Ottawa Valley Community Arts is Hiring!
Director of Performing Arts (Part-time, Contract Position)
We are seeking a self-motivated, community-minded person to join our team who will help us to integrate more performing and media arts opportunities into our programming.
Application Process
Please submit your CV and cover letter, along with information for two references, to: anya@ov-caos.org
Submission deadline: Friday, May 8, 2026
Qualified candidates will be contacted for interviews. We thank all applicants for their interest in joining the Ottawa Valley Community Arts team.
Term: Initial contract of one year; with a potential extension to three years or more
Compensation: $45/hour, 195 hours/year, including travel expenses of up to $1,100/year
About Us
Ottawa Valley Community Arts (OVCA) was created in 2011 with a mandate to promote the integration of visual arts, music, drama and other creative arts into the lives of individuals, families and communities in the Ottawa Valley.
We work in partnership with local, cultural and service organizations to bring people together to explore their stories, images and creative possibilities. Our network of artist-facilitators host workshops and activities designed to enhance creativity, personal growth and community well-being.
We have recently been awarded a three-year grant from the Ontario Trillium Foundation to improve our ART Helps program by including more performing and media arts. This successful program was established in 2024 to support individual and community well-being through programming that connects art making, social connection and engagement with the natural world.
Our 2025 – 2029 strategic plan identifies a desire to offer more performing and media arts programming.Ottawa Valley Community Arts is a small team with a broad vision and geographical scope. We serve communities across what is now known as the Ottawa Valley within the unceded and unsurrendered Ancestral Territory of the Algonquin Anishinaabeg.
The Ottawa Valley Community Arts team includes:
· Board of Directors (six members)
· Anya Gansterer – Artistic Director
· Christine Luckasavitch – Indigenous Culture Liaison
· Claire Mahaffy – Admin and Communications
· Maureen MacMillan – Social Media
· Artist Facilitators (ad hoc team)
Key Duties and Responsibilities
· Work with the OVCA team to integrate performing arts events into our ART Helps program
· Host and facilitate in person programming in different locations across the Ottawa Valley
· Engage with potential new performing and media artist facilitators
· Engage with potential new partners and host venues
· Work with our Artistic Director to incorporate performing and media arts into our evaluation process
· Assist with grant proposals, gather grant monitoring information, and prepare final reports for the review and approval of the artistic directors
· Liaise with Board members, OVCA staff, vendors, service providers, artists and other creative people to support the ongoing functions of the organization
Required Skills and Abilities
· Experience in and/or knowledge of a range performing arts disciplines
· Facilitation experience in a range of performing arts disciplines
· Administrative skills including strong writing and oral communication skills, proficiency in Microsoft Suite and Google Drive with energy and aptitude to learn new software and systems if needed
· Project management experience
· Experience in managing a multi-disciplinary, multi-location, often virtual work environment with a home office base
· Available to work on occasional evenings and weekends
· Must be willing and able to travel with in the Ottawa Valley as part of the job
· High degree of comfort and capacity dealing with multi-tasking, changing priorities and rapidly evolving environments
· Self-motivated, curious and open to learning new skills and abilities
· Passion for the arts, the Ottawa Valley and everything it has to offer
· Current OPP Vulnerable Sector Check (or ability to obtain)
Desired Skills
(While not essential, candidates who possess these skills, in addition to those listed above, will have an advantage)
· Experience working in a community arts environment
· Experience working in a non for profit environment
· Post-secondary degree in an arts field
· Knowledge and/or experience working with media art forms
PLEASE NOTE:
Inclusion is at the heart of Ottawa Valley Community Arts. We recognize that diversity is a cornerstone of organizational and community wellbeing. We value the collective wealth of lived experiences within the creative community in the Ottawa Valley. We are committed to working collaboratively to create processes and experiences that are accessible and welcoming environments. To protect the cultural sovereignty of Indigenous peoples, when programming includes the sharing of traditional Indigenous knowledge, OVCA will respectfully invite the artist to share more context about their relationship to that content and their Indigenous community ties. We promote diversity of thought, culture and background. We celebrate, support and thrive on difference for the benefit of our staff, our fellow artists, all creative people and our community at large. OVCA does not discriminate on the basis of race, national or ethnic origin, colour, religion, age, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, marital status, family status, genetic characteristics, or disability. It’s all about your skill and talent.