Curatorial Assistant and Community Engagement Specialist

Description

TITLE: Curatorial Assistant and Community Engagement Specialist - Markings Project

DEPARTMENT: Visual Arts

REPORTS TO: Visual Arts Director

SALARY: $68,640/annual

FLSA: Exempt

HOURS: 40 hours per week for 2-years 

START DATE: February 2025   End date:  February 2027

This is a grant-funded, short-term position        

Heart of Los Angeles helps young people overcome barriers through exceptional, free, integrated programs and personalized guidance in a trusted, nurturing environment. 

HOLA’s Core Values: Respect, Responsibility, Positive Communication, Support and Inclusion 

ABOUT THE PROJECT:

The Mellon Foundation has awarded a transformative grant to Heart of Los Angeles (HOLA) and cityLAB-UCLA to lead the MARKINGS project, a collaborative effort to highlight the overlooked cultural histories of Los Angeles' Westlake neighborhood through public art and archives. This three-year initiative brings together cityLAB-UCLA, HOLA, the Los Angeles Public Library (LAPL), and Indigenous immigrant organizations – including Casa de la Cultura Maya, Maqueos Academia Musical, Maya Vision, Mundo Maya Foundation, and Organización Regional de Oaxaca (ORO)-- to collect, translate, archive, and publicly showcase the evolving histories and experiences of these communities that have shaped Westlake/Pico-Union.

By late 2026, the project will produce three interactive public elements: a digital community archive in partnership with the Los Angeles Public Library (LAPL), a digital installation at HOLA’s Arts and Enrichment Center, and a public art installation in Lafayette Park. 

The purpose of MARKINGS is to address the lack of awareness, understanding, and appreciation of the Indigenous immigrant communities in Westlake/Pico-Union (W/PU) by publicly celebrating and inscribing their historical memory, cultural experiences, and traditions through a collaborative multigenerational and multilingual public history project. These intergenerational histories will connect the neighborhood’s past, present, and future. MARKINGS is driven by the particular history and current social and cultural conditions of the W/PU neighborhood and the rich tapestry of immigrant stories that have transformed W/PU and other neighborhoods in Los Angeles. By combining efforts, expertise, and resources, our partnership will bring those unrecognized stories to the fore and foster better public awareness and understanding of these immigrant communities.

POSITION SUMMARY:

Heart of LA is seeking a Curatorial Assistant and Community Engagement Specialist to support public programming, installations, and exhibitions for the MARKINGS Project. This role involves working with the MARKINGS team and partner organizations to preserve and highlight Indigenous Immigrant stories through a digital oral history collection that will launch via LAPL’s digital collections website, Tessa (tessa.lapl.org) in 2026, and activated through programming at LAPL’s Felipe de Neve Library branch.

The Curatorial Assistant and Community Engagement Specialist will work directly with project managers at HOLA and cityLAB-UCLA, the community-based archivist, and partnering Indigenous Immigrant Organizations to sustain this community archiving and public art initiative, guided by the principles of CARE (Collective Benefit, Authority to Control, Responsibility, and Ethics). With sensitivity to the historically extractive nature of documenting Indigenous knowledge and histories, the Specialist will help define how shared experiences are contextualized and uplifted in meaningful, community-centered ways.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES & RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Assist Curators in supporting the creation and installation of public art and digital installations
• Foster collaboration between Indigenous Immigrant Organizations (IIOs) and public artists to establish a streamlined workflow and feedback loop, enabling artists to seamlessly incorporate input from IIOs into their work.
• Coordinate with vendors and designers/artists collaborating on the project
• Coordinate portrait sessions with Visual Documentary Artists and IIOs and pay artists
• Track budget and ensure all collaborators are compensated
• Build and sustain relevant partnerships
• Support communications and marketing efforts, such as coordinating social media campaigns with HOLA, cityLAB, LAPL and other external partners/amplifiers of the project
• Develop partnerships with external community partners to help promote and amplify the project. 
• Organize the culminating opening celebration of the MARKINGS initiative that will take place in 2026. 
• Support the MARKINGS  Community-based Archivist in developing and executing public programs with the LAPL and community partners
• Support a deep sense of community and foster recognition of a shared humanity and Interconnectedness.
• Connect HOLA program staff and families to the project and creative and meaningful ways 
• Organize, set up, and lead team activities (art projects, cultural events, and other group building activities) together with Indigenous and non-Indigenous community members residing and/or representing the Central Los Angeles area.
• Create and edit marketing materials to drive awareness and