Our mission is to be a creative conduit for educational, social, and economic opportunities for Native Americans through artistic development.
Our Place
Crow's Shadow Institute of the Arts is located amongst the rolling hills at the base of the beautiful Blue Mountains, on the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation (CTUIR), in the traditional homelands of the Umatilla, Walla Walla, and Cayuse. Crow's Shadow is a five-minute drive from CTUIR’s innovative civic hub; a ten-minute drive from the vibrant small town of Pendleton; a half-hour flight/three-and-a-half-hour drive from Portland; 45 minutes from the vineyards, galleries, and colleges of Walla Walla, WA; a short drive from the dramatic scenery of the Columbia River Gorge; and immediately adjacent to beautiful rangeland, forests, and wilderness areas that are perfect for recreating in and inspiring creativity.
Our vision is a world elevated and illumined by the genius of Indigenous creativity.
About Us
Our home for the last thirty years has been the historic St. Andrew’s Mission schoolhouse. In our studio, artists can work on lithographs, monotypes, and screenprints. Our gallery and Indigenous arts workshop space is adjacent to the studio and open to the public.
Founded in 1992 by artists James Lavadour (Walla Walla) and Phillip Cash Cash (Cayuse, Nez Perce), Crow’s Shadow remains the only fine-art printmaking studio located on an Indian reservation in the United States. Our programs and facilities include residencies in our world-class print studio which partners with Native and non-Native artists from around the nation, as well as a print gallery, traditional Indigenous arts workshops, and youth arts education programs. Our workshops are open to members of the local community and the Northwest region. We are committed to working with young people to encourage their artistic development, and we have partnerships with the Nixya’awii Community School as well as regional schools and colleges.
Crow's Shadow prints have generated hundreds of thousands of dollars of income for Indigenous artists and artists of color, have been featured in national exhibitions such as the Whitney Biennial, and have been collected by prominent private collectors and public institutions including the Whitney Museum, Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Indian and National Museum of American Art, Museum of Modern Art in NYC, Library of Congress, Boston Museum of Fine Arts, and more. A 2019 feature in the New York Times hailed Crow's Shadow as a "hub for contemporary Native American artists nationwide...[attracting] some of the biggest Indigenous names in contemporary art."
Works from Nixya'awii student artists have been exhibited widely across the region. Students also participate in many of the Indigenous arts workshops, which are open to the public and taught by artists who want to transmit their knowledge of traditional arts, including beadwork, buckskin dress-making, drum-making, weaving, horse regalia, and more.
“I love the Traditional Arts workshops that Crow's Shadow of Institute of Arts provides to the Tribal community. " – Annie Smith of CTUIR
Our Vision
Crow’s Shadow Institute of the Arts (CSIA) seeks an Executive Director to lead our institution into the next 30 years and beyond. This is an exciting opportunity for a leader with vision and a passion for the transformative power of art. We have laid the groundwork for growth and seek a dynamic individual to lead us through a capital campaign that will fund our new home and expand our staff and our nationally-acclaimed programs.
Crow’s Shadow has a clear vision for this new home: a purpose-built facility to house our printmaking studio, art gallery, workshops, and spaces for artists-in-residence. In March 2023, to demonstrate its confidence in the CSIA and our plans for the future, the Board of Trustees of the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation (CTUIR) generously provided a no-cost, long-term lease on ten acres of scenic land on which to build this beacon for contemporary Native arts.
The Team
The Executive Director leads a team that includes the Master Printer, Lead Printer, Traditional Arts Manager, and Marketing Manager as staff, and accountant and bookkeeper contractors. Funding has already been secured to add a Development Director. Rounding out the organization is a talented Board of majority Native artists, educators, Tribal leaders, business owners, nonprofit experts, and other professionals.
Candidate Profile
- Leading, conceptualizing, planning, and executing complex projects with others, including capital campaigns.
- Leadership and management experience in a nonprofit, grassroots collective, business, or government entity, with nonprofit and fundraising experience preferred.
- Experience working with Native American communities.
