Co-Executive Director (Programs)

CO-EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR (PROGRAMS)
Charlotte Street seeks a strategic, collaborative, and visionary leader to serve as its next Co-Executive Director (Programs). This is a pivotal moment in the organization’s evolution as it transitions to a co-leadership model designed to balance artistic innovation with operational excellence. The incoming Co-Executive Director (Programs) will play a central role in guiding the artistic direction of the organization, supporting and amplifying the work of contemporary artists, and advancing Charlotte Street’s mission in partnership with the Co-Executive Director (Operations). Together, they will steward a dynamic team and engage deeply with Kansas City’s local and regional creative communities to ensure Charlotte Street remains a national leader in artist-centered care and contemporary practice.

MISSION: Charlotte Street centers Kansas City’s most forward-thinking visual artists, writers, and performers—acting as the primary incubator, provocateur, and connector for the region’s contemporary arts community, and its leading advocate on the national stage.

VALUES: Risk-taking, Openness, Collaboration, Excellence

ON EQUITY: Charlotte Street values an equitable, diverse, and inclusive art community, which we interpret as all artists having fair access to the tools and resources they need to realize their artistic endeavors. We acknowledge structural inequities that have excluded individuals and communities from opportunity based on race, gender, disability, sexual orientation, class, age, and geography, and strive to counter those inequities in our work and in representation on our board, staff, and constituent groups.

The individual selected for this role will address the following priorities:
• Lead the development, execution, and evolution of Charlotte Street’s artistic and public programs.
• Oversee residencies, exhibitions, artist awards, and community engagement initiatives, while cultivating a bold curatorial vision that reflects the organization’s values of risk-taking, collaboration, openness, and excellence.
• Mentor and support a talented program staff, manage key partnerships, and represent the organization in local, regional, and national conversations on contemporary art and artist development.
• Partner with the Co-Executive Director in fundraising and donor stewardship.
• As a member of the co-leadership team, share responsibility for organizational strategy, fundraising, board relations, and the overall health and culture of Charlotte Street.

OPPORTUNITIES + CHALLENGES

Strategic Planning: Charlotte Street’s 2020-2024 Strategic Plan identified four key initiatives aimed at cultivating a dynamic home for artists in various career stages and disciplines to thrive. These initiatives included: 1) Refining and aligning PROGRAMS to reflect Charlotte Street’s core values; 2) creating platforms and environments for ARTIST-CENTRIC COMMUNITY BUILDING in which artists connect with one another, build supportive audiences, and gain access to resources and networks; 3) STORYTELLING & ENGAGEMENT along with institutional transparency to establish strong relationships and build understanding of Charlotte Street’s mission, vision, values, and process with local artists and communities; and, 4) Evolve and adapt INFRASTRUCTURE and structures to ensure financial strength, operational agility, and organizational SUSTAINABILITY. In addition to evaluation of the previous Strategic Plan, the Co-Executive Director will facilitate the development of the next organizational Strategic Plan through staff, board, and community engagement.

Capacity Building: From 2015 to 2023, Charlotte Street has experienced a significant period of growth alongside its investment in a permanent campus. The number of artists served increased from approximately 80 to over 800, with an increase of over $130,000 in direct funds to artists. The number of programs serving both artists and Kansas City audiences has increased from less than 20 annual events to over 100. In response, the staff has grown from 4 employees to 9, including specific skill sets to support programming, marketing, and community engagement. All of this strategic capacity building has been informed directly by engagement and listening with the local artist community, while the organization simultaneously works to bolster its operational structure and fiscal stability. Charlotte Street’s annual operating budget has grown from just under $600,000 in 2015 to over $1.2 million in 2024. Charlotte Street is currently seeking to grow both its operational and programming capacity along with increasing dollar amounts for commissions, awards, and program stipends for artists, curators, and performance producers. Longer-term goals include developing new compensation structures that build economic equity for artists in the region.

Arts Campus Engagement: Two and half years after opening its new home in Midtown Kansas City, the organization is starting to see evidence of the impact having a permanent physical presence can have in nurturing a rich and diverse ecosystem of artists and audiences, and what might most contribute to continued growth. Charlotte Street’s community-grounded strategy seeks to create recurring platforms for arts-based community engagement, contributing to strong sense of belonging on its campus while demystifying and developing interest in contemporary art in young and historically underserved audiences. These programs are establishing Charlotte Street as a third space of neighborhood-positive artistic activity for all levels of art experience and interest, while centering and resourcing Kansas City’s best contemporary artists and performers. In addition to this hyperlocal focus, Charlotte Street is poised to become a nationally and internationally recognized generative hub for ambitious, experimental art.

CANDIDATE PROFILE
The ideal candidate is an experienced leader with a strong background in contemporary art, public programming, and community engagement. They are deeply committed to equity and accessibility in the arts, and bring a collaborative, thoughtful, and adaptive approach to leadership. They are energized by working closely with artists, curators, and cultural workers, and bring a nuanced understanding of interdisciplinary practice, experimental work, and artist-run culture. The successful candidate will have demonstrated success in managing teams, developing programming, fundraising, and building partnerships that center the voices and needs of artists.
Preferred qualifications include:
• Five or more years of senior leadership or curatorial/programming experience within a contemporary arts, nonprofit, or cultural context.
• Demonstrated experience in developing and delivering innovative programs and artistic initiatives.
• Strong track record of team management, mentorship, and fostering inclusive organizational culture.
• Fundraising experience, including proposal writing and donor cultivation.
• Deep knowledge of contemporary art, interdisciplinary practices, and grassroots/artist-led cultural movements.
• Commitment to antiracism, equity, and social justice in the arts.
• Strong communication, facilitation, and partnership-building skills.

ABOUT CHARLOTTE STREET
Charlotte Street was inspired by an artist named John Puscheck, who lived at 54th and Charlotte Street in Kanas City, Missouri. John’s house became known as the “Charlotte Street Mission” through the community he created and the sustenance he provided to his fellow artists in the form of backyard barbeques each time he sold a painting. Moved by the generosity of spirit and space of belonging John cultivated, David Hughes, Jr. founded Charlotte Street Foundation in 1997 with the goal of building a broad community support system for individual artists in Kansas City. Over the past three decades, Charlotte Street has built a comprehensive network of programs designed to create a culture of care for artists. Charlotte Street responds directly to needs expressed by artists, providing spaces and resources for creating and presenting work, opportunities for multidisciplinary collaboration and networking, building fundamental support systems for sustainable livelihoods, and generating community and accessible access to contemporary art and artists in the Kansas City region. Charlotte Street also facilitates artistic collaboration and exchange, and engages national philanthropic and cultural leaders with Kansas City artists and the arts community. In 2021, Charlotte Street opened its first permanent home, a multidisciplinary arts campus that includes a museum-quality visual art gallery, a well-equipped performance space, studios, rehearsal rooms, recording and media lab, library and archive room, administrative offices, community garden and gathering spaces. This facility brought all of the organization’s core activities together under one roof, enabling programs and ideas to cross-pollinate one another, allowing artists to foster relationships across disciplines, and providing artists with greater opportunities to build supportive audiences. The $10 million capital campaign to create this campus included $3 million in reserve funds for long-term program support and creation of an operating endowment. Charlotte Street’s 15-member Board of Directors represents a breadth of creative and executive leadership in Kansas City, including representation by working artists on the Executive Committee. Charlotte Street’s programming and grants benefit artists who express themselves along four core values that align with our vision towards a stronger arts community in Kansas City. Artists are chosen for these programs through competitive panel processes composed of highly respected industry professionals. In an average year, Charlotte Street serves 700-800 artists in the Kansas City region through programs, exhibitions, and other resources. Approximately 15,000 square feet of free space is granted to a combination of individual studio artists and artist-run organizations. More than $250,000 is distributed directly to artists in awards and stipends each year. This is the largest amount of funds dispersed to individual artists by any Kansas City area organization. Charlotte Street also builds community by producing over 100 free public events every year—creating accessible opportunities for local audiences to connect with new, multidisciplinary art and artists, fostering a sense of belonging, and growing the fabric of Kansas City’s cultural landscape.

KANSAS CITY: A HOME FOR CREATIVE LEADERSHIP
Kansas City is an emerging epicenter of contemporary arts and culture. With nationally recognized institutions such as the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, the Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art, Nerman Museum of Contemporary Art and the Kansas City Art Institute, as well as a dense network of artist-run spaces, music venues, and cultural organizations, the city is alive with creative energy. Artists in Kansas City benefit from accessible funding opportunities, including support from Charlotte Street’s own awards and grants, as well as local, state, and national funders. Cost of living is low, quality of life is high, and artists find both space and support to develop ambitious new work. The city’s independent music scene, diverse culinary offerings, and commitment to equity and innovation make it an inspiring place to live.

COMPENSATION + BENEFITS
This is a full-time, salaried position based in Kansas City, Missouri. Annual compensation is $120K with a comprehensive benefits package that includes health insurance, paid vacation and sick leave, professional development support, and a flexible, collaborative work culture rooted in artist-first values.

APPLICATION INSTRUCTIONS
Charlotte Street is seeking to fill this position in the Fall of 2025. Interested candidates should submit a resume and a two-page cover letter detailing their qualifications, leadership experience, and vision for artist-centered programming. Applications should be sent to info@charlottestreet.org. Priority will be given to submissions received by June 13, 2025. Candidates who are most competitive will be invited to an initial virtual interview. All candidates will be notified of their status as it is decided.

More details on the Co-Executive Director (Programs) position can be found here: https://charlottestreet.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/co-executive-director-job-opportunity-charlotte-street.pdf