The Center for Washington Cultural Traditions is excited to announce that applications for its Associate Folklorist Program are now being accepted. This dynamic new initiative is designed to increase the capacity for traditional arts and heritage programming in Washington by establishing a network of Center-affiliated folklorists around the state. CWCT Associate Folklorists will collaborate with regional communities to execute center initiatives and develop new programming that reflects their specific needs and interests.
Applications for Associate Folklorist Positions are currently being accepted for the Puget Sound (based in King, Pierce or Thurston Counties) and Northeastern Washington (based in the Spokane area) Regions.
The CWCT is an arts and heritage program set up to survey, study, and support cultural traditions, tradition bearers, and traditional communities throughout Washington State. This innovative program is a statewide, go-to source for learning about Washington’s rich, diverse cultural heritage. The Center is housed at the state’s nonprofit humanities council, Humanities Washington, and presented in partnership with ArtsWA/the Washington State Arts Commission. Established in 2017, the Center is growing rapidly in response to keen from communities across the state.
This position should appeal to persons with graduate degrees in Folklore, Ethnomusicology, Anthropology, Cultural Sustainability, Public History and related fields. It should also appeal to those working in cultural museums, archives, historical societies and other heritage-related institutions. The Associate Folklorist Program is a great way to contribute to the preservation of Washington State’s rich cultural heritage, produce innovative and engaging programs, and gain marketable experience in public folklife and humanities work.
Duties and Responsibilities
- Represent the CWCT and raise general awareness of its mission and programs.
- Conduct at least 100 hours of fieldwork related to the Center’s current statewide Cultural Traditions Survey focus.
- Generate/add at least 10 entries to the database of traditions and artists in the region.
- Co-produce one regional event during their tenure.
- Document current Heritage Arts Apprenticeship Teams in the region (depending on the number of master/apprentice pairs working in the region during that period of time).
- Build awareness of the Heritage Arts Apprenticeship Program.
- Produce digital content for CWCT website and social media sites.
The Center for Washington Cultural Traditions Will Supply
- Materials and background information on the Center.
- Program structure and support (statewide Cultural Traditions Survey and Heritage Arts Apprenticeship Program).
- Digital folklife fieldwork forms (field notes, audio log, photo log, release forms)
- Other necessary supplies such as disks, memory cards and batteries.
- Travel funds for travel within region at state rate of .58/mile.
The Associate Folklorist program provides recipients with a one year (September 2020– August 2021) position that carries a stipend of $6000, paid in monthly installments. The recipient is required to reside in the state of Washington for the duration of the fellowship. Qualified applicants should have technical competence using digital equipment (camera, audio recorder, and computer/laptop) and access to reliable transportation.
Preferred qualifications and skills:
- Master’s Degree in Folklore, Ethnomusicology, Anthropology, Public history or a related field.
- Experience in cultural documentation or programming (fieldwork documentation and cultural surveys, oral history collection, traditional arts programming, and ethnographic writing).
- Technical competence using digital documentation equipment (camera, audio recorder, and computer/laptop).
- Very strong written and oral communication skills
- Passion for working with people from a variety of backgrounds
- Demonstrated commitment to promoting diversity, inclusion, and multicultural competence in a work environment
- Willingness to contribute to Humanities Washington’s equity and inclusion goals.
- A valid state-issued driver’s license
Required application materials:
- Cover letter
- Resume/C.V.
- Representative work samples: 1 recorded interview, 3-5 photos and/or videos with metadata (print or online), and a 2-page writing sample.
- Contact information for three professional reference.
To Apply:
Submit required materials to CWCT Director Langston Collin Wilkins (langston@humanities.org) by Friday August, 21, 2020. Please include “Associate Fieldworker Application [Puget Sound]” or “Associate Fieldwork Application [Northeast Washington] in the subject line. Representative work samples should be shared via cloud-based applications (Dropbox, Google Drive etc). To view this job posting, visit the Center for Washington Cultural Traditions website.
Humanities Washington is an equal opportunity employer. All applicants will be considered for employment without attention to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, veteran or disability status.
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