APPLICATIONS FOR THIS FELLOWSHIP ARE NOW CLOSED.
Philadelphia, PAโ
The FAO Schwarz Fellow at The Clay Studio
About the Fellowship Position
The Fellow will work with the Claymobile program as an assistant teacher for their direct service work and work closely with the Teaching Artists and Community Engagement Manager on developing the curriculum through the lens of social-emotional learning.
This may require restructuring elements of the current Claymobile curriculum to emphasize Social and Emotional Learning to make these concepts and methods more accessible to our partners and encourage greater participation. This will necessitate careful observation and close collaboration with Claymobile teaching artists and other programs around the city.
The Fellowship program provides opportunities for new college graduates interested in social impact careers to be part of organizations that are deeply committed to social justice and equity. Through a combination of direct service and leadership challenges, professional development and mentoring, Fellows gain first-hand experience leading change and learn how effective nonprofits create lasting and measurable progress.
As artists, advocates, and educators, The Clay Studio is committed to ensuring the space, support, and inspiration necessary for expression and mastery in the ceramic arts.ย
Direct Service
Working with the Claymobile program as an assistant teacher in year one and a lead teacher in year two will provide the Fellow with the necessary experiences to inform their special project work with the Claymobile curriculum.
As a member of the Claymobile Team the Fellow will:
- Serve as a Teaching Assistant for Claymobile Team - including After-School.
- Help prep projects and lessons at The Clay Studio with other team members and help set up and break down at each partner site.
- Assist the Teaching Artist throughout the lesson by working one-on-one with students to ensure they understand the project, helping with specific tasks of the lesson, addressing process questions, and passing out supplies. The Lead Teacher will ensure that the Fellow understands and can accomplish all aspects of the lesson.
- Grow in terms of capabilities and confidence to serve as a Lead Teacher during second year of Fellowship.
Special Project
The concept of the special project is to have a dedicated individual to structure the current Claymobile curriculum so that Social and Emotional Learning is highlighted and easily accessible. This involves collaboration with the Teaching Artist team and Community Engagement Manager, along with observations and learning from other programs and peer organizations in the city. Organizing this information in a way that is most useful for the Claymobile teaching staff, area teachers, and the larger Clay community.
The second part of the project is to develop ways to inform the community regarding the resource and build (with other staff) ways to utilize the information for onboarding and training new Clay Studio staff and teachers.
- โโResearch Social and Emotional Learning (SEL), Head Start Standards and National Core Art Standards to gain a core, academic understanding of developmental stages and SEL.
- Build understanding and knowledge of the CASEL framework of Social and Emotional Learning through observations at peer organizations, traditional education setting, and with fellow Claymobile instructors in order to evaluate current ClayMobile lessons for these competencies.
- Observe the teaching artists at sites and learn and observe peer organizations around the city.
- Work with Claymobile peers and Community Engagement Manager to organize, refine, and broaden access to our current Claymobile curriculum.
- Create an information campaign for area teachers, community partners, and the clay community, highlighting the information and tools available through The Clay Studio.
- Assist the Community Engagement Manager in the planning and delivery of the annual Teacher Open House and Claymobile Staff Training.
- Work with TCS Staff to build and implement an onboarding program โ like a training session โ that highlights Social and Emotional Learning so our internal community is working from a unified framework.
LOCATION Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
WEB theclaystudio.org
FOUNDEDย 1922
STAFFย 27
How to Apply
Applicants must be college seniors at accredited four-year colleges or universities at the time of application and be eligible to work in the United States for the duration of the two-year Fellowship.
The deadline to apply is February 5, 2024 at 9:00 pm ET. Host organizations will select applicants for interviews and make their decisions by the end of April 2024. Fellowships begin in the summer of 2024.
Learn more about The Clay Studio before applying.