- Direct connections and strong relationships with philanthropy and the arts community-at-large, either regionally or nationally.
- Emotional and cultural intelligence with the ability to communicate and connect with diverse stakeholders.
- Commitment to honoring the history and legacy of Crow's Shadow while growing the organization and its signature programs
Competencies
We recognize that many desirable candidates will not have all the preferred experiences or qualifications outlined below. We understand that skills are transferable and learnable: if you feel this position aligns with your experience and interests, we encourage you to apply.
Compassionate and Responsive Leadership
- Work with the board of directors and staff to create and implement an updated strategic vision for Crow's Shadow that leverages opportunities for growth and is sensitive to equity and inclusion at all levels.
- Work with staff to ensure robust programming and a workplace culture that is sustainable, well-resourced, and fulfilling.
- Work closely with the board of directors, and especially the executive committee, to ensure the good governance and financial security of CSIA, including the preparation of regular reports to the board.
- Serve as liaison between board and staff.
Program Supervision and Support
- Oversee the development and execution of annual programs with community impact and artistic value in alignment with the Strategic Plan.
- Provide supervision for staff and contractors, evaluate staff performance annually, and promote staff development.
Gallery
- Curate or oversee the curation of exhibitions drawn from our permanent collection of prints created at CSIA.
- Work with staff to facilitate print sales and print promotion and to host events.
Fundraising and Revenue Development
- Establish and nurture relationships with partners, funders, collectors, and donors.
- Hire and work with the Development Director to design and implement a sustainable fundraising strategy; lead individual, grants, and corporate fundraising during hiring process.
- Represent Crow’s Shadow at key fundraising meetings and events and help cultivate new supporters.
- Work with staff and possible consultants to plan and implement a capital campaign to fund CSIA’s new home.
Financial Management
- Ensure responsible fiscal management of the organization by developing and tracking the annual budget.
- Review financial reports regularly in partnership with the bookkeeper and board.
Marketing and Communications
- Manage marketing staff, overseeing marketing and communications content across a variety of outreach channels, in order to promote print sales, exhibitions, workshops, events, and fundraising opportunities.
- Represent CSIA to all stakeholder groups and individuals in coordination with staff and the Board of Directors, including public speaking.
- Assist staff in the ongoing promotion of CSIA through all media forms and events.
Preferred Qualifications
- Experience working with Indigenous communities and nations.
- Proven nonprofit leadership experience.
- A successful track record of fundraising from foundations, corporations, individuals, and agencies.
- Experience in the structure and implementation of a successful capital campaign.
- Experience working in cross-cultural settings and working effectively with people from diverse socio-economic and cultural backgrounds.
- Knowledge of Native contemporary and traditional arts and contemporary art markets. An understanding of printmaking processes is a plus.
- Bachelor’s or Master’s Degree in a related academic discipline or equivalent work experience.
Crow’s Shadow Institute of the Arts is an equal opportunity employer and encourages applications from tribal members, people of color, persons with disabilities, women, and LBGTQ+ candidates.
Compensation and Benefits
This is a full-time, exempt position. The salary range is $80,00-90,000 with a generous benefits package including 20 days of PTO, 14 paid holidays, health insurance, and relocation and wellness stipends.
To learn more about Crow’s Shadow, please visit our website, follow us on Instagram and Facebook, and read our 30th Anniversary Report.
TO APPLY
Rose City Philanthropy has been retained for this search. Please submit your resumé or curriculum vitae and a cover letter describing your interest in CSIA’s mission and how your experience has prepared you for this position via a Word or PDF attachment to jennifer@rosecityphilanthropy.com. Please format the subject line of your email with your last name followed by the organization name and the position. Example: Miller_CSIA_ED. The position will be open until filled. To enquire about the position please contact Lara Miller at lara@rosecityphilanthropy.com.
Rose City Philanthropy specializes in recruiting leadership talent for mission-driven organizations. We work closely with the board, staff, and the community to create an inclusive process that is informed by a variety of perspectives.