local and national art community.  They will work directly with NPS artists and the studio team to capture their individual goals and dreams, and will track progress towards these activities across opportunities. Outreach activities will encompass North Pole Studio brand development and awareness and professional artistic opportunities, with an emphasis on driving earned income for both artists and the studio through a diverse portfolio of one-off and ongoing projects that vary in size and scope.

This position is a key leadership role that supervises other employees and takes part in the strategic planning, goal setting, and visioning for the organization. 

RESPONSIBILITIES 

Exhibitions

• Supervise the Exhibitions Manager and provide oversight and support in all aspects of exhibitions including:

• Ensuring exhibition curation, titles, curatorial statements and presentation are in alignment with North Pole Studio’s brand and mission

• Ensuring artwork pricing is in alignment and consistent with other earned income opportunities and fair market value 

• Support fielding exhibition requests and securing diverse opportunities for artists to showcase and sell their work

• Oversee the annual exhibitions budget to ensure annual spending is aligned with annual budget goals and restrictions

• Collaborate on the strategy for exhibiting and selling artwork and professionally representing artists during events (internal + external)

• Participate in Monthly Archiving Meetings

• Oversee Exhibiting Artist Program

• Managed by Lead Art Facilitator

Employment, Licensing, Leasing and Commissions

• Cultivate new and existing creative partnerships to facilitate and generate earned income through individualized professional opportunities in the arts

• Receive requests and do targeted outreach across the following domains to facilitate opportunities for artists to be visible and earn income through employment in the arts: 

• Teaching and Lecturing

• Leasing Artwork

• Licensing Artwork

• Custom Commissions

• Consignment and Retail

• Manage and adjust pricing and fee structures and policies across all earned income opportunities (listed above)

• Negotiate, create + manage contracts and agreements across all earned income opportunities (listed above) 

• Advocate on behalf of artists for fair wages, manageable timelines, necessary resources, any accommodations, etc.

• Manage projects (both short and long-term, small and large-scale) to ensure smooth communication between the Artist, Studio and Client and the timely completion of deliverables

• Collaborate with the Studio Team, Artists and their careteams to connect artists with opportunities that are aligned with their strengths, goals and style

• Collaborate with Studio Team, Artists and their care teams to discuss opportunities and promote informed decision-making

• Systematically track all opportunities related to earned income for artists and individual artists’ successes and outcomes

Brand Awareness + Artist Representation

• Oversee artists’ webpages to ensure they reflect up-to-date artist statements, opportunities and a collection of available work

• Managed by Exhibition Manager and Lead Art Facilitator

• Collaborate with Digital Communications Coordinator to promote art sales through social media channels, promote and generate earned income opportunities, and ensure artists are represented professionally

• Collaborate on designing North Pole Studio merchandise

Misc.

• Support project/program grants

• Support annual Summer Salon and Holiday Gala event

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS/TRANSFERABLE SKILLS

• Experience working with adults with autism and I/DD

• Strong background in managing all aspects of artistic projects of varying sizes (public art projects to custom commissions)--> client and artist communication, timeline management, project budget management, subcontractor management

• Experience working within the visual arts field, preferred experience in local Portland visual arts community

• Proven track record of successful business development experience 

• Confident in outreach and relationship building and management

• Experience supervising others

• Skilled in all types of communication and able to communicate with a diverse range of people–can adapt communication to meet the needs of North Pole artists and external stakeholders

• Experience with project management software (trello, asana, Monday etc)

• Demonstrated visionary thinking with ability to imagine exciting possibilities

• Demonstrated forward thinking and able to take initiative and drive progress 

PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS:

• Ability to work at a computer for up to 40 hours weekly

• Studio and all exhibition/event venues are ADA accessible

COMMITMENT TO EQUITY:

Our artists, staff, and leadership are committed to organizational policies and practices that are inclusive of historically marginalized groups.  We are committed to ensuring that our leadership reflects a wide range of backgrounds, experiences, and identities and that the voices of those that we serve are actively included at all levels of leadership.  We are committed to continuously reflecting on our work and impact while intentionally inviting feedback from those that we work alongside, those we welcome into our events/programming, and those that we serve, to ensure we make the greatest impact possible for and on the artists and community we serve. We encourage people of all lived experience and backgrounds to apply. We want to see you in your wholeness. 

To Apply:

Email the following application materials to contact@northpolestudio.org with “Director of Creative Partnerships” in the subject line.

• Resume/CV

• Cover letter stating your interest in the position and why you feel the mission of North Pole Studio is important and highlight examples of creative projects that you have managed/facilitated.

• 3 professional references