Lunch Special! Work with PIE Artists to make media about school lunch

People in Education is looking for classrooms, schools and organizations to partner with our artists-in-residence, starting October 2018.

The Artist in Residence  (AIR) program partners with artists, school communities and students to make media that uncovers stories at the heart of the schooling experience. Over four months, we explore a complex education issue, resulting in a collaborative, digital media project.

This year, we’re looking to change how we make; instead of creating projects on varying topics, we want to focus all our media projects around a central theme: school lunch.

Often in policy and reform conversations about schooling we flatten the complexities of the issues, attempting to make them easier to comprehend or measure. From there, we develop flat solutions that fail to address what is truly at the core of the education crisis.

This new model will allow us to get multiple angles on one part of schooling and show how complex it really is.

Click here to see some of our past collaborative media projects.

Why school lunch?

In seven years of working with young people in Detroit classrooms, there is always one topic students are hungry to discuss: lunch. When it comes up, the stories pour out:  “One time, I had brown alfredo sauce?” or “A bread and cheese sandwich? It ain’t even grilled sis!” And it's hard to talk about anything else because A) the stories are hilarious and B) the feelings run so deep.

We want to make media that speaks to these questions:

1. What are young people really eating?

Detroit is known for being revolutionary in its school food programs. We want to hear how young people feel about school lunch in Detroit and what they’re actually eating. Just because it's served doesn't mean it’s eaten.  

2. What else is going on in the lunchroom?

Lunchroom politics can be a hot topic, rich with social dynamics and institutional rules. We want to see what young people think about things like the design, multi-functionality, interpersonal interactions, expectations from adults about noise and seating (just to name a few) in their cafeterias.

3. What is the importance and impact of student choice at lunch?

There are lots of assumptions about the food choices young people make. More often than not, adults question their ability to make healthy choices. We want to know how students understand the choices they make around food.

What we’re looking for in a partner:

Educators, schools and organizations who--

1. Work with young people on art, technology, health, food and/or issues in social justice.

2. Can work with a consistent group of students over the course of the four-month program.

3. Are open to a collaborative creating process between themselves, their students and PIE artists-in-residence.

How to become an AIR partner:

If you’re interested becoming an AIR partner, complete this form by September 17 to tell us a bit more about yourself and your work. The form will take about ten minutes to fill, and we’ll follow up later in September with more details.

Call for 2018 Teaching Artists

People in Education is hiring Teaching Artists to facilitate digital media projects in classrooms across Metro Detroit, starting October 2018. 

Our Artist in Residence (AIR) Program is a four-month residency for digital media makers interested in developing social practice works with a focus on humanizing schooling. These works will contribute to PIE’s mission to shift the conversation about education toward the idea of humane schools. This year’s focus for media projects will be school lunch.

The application deadline is September 19, 2018 with a start date of October 09, 2018.

Why school lunch?

In seven years of working with young people in Detroit classrooms, there is always one topic students are hungry to talk about: lunch. We’ve dabbled in investigating lunch before, among other topics. But this year we’re changing how we make by creating several media projects around a central theme. Often in policy and reform conversations we flatten the complexities of the issues and thus develop flat solutions that fail to address the heart of the education crisis. This new model allows us to get multiple angles on one subject and show how complex schooling is.  We have decided school lunch is the best place to start!

About the Teaching Artist position

Artists will work with PIE for four months to develop and implement a Media Project. Our projects investigate a complex community issue through a collaborative media-making and design process. Projects require a month of preparation and three months of work in the community. The AIR Project Coordinator will be available to answer any questions and support artists with their proposals for projects. See past media projects here. 

This is a part-time, contract position with the expectation of approximately 140 hours of work (averaging 10 hours a week while working in the community) over the period of October 2018 through January 2019. Included in this time frame is an artist social practice training October 17 - 19, during the day. Teaching Artists will be compensated with a $3,000 stipend for their participation in this four-month project.

Specific Responsibilities

The PIE Teaching Artist will:

• Build a strong, collaborative partnership with assigned community partners

• Develop in-depth knowledge of practices for the development of ethical agency, critical thinking and creative problem-solving

• Facilitate a Media Project and guide partners in:

  • Developing skills in digital media production

  • Investigating “Big Questions” which identify and deconstruct systemic problems that impact their lives and their communities

  • Designing solutions for those systemic problems based on research

  • Increasing partners’ mastery of classroom curriculum in general

• Implement PIE documentation and evaluation procedures, which include:

  • Weekly lesson planning

  • Program evaluations before, during, and after the Major Media Project

• Participate in Bi-weekly staff meetings

Qualifications

The ideal candidate will have:

• Demonstrated commitment to social justice values.

• Mastery of at least one media arts practice (video production, audio production, graphic design, or web design)

• Experience working as an educator in K-12 schools and/or youth leader/facilitator in a community organization.

• Familiarity with theories and practices of popular education.

• Familiarity with arts-infused education practices.

• Proficiency with Google applications (Google Drive, Calendar, etc.).

• Experience working collaboratively with a diverse staff.

• Excellent interpersonal, written, and communication skills; strong public speaking skills.

• Excellent self-management and time-management skills.

• Ability/desire to work flexible hours, including occasional evenings and weekends, and willingness to travel occasionally.

Preferred Qualifications

• Demonstrated commitment to authentic youth leadership.

• Thorough and creative lesson-planning, paired with the ability to improvise in the classroom.

How to Apply

To apply, please send the following to work@alliedmedia.org with your name and “PIE Teaching Artist Application” in the subject line:

• Cover letter

• Resume

• Three work samples such as art projects, curricula, articles or essays or reports, links to videos of work or workshops you have led, etc. Work samples that demonstrate your skills as an artists and/or educator.

• Three professional references including names, emails, and telephone numbers.

Download a PDF of the Call for Artists here. 

We strongly encourage people of color, women, LGBTQ, and disabled candidates to apply.