Description

The Adolph and Esther Gottlieb Foundation is in its fiftieth year of operation and and is seeking its second Executive Director who will continue its programs and help lead the Foundation into a new period of stewardship and philanthropy.   

Background

The Adolph and Esther Gottlieb Foundation has been operating since 1976 with two main purposes. We offer grants to individual visual artists through two programs: an annual Individual Support Grant and a separate program to assist visual artists in cases of catastrophic events through an Emergency Grant Program. We also maintain an archive on the art and life of Adolph Gottlieb and organize exhibitions of his art.

Adolph Gottlieb (1903 – 1974) began his career in New York in the 1920s, with no expectation of financial reward. He became one of the small group of artists including Mark Rothko, Jackson Pollock,  Lee Krasner and Willem deKooning who initiated the movement known as Abstract Expressionism. He achieved artistic and financial success far beyond his early expectations. Gottlieb left instructions in his will that a foundation be created to benefit “mature, creative painters and sculptors.” After the artist’s death in 1974 this became a mandate for his estate to develop programs that would provide direct financial assistance to individual artists. 

Esther Dick Gottlieb (1907 – 1988) was a teacher who, during the Great Depression of the 1930s when the couple first married, worked at a vocational school in New York as an instructor of needlework and design classes. Through her practice of sharing cash from her teaching salary with those artists in need in their community – including Mark Rothko and David Smith – she established a model for artist support, a precedent for the Foundation. Esther Gottlieb’s role in , having helped conceive this idea, saw to it that his wishes were carried out the structural development and organization of the Adolph and Esther Gottlieb Foundation was critical.

Since 1976 the Adolph and Esther Gottlieb Foundation has been making Individual Support Grants to painters, sculptors, and printmakers who have been creating mature art for at least twenty years and who are in current financial need. Grants may be applied for through an open application process and they have been awarded to artists worldwide. The Gottlieb Foundation’s Emergency Grant Program offers assistance to mature visual artists who have suffered a recent catastrophic event and who lack the resources to meet their current circumstances. This program is international in scope and there are no application deadlines. Both grant programs exist as part of the continuing legacy of Adolph and Esther Gottlieb and reflect their dedication to an international community of visual artists.

Executive Director Key Responsibilities and Opportunities

The Executive Director is responsible for overseeing the Foundation’s missions, and coordinating with the Board of Directors, staff, and its artist community to clearly and consistently implement the policies and programs the Foundation maintains. This includes day-to-day supervision of staff, management of finances, daily appraisal of both grant programs, representing the organization and missions to press and public, communication with professionals in both galleries and museums, and oversight of the Foundation’s premises. The Executive Director will propose adjustment to policies, private and public exhibition projects, and will work closely with the Board of Directors to keep the Foundation and its programs relevant and effective.

The Executive Director will:

  Bring vision and leadership to the organization’s direction, growth and development, including an assessment of its current grantmaking, programs, and goals;

  Learn the history and values of the Foundation, and establish strong working relationships with the Board of Directors, staff, colleagues, and artists;

  Manage the Foundation’s financial operations; develop its budget; ensure that staff and programming keep within approved budgetary limits; provide the Board with timely financial data for budgeting decisions; coordinate with accountants to prepare annual financial reports and tax filings;

  In cooperation with the Board, coordinate with art galleries to plan and develop exhibition projects and potential sales;

  In cooperation with the Board, convene panels for annual grant reviews; organize and present applications for emergency grants on an ongoing and as-needed basis;

  Develop ideas for public exhibitions utilizing the Foundation’s collection of Adolph Gottlieb’s art as a nucleus; develop budgets and formal proposals offering exhibition projects to appropriate public venues; coordinate with partners to develop and produce publications and programming;

  Manage an archive of Adolph Gottlieb’s papers; work with an experienced archivist to make this material available to scholars and to organize it for inclusion in a catalogue raisonné;

  Coordinate with staff to extend the Foundation’s active social media presence and quarterly newsletter; and develop informational programming for on-line symposia to assist visual artists;

  Represent the Gottlieb Foundation and Adolph and Esther Gottlieb to the public; build relationships with similar organizations, scholars and colleagues; cultivate speaking engagements and interviews with the press; 

  Supervise professional staff; maintain a collaborative relationship among a small, dedicated staff, working with individuals and as a team to accomplish tasks and implement the Foundation’s programs; maintaining a positive environment that advances staff satisfaction, mentorship, and retention;

 Ensure that the Foundation’s operations comply with legal and financial limits and obligations of a 501 c (3) tax exempt organization. 

Requirements

Prospective candidates must have a demonstrated background in leadership roles, as well as exhibit excellent written and verbal communication, analytic, computer and organizational skills. 

The ideal candidate will possess the following skills and experiences: 

    Strong leadership, facilitation and managerial skills, including proven supervisory, staff development, program management, and budgetary skills 

    A resumé that includes senior positions in visual arts organizations

    Understanding of and an engagement with the visual arts community, including artists, foundations, scholars, gallerists, and collectors

    Creative problem solver with the demonstrable ability to think strategically

    Ability to understand and carry out a number of specialized efforts such as legal issues, government and private support programs for individuals, tax and finance in collaboration with legal and accounting professionals  

    A minimum of five years relevant experience in the visual arts or corresponding field.

Reporting Relationships and Work Environment 

The Executive Director reports to and works in cooperation with a Board of Directors (currently 6 individuals), and directly supervises the Grants Manager, Art Collection Manager, and Archivist. The Executive Director will be responsible for maintaining and developing the positive and collaborative work environment.  Our current work environment is:

    The position is envisioned as full time (40 hours per week) with regular hours; additional hours required for events and occasional travel

    This position currently functions as in-person, with an office in lower Manhattan.At the time of employment, the Executive Director will live within commuting distance of the Foundation’s Soho, New York office. The Executive Director is expected to work in person from the Foundation office.

    Candidates must be willing to relocate to the New York City metropolitan area