Director, IAIA Research Center for Contemporary Native Arts (RCCNA)

Since its founding in 1962, the Institute of American Indian Arts (IAIA)—the University for Indigenous Creative Excellence—has empowered creativity, leadership, and innovation in Indigenous arts, scholarship, and cultures. IAIA is the only higher education institution dedicated to contemporary Native American and Alaska Native arts. Chartered by Congress and accredited by the Higher Learning Commission (HLC), IAIA serves approximately 500 Native and non-Native students representing nearly 100 federally recognized Tribes.

Position Summary

The Director of the IAIA Research Center for Contemporary Native Arts (RCCNA) is a management-level position providing strategic, administrative, and programmatic leadership for the RCCNA and overseeing its staff, operations, budget, grants, programs, and resources. The RCCNA includes the IAIA Archives, Artist-in-Residence (A-i-R) Program, Research Fellowship Program, and Journey Home Internship and Apprenticeship Program.

The Director advances the RCCNA’s role as a leader in contemporary Native arts, cultures, and research; champions Indigenous Research Methodologies; strengthens relationships among IAIA, Native artists, scholars, researchers, Tribal Nations, and communities; and ensures RCCNA programs and priorities support the mission and strategic goals of IAIA.

Essential Functions and Responsibilities

Essential functions include, but are not limited to:

• Provide overall leadership and management of RCCNA operations, staff, programs, and resources, including personnel supervision, financial management, and administrative oversight.
• Manage RCCNA budgets, grants, and grant-funded programs; collaborate with the Director of Sponsored Programs, RCCNA staff, the Provost, and other partners to develop proposals and secure and steward funding for RCCNA initiatives.
• Provide leadership for RCCNA programs and areas, including the IAIA Archives, Artist-in-Residence (A-i-R) Program, Research Fellowship Program, and Journey Home Internship and Apprenticeship Program, in collaboration with RCCNA staff, Academic Affairs, and the IAIA Museum of Contemporary Native Arts (MoCNA).
• Lead strategic planning, Indigenous assessment, and program review for RCCNA to ensure its programs and priorities serve the needs of IAIA and the broader Native arts, cultures, and research communities.
• Champion Indigenous Research Methodologies and chair the IAIA Institutional Review Board (IRB).
• Build and sustain respectful collaborative relationships among IAIA, RCCNA, Tribal Nations and communities, Native artists, scholars, researchers, cultural organizations, and other local, national, and international partners.
• Track and respond to the evolving needs of Native arts and cultures researchers and practitioners through ongoing outreach, relationship-building, and engagement with communities.
• Collaborate with MoCNA, the Archives, A-i-R, Academic Affairs, faculty, and other IAIA partners to develop and support exhibitions, acquisitions, seminars, trainings, workshops, lectures, publications, research initiatives, and other RCCNA-sponsored or affiliated programming.
• Strengthen connections between RCCNA and IAIA faculty and students, including supporting undergraduate and graduate recruitment and retention, research opportunities, curriculum development, and an enriched academic and research environment.
• Mentor students and early-career arts and cultural professionals, including artists, arts administrators, art historians, archivists, curators, researchers, and cultural resource managers.
• Teach credit-bearing or continuing education courses and contribute to undergraduate and graduate curriculum development when appropriate.
• Develop and expand RCCNA research materials, collections, resources, and opportunities in support of the Center's mission.
• Coordinate with the Office of Institutional Communications and other campus partners to provide effective internal and external communication and promotion of RCCNA programs, events, activities, resources, and opportunities.

Required Experience and Education

• A terminal Masters or PhD in an art or culture-related discipline. 
• Demonstrated experience in Indigenous Research Methodologies. 
• Demonstrated experience with budget and grant management, personnel supervision, and administrative leadership of increasing scope and responsibility.
• Demonstrated experience building and sustaining respectful, collaborative relationships with Native American communities, Tribal Nations, Native artists, scholars, researchers, and cultural organizations.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience with curatorial practice, exhibition development, collections, or related work in contemporary Native arts and cultures.
• Post-secondary teaching experience.
• Demonstrated experience managing public research facilities.

Required Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

• Knowledge of Native Nation sovereignty in the US.
• Knowledge of issues and concerns in contemporary Native American arts, culture, and education.
• Ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships with students, faculty, staff, administrators, trustees, artists, arts professionals, researchers, community members, and external partners, as applicable to the position.
• Must possess executive management skills including but not limited to: Establishing priorities, coordinating multiple complex projects simultaneously, meeting deadlines, and paying attention to simultaneous detail.
• Demonstrated ability to contribute to grant development and funding proposals.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• Demonstrated ability to communicate effectively with diverse internal and external constituencies.
• Strong oral communication skills and confidence in public speaking.
• Ability to work independently with minimal supervision, initiate projects, and complete assignments accurately and on time.
• Strong organizational and time-management skills, including the ability to manage multiple priorities.
• Ability to exercise sound judgment, discretion, and professionalism.
• Commitment to professional standards of conduct and ethics, including confidentiality, integrity, and accountability.
• Ability to collaborate respectfully and contribute to a professional and supportive workplace environment.
• Ability to adapt effectively to changing priorities and work environments.
• Proficiency with technology, internet applications, software, equipment, and systems relevant to the position.

About the IAIA Research Center for Contemporary Native Art (RCCNA)

The mission of the IAIA Research Center for Contemporary Native Arts (RCCNA) is Uniting Art, Artists, and Archives. RCCNA was established to support IAIA’s dedication to advancing scholarship, discourse, and interpretation of contemporary Native art for regional, national, and international audiences. RCCNA streamlines access to the IAIA Museum of Contemporary Native Arts’ (MoCNA) permanent collection and the IAIA archives by providing a centralized resource to students, artists, scholars, and community members. 

RCCNA provides reference, research support, workshops, internships, fellowships, artist residencies, exhibitions, curriculum development, and has an active acquisition program for art and archival materials. Artistic practice and scholarly activity are usually treated as separate endeavors within Western philosophy, with intellectual pursuits more highly valued than creative practices; however, within Indigenous knowledge systems physical “making” is integral to knowledge production. The RCCNA hosts Artists-in-Residence and Scholarly Fellowships, with overlapping approaches for each.

Working Conditions

• Position is in-person and full-time generally performed in an office, archive, college campus, and classroom spaces.
• Occasional evening and weekend work hours required.
• There will be occasional travel to Native communities, conferences, museums, cultural centers, and research facilities.
• Must be able to move and/or maneuver items weighing up to 30 lbs.
• Must have a clean driving record to be insurable to use an IAIA vehicle.
• This job description is intended to describe the general nature and level of work performed and does not necessarily include every responsibility for the position.
• IAIA reserves the right to revise this job description at any time, with or without notice.
• This job description is not a contract for employment.