Training & Mentorship

Are you: Positive, imaginative, intelligent, a team player, tech-savvy, social media capable, with an interest in marketing?
Do you: Want to learn how to manage an arts organisation and artist residency – from planning to delivery of creative programming?

Volunteer to be part of a team of innovative problem-solving artists, working together to deliver high quality programming and artist supports in a rural Irish community!

Details: 

  • Training in managing both a non-profit arts organisation & artist residency programme
  • At Greywood Arts in Killeagh, Cork, Ireland
  • Duration: 3 months
    • Spring: February – May 
    • Summer: June – August 
    • Autumn: September – November 
      (Seasonal programme details below)
  • Approx. 25hrs/ week (typically divided 20 office, 5 events)
  • Accommodation Provided: Bedroom w/ desk space for your own creative work in The Residency at Greywood Arts, weekly communal meal with artists-in-residence

Who are we looking for?

  • Artists looking to expand their practice to include programming and arts management
  • Arts workers who would benefit from mentorship & practical experience

Our ideal volunteer / trainee will:

  • Hold a Bachelor or Master degree, ideally in the arts (visual, performing, literary) or arts-related field. 
  • Be fluent in the English language, both written and spoken 
  • Be a citizen of the EU or UK, or must obtain the appropriate visa.
    Unfortunately, Greywood Arts cannot cover fees associated with visas. 

About the Opportunity:

Greywood Arts brings artists and the East Cork community together to explore the creative process, connect, and grow in a welcoming space where meaningful experiences are made. We do this through artist residencies, community arts projects and by providing support to visiting and local artists. By doing so, we foster a sense of belonging and encourage the deepening empathy in our community. 

Greywood Arts trainees will work directly with Artistic Director Jessica Bonenfant, founder of Greywood Arts CLG and the artist-run Residency at Greywood Arts. Together you will design and implement a diverse range of arts programming, which is likely to include participatory arts projects, live music events, contemporary dance performances, art and craft workshops, educational programmes, and artist residencies. You will work with Jessica in a collaborative office environment to maintain and develop existing programming, as well as to create new and dynamic ways to engage the local community. 2023 will see the opening of Greywood’s new arts centre facility, with studios, an educational workshop and a flexible event/exhibition space. 

We are seeking people who can bring our ethos of a warm welcome to all of their communications with our audiences and who takes initiative, can work independently, and asks questions. An interest in arts participation, communities of place and co-creation practices is a plus.  

Participants will be offered transparency about grant application processes, operating within non-profit financial infrastructure with both earned income and public funding streams, the ins and outs of project planning (including allocating costs and managing project budgets,) invoicing, bookkeeping, and the day-to-day administration of a non-profit organisation and maintenance of an  artist-in-residence program.

You will creatively engage in event planning, community programming, and social media management to build skills necessary to work with visual artists, writers, and performers from all over the world to produce exciting public projects.  Participants will gain hands-on training as an integral part of the Greywood Arts team.  

This is an opportunity to work with a community-centred arts organisation run by passionate and committed people, share a living space with a rotating schedule of talented resident artists, and be part of something truly special happening in East Cork.

How to apply:

Email create@greywoodarts.org with a statement about what you hope to gain from the experience and why you want to volunteer for a traineeship at Greywood. The clearer your goals are, the better we can support your learning process and mentor your learning process. 

Please attach your CV and let us know the season(s) you would like to volunteer with us at Greywood Arts. 

Deadline:  January 27th 2023

The Seasons at a Glance: 

Spring – The new Coach House Arts centre facility at Greywood Arts opens in March. We’ll also be commencing community projects that culminate in a 2-week long art trail in Glenbower woods as part of the May Sunday Festival. We’re also launching an artist network in April. 

Summer – June celebrates children’s creativity, and August is Craft Month in Ireland, as well as Heritage week. Lots of focus on workshops and summer camps. Gigs & exhibition programming is fairly open at this stage. Planning for Culture Night and other autumn programmes. 

Autumn – Delivering Culture Night in September, Halloween/Samhain programming in October and Space Fest, a Science Week festival that brings together art & science at the National Space Centre in November, alongside our STEAM programming for young people.