Visiting Artist-in-Residence and Interim Director of the Skidmore Storytellers' Institute at Skidmore College

Visiting Artist-in-Residence and Interim Director of Storytellers’ Institute, documentary production/nonfiction arts  

Skidmore College 

Summary:

The John B. Moore Documentary Studies Collaborative (MDOCS) at Skidmore College seeks candidates for a Visiting Artist-in-Residence and Interim Director of the Skidmore Storytellers’ Institute.  The Storytellers’ Institute is a globally-recognized residency program in which professional nonfiction artists live and work on Skidmore’s campus in shared community with a cohort of Skidmore undergraduate documentarians as well as faculty, staff, and community collaborators for 5 weeks each summer. A uniquely horizontal space of mentorship and creative growth, the Institute is situated within the equally unique MDOCS program, which embeds documentary storytelling technique across the liberal arts disciplines through partnerships that stretch across department and divisions of the College. MDOCS offers a suite of classes and non-credit experiences in and around documentary practices to undergraduates in disparate fields of study, while contributing to Skidmore’s Media and Film Studies minor (but offering no major or minor of its own). Building on its long-range commitment to supporting those historically excluded from the documentary ecosystem, MDOCS more recently launched its Co-creation Initiative to seed mutualistic and reciprocal collaborative relations between Skidmore and community partners – which has become one of Skidmore’s signature public engagement programs. Many of these collaborations intersect through the Storytellers Institute, convening, concentrating, and cross-pollinating MDOCS’ diverse spheres of effort each summer. 

Directing the Institute is a full-time administrative commitment in May and June, while the position dovetails with a unique year-round non-tenure track faculty position. The selected candidate will teach a 9-credit load (3 courses) in MDOCS in documentary theory and creation in their area(s) of specialization; this teaching may be loaded onto the Spring semester or distributed across the academic year.  Responsibilities also include preparing the incoming Storytellers Student-Fellows for the Summer Institute in a prep class in Spring 2026 and Spring 2027.

Qualifications:  

The successful candidate will ideally be a nonfiction professional and educator, with an ability not only to envision and lead an alternative educational space, but also to frame conversations to shape and advance the work of a diverse cohort of nonfiction practitioners from in and outside of the academy. We warmly welcome new ideas for linking and intersecting established documentary industries, emerging art discourses, impactful models of public scholarship, and non-extractivist of practices of collaboration. 

Education: Terminal Degree (MFA or Ph.D.) OR equivalent professional experience

This position begins on May 1, 2025 and extends through June of 2027; it requires full-time residence at Skidmore in May and June of 2025, and from January to June in 2026 and 2027.

Salary range: $71k-75k.   

Pay Ranges: 

The hiring rate for the successful candidate will be determined considering the following criteria: 

Prior relevant work or industry experience. 

Education level to the extent education is relevant to the position. 

Academic discipline (faculty pay ranges reflect 9-month annual salary). 

Unique applicable skills. 

Applicant Instructions: 

Applicants should use [this link] to submit the following materials to Skidmore by October 15^th: 

1) Cover letter that clearly describes the applicant’s area of professional focus and qualifications for leading the Storytellers’ Institute 

2) CV 

3) Portfolio of recent work 

• For time-based media - links to two samples totaling no more than 10min. 
• For work represented through stills – links to 10-15 images, accompanied by captions if relevant 
• For written work – no more than 10 pages. 
• Please include full production credits, and specific media production proficiencies if relevant 

4) Teaching Statement, including experience and philosophy regarding alternative learning models, working with diverse student populations, and/or fostering inclusive communities. 

5) Names and contact information for three references, at least one of which addresses the applicant’s teaching and mentoring.  These will be requested if/when the application advances beyond the initial stages.   

EEO STATEMENT 

Skidmore College is committed to being an inclusive campus community and, as an Equal Opportunity Employer, does not discriminate in its hiring or employment practices on the basis of race, color, creed, religion, gender, age, national or ethnic origin, physical or mental disability, military or veteran status, marital status, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, genetic information, predisposition or carrier status, domestic violence victim status, familial status, dating violence, or stalking, or any other category protected by applicable federal, state or local laws. 
 
Employment at Skidmore College is contingent upon an acceptable background check result. 
 
CREATIVE THOUGHT MATTERS. 

No Visa Sponsorship is available for this position