A Closer Look
About The Clay Studio
The Clay Studio (TCS) is a cultural leader working in Philadelphia and a champion for the ceramics community, providing a welcoming place for 30,000 people annually to examine ceramic artists’ works and engage in making ceramic art. Founded in 1974 by five artists in need of workspace, TCS has grown to a staff of 27ย who continue in the belief that shared creativity, so fundamental to humanity, is a critical force for good.
In 1994, The Clay Studio launched its Claymobile Community Engagement Program, which brings a “pop-up” ceramics studio to schools, community centers, and summer camps throughout the Philadelphia region. Our professional teaching artists provide arts education opportunities that use the tactile medium of clay to nurture imagination, critical thinking, and persistence. Each year, TCS provides hands-on art instruction to over 5,800 underserved schoolchildren through the Claymobile program. Claymobile has been a program model for ceramic art centers nationwide, including Northern Clay, Watershed, and the Penland School for Crafts.ย
In April 2022, The Clay Studio celebrated the grand opening of our 32,000 sq. ft purpose-built facility. The buildingโs design reflects lessons learned by our interaction with the South Kensington neighborhood through Claymobile. The goal of Kensington is to become a more diverse, neighborhood-focused organization. We want our resources to impact the community positively.ย We are centering our next, focusing our era on the platform of social awareness, engagement, and artistic achievement with a strong focus on community programming.
About The Claymobile
In 1994, The Clay Studio launched its Claymobile Community Engagement Program, which brings a “pop-up” ceramics studio to schools, community centers, and summer camps throughout the Philadelphia region. Each year, the Claymobile programย provides hands-on art instruction to over 5,800 underserved schoolchildren.
Impact
Our Impact
The Clay Studio measures Claymobile results through quantitative and qualitative metrics from various program surveys and observations. We track attendance, demographics, and artwork created and provide session evaluations that address participants’ learned techniques and information about our sessions’ socio-emotional outcomes. In addition to participant post-program surveys, we survey classroom teachers and caregivers to evaluate the program’s effectiveness. Select sites are interviewed by an evaluator to determine the success of the program, showing these results:
- 86% of students reported liking coming to school on Claymobile Days.
- 96% reported that Claymobile made learning fun.
- 90% of teachers reported that participation in Claymobile increased students’ enthusiasm for school.
- 100% of teachers reported that Claymobile improved students’ ability to work together and improved interpersonal skills.
- 95% of teachers reported that Claymobile strengthened students’ intellectual skills (critical thinking and problem-solving).
Policies
COVID POLICY
The Clay Studio has adopted the policies in accordance with City of Philadelphia & CDC Guidelines. If you have tested positive for COVID-19, please begin to isolate immediately. Please isolate for 5 full days. People who leave isolation after 5 days should be fever-free and must wear a mask when around others for an additional 5 days.
NONDISCRIMINATION POLICY
The Clay Studio believes that equal opportunity for all employees is important for our continued success.
The Clay Studio will not discriminate against any employee because of race, color, religious creed, national origin, ancestry, age, pregnancy, gender, sexual orientation, non-job-related disability, and as otherwise prohibited by law, in employment, compensation, or in terms, conditions, or privileges of employment.ย
It is the policy of The Clay Studio that racism and discrimination or harassment of any type will not be tolerated. All members of The Clay Studio will be held accountable for maintaining a workplace free of racism, discriminatory practices, and/or harassment.
Compensation
Fellows who start their Fellowship during the summer of 2024 will receive total compensation of approximately $90,000 plus benefits over the two-year Fellowship.ย
+ $42,000 in year one (includes $2,000 start of Fellowship bonus)
+ $48,000 in year two (includes $3,000 end of Fellowship bonus)
+ Health insurance coverage (100%โapproximate value $12,000/year)*
+ Monthly subway pass (approximate value $1,200/year)
+ Professional development & leadership training
* Fellows are responsible for co-pays and expenses not covered by insurance.
Typical Work Schedule
The Fellow works an eight-hour workday Monday through Friday. Each day includes a one-hour lunch break. Start and end times are flexible due to the changing needs of Claymobile sites. This position is in person.ย