Careers
The New York Academy of Art is a leading center for creativity, learning, and expertise in the field of figurative and representational art. Through rigorous technical training and an emphasis on critical thinking, Academy-trained artists are equipped to realize their vision with both skill and conceptual depth. The Academy is seeking a new President who will understand and honor the current strength of the curriculum and community while investing in its continued evolution and global reach.
The Academy’s primary mission is to offer a two-year Master of Fine Arts (MFA) degree, concentrating on figurative art. During their first year, students train in the fundamentals of representational art and are challenged to use that training to produce self-directed work with a strong conceptual underpinning in their second year.
Founded in 1982 by artists, scholars, and patrons, including Andy Warhol, the Academy was established to revive the rigorous atelier-style training of figurative and representational art. Today, it operates as a 501(c)(3) non-profit cultural institution, accredited by Middle States Commission on Higher Education and the National Association of Schools of Art and Design. For over 40 years, the Academy has delivered exceptional arts education, fostering a strong record of graduate success both critically and commercially. Internationally recognized as a premier graduate art school, the Academy has enrolled students from over twenty countries.
Today the Academy is home to the nation’s first graduate school of figurative art, an extensive continuing education program, the region’s most comprehensive figurative art library, and a robust exhibition and lecture series, including an impressive roster of visiting artists. It also hosts premier high-profile events like Take Home a Nude and Tribeca Ball. The Academy also provides a one-year Certificate of Fine Art (CFA) program that is rapidly growing, a robust summer undergraduate program, along with online course offerings through Academy Everywhere. Approximately 500 individuals participate in the Academy’s education programs and workshops each year.
CURRENT EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES
The Academy is seeking a new President who will understand and honor the current strength of the curriculum and community while investing in its continued evolution and global reach.
Position Summary
As head of the Academy’s academic programs, curriculum, faculty, administrative functions and operations, including fundraising and community relations, the new President will have excellent leadership skills, ready to approach the task of making necessary decisions that ensure the continued success of the institution in its dynamic urban environment. In order to support and maintain the high-quality academic training, faculty, and global presence of the Academy, the new President will embody the public profile of the Academy, and will emphasize initiatives such as fundraising, board development, expanding the school’s reach and network, and attracting talented students to the program. The President reports to the Academy’s Board of Trustees and serves on various committees established by the Board. The position is full-time, throughout the year.
Key responsibilities of the role include
- Building the school’s national and international reputation
- Developing relationships between the Academy and the larger art world (curators, collectors, gallerists, and artists)
- Recruiting and maintaining high-quality instructors and administrators
- Raising funds for endowment, increasing sources of earned income for operations,
- Securing additional scholarship funds
- Increasing the quality of the talent pool of incoming students
- Enhancing the student experience
- Finding relationships/collaborations with peer institutions
- Growing on-line course offerings Academy Everywhere, as well as the CFA and fellowship programs
- Expanding the focus on career development for graduating students
- Working with the Alumni Association to maintain and enhance relationships with the extended community
- Conceiving new academic programs and entrepreneurial directions that are scalable and not constrained by the physical space of the building
- Identifying and overseeing facility enhancements
- Ensuring Diversity, Equity, Inclusion & Accessibility objectives
Required qualifications include
- A commitment to, and passion for, art, artists and the mission of the Academy
- Distinguished record of fundraising experience
- Excellent communication and presentation skills
- Nuanced understanding of the art world, and the dynamics between artists, educational institutions, galleries and commercial entities
- Deep relationships with the New York art scene in all its permutations
- Experience in recruiting and engaging with a board of trustees and knowledge of general governance structures
- A demonstrable record of leadership in a sizable and complex organization; experience in an institution of higher education a plus
- Sophisticated interpersonal skills
- An ability to maintain a culture of shared governance and problem solving
- Intellectual capability and academic credibility
- The desire to promote the value of an art education
All applications, inquiries, and recommendations will be held in confidence and should be sent electronically to Flynn Murtaugh at flynn@delriobyers.com. Del Rio Byers LLC will lead this search reporting into the Academy’s search committee, headed by Eileen Guggenheim, Board Chair of the Academy.
EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYMENT
It is the Academy’s policy to provide equal employment opportunity to all employees and applicants for employment. No individual will be discriminated against on the basis of age, race, color, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, creed or religion, disability, military status, marital status, domestic violence status or any other status protected by applicable law. This policy applies to all terms, conditions and privileges of employment, including recruitment, hiring, placement, compensation, promotion, discipline and termination.