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.