Arts Project Manager Opportunity

Yorkshire Cancer Centre Appeal
Arts and Environment Project

The new St James’s Institute of Oncology, Bexley Wing at St James’s University Hospital opened in December 2007. It provides leading edge cancer services within a modern and specialised clinical environment. Importantly, we also aim to provide a welcoming and positive environment throughout the building for patients, staff and visitors. To this end, an integral part of the Yorkshire Cancer Centre Appeal has been to fund environmental and arts projects “that uplift, soothe and heal patients”.

The quality of the initial artwork commissions for the Wing has raised expectations of staff, visitors and patients. The Arts Steering Group has identified three projects which will build on this initial success, and for which funding is available. Together, they will contribute to enhancing the patient experience, improving dull and drab areas, and creating a lively and interactive environment.

We need project management support to shape and implement these new initiatives. We are looking for someone with experience of developing and implementing project proposals and commissioning artists; experience in arts curation is desirable. The successful applicant will deliver commissions which contribute to the existing high quality physical presence of the arts in the building. The fee available is £6000, and it is envisaged that the work can be accomplished within 24 days, over a 3 month period.

Description of the Work

The project manager will be responsible for the implementation of the projects described below:

1. Enhancing patient areas - High Dependency Unit (HDU)

This project will be developed following a direct request from staff members, with whom the project manager will work closely. Staff find the HDU an anonymous space to work in, with no external windows, and no means of telling whether it is day or night. Patients, who may be heavily medicated, can be disorientated and distressed in this high tech environment and visitors and staff find the department confusing to orientate.

The aim is to provide a sensitive visual identity for the department. The exact nature of what is provided will depend upon the artist commissioned for the project, but is likely to include:

• use of large-scale vinyl wall graphics to provide recognisable and soothing imagery
• a series of wall artworks to the corridor leading into the department
• re-arrangement of the waiting area and use of colour to create feature walls to help way-finding

(Budget available: £14,000)

2. Improving dull and drab areas – use of prints and photographs

There are many anonymous, institutional areas in the building including wait areas, day rooms, treatment rooms, recovery rooms and corridors. Pictures are required to add colour and interest, alleviate the bareness of the walls, and occupy patients and visitors. It is envisaged that a total of 110 prints will be purchased. The project manager will liaise with the staff and departments concerned, providing artistic direction, advice, supervision and professional expertise to ensure the enhancement of these areas.

(Budget available: £9,000)

3. Creating a lively and interactive environment – Atrium Gallery

The Atrium Gallery is in a prime location and is seen by everyone who visits the Wing. A contingency budget of £9,000 has been identified for a three year period of Atrium exhibitions, to be enhanced by successful grant applications. The project manager will provide artistic direction, advice, supervision and professional expertise to ensure a diverse and thought-provoking programme of exhibitions of contemporary art and craft, to change on a quarterly basis.

There have already been a number of performances within the Atrium on a trial basis, and a small allocation (£3,000) has been made for a trial six-month performance programme to test out the ongoing viability of the performance project.

For both the exhibitions and the performance programme, the intention is to secure external funding on an ongoing basis. The project manager will programme these activities for a 12 month period, and will make grant applications to ensure a dynamic future programme, and sustain momentum.

Person Specification

Essential:

• Ability to present information clearly and concisely to a diverse group of people, using appropriate media
• Report writing skills
• Ability to work collaboratively in a team with a wide range of people
• Developing and implementing project proposals
• Experience of commissioning artists
• Experience in arts curation
• Developing and submitting successful applications to funding bodies
• Budget management
• Educated to degree standard in a relevant discipline
• Understanding of Health and Safety and Risk Assessment methods
• Ability to work to deadlines
• Ability to work independently
• Excellent communication skills to a variety of users

Desirable:

Working with people in a healthcare setting

Taking account of the criteria specified applicants are invited to respond to this brief by sending in the following:

• A brief CV (no more than two pages)
• A covering letter (again, no more than two pages) giving details of your relevant previous experience and how it relates to this brief
• The names and contact details of two referees who have knowledge of your previous relevant work / experience

The deadline for submissions is: 12 noon, Wednesday 25th November.

Applicants must be available for interview on 18th December.

Submissions should be sent, preferably by e-mail, for the attention of:

david.fox@leedsth.nhs.uk

Or by post to:

David A. Fox, General Manager, St James's Institute of Oncology, Bexley Wing, St James's University Hospital, Leeds LS9 7TF

For further information about the work involved, and more general information about the Arts and Environment project please contact Paul Stones, Arts Development Officer, 0113 392 3941 paul.stones@leedsth.nhs.uk or David Fox on 0113 2068636.