EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY for CHFT Youth

Community Art Apprentice Position
Project runs: December 2011 to March 2012
Flexible/variable hours: afternoons, evenings, weekends
Remuneration: up to a maximum of $1350.00 (based upon $15/hour for 90 hours)


Red Dress Productions is proud to lead the “Bleecker Co-op Memorial Project,” a new community engaged mosaic project. One equity-seeking youth will be hired as Community Art Apprentice to work directly with lead artists. The apprentice will be involved in every stage of project development, and will play a key role as part of the leadership team.


Roles and Responsibilities will include working with the lead artists to:
• Create a safe, fun, and welcoming project environment;
• Set up and maintain the studio;
• Support project contributors;
• Contribute to technical and artistic elements of mosaic making.


Applicants don’t need any prior experience/training/education in community art, visual arts, or facilitation, but must be interested in community art, be a reliable team member, and be prepared to learn and accept direction in an applied learning environment. Additionally, applicants must also:
• Be a member of any Coop Housing Federation of Toronto housing cooperative;
• Be under 25 years of age;
• Be interested in working in an anti-oppression framework;
• Have an ability to work with a diversity of community members;
• Be interested in learning about community engaged art, and particularly mosaic;
• Be comfortable working as part of a team;
• Have good work habits: punctual, reliable, and conscientious;
• Have a sense of humour.


TO APPLY:
Please submit an email application to with the following attachments:
1) a letter of interest outlining why you’d like to work on this project, and any relevant skills or experiences
2) your resume
3) the name and phone number of two employment or character references to:

The subject line should be titled “Hiring Committee – Community Art Apprentice”. Emails with a different subject line may be deleted without being considered.

NO EMAIL OR TELEPHONE INQUIRIES PLEASE.
The application deadline is Friday December 9, 2011.
Late applications will not be considered.

Red Dress Productions encourages applications from members of all equity seeking groups. Short listed applicants will be invited to interview during the week of December 12.

We acknowledge the support of the citizens of Toronto through the Toronto Arts Council, and the Cooperative Housing Federation of Toronto.

Introducing Andrew Henderson

We're pleased to welcome Andrew Henderson to Red Dress Productions. Andrew found us by way of the Community Arts Practice Certificate Program, Faculty of Fine Arts at York University, where he is currently enrolled.


Andrew Henderson is a multidisciplinary and multilingual artist living in the Church and Wellesley community of Toronto, Ontario. Being born and raised in a tiny rural prairie village called Clandeboye (MB), his experiences growing up, gay and in the breadbasket, have inspired him to use art in the community context. He is continually inspired by visual artists in the Americas and, with his training as a blacksmith, percussionist and theatre manager/creator, he hopes to bring all of these mediums together and create works that explore living in an occupied nation as a gay white male.


Currently Andrew is completing a series of paintings that document his journey of discovering a hidden heritage lost through migration to Canada.


Welcome Andrew! We look forward to shared adventures in community engaged art making.


And a few words from Andrew: "I would like to thank Anna and Tristan for all their support, now and in the future. I am very grateful and excited to be working with Red Dress Productions!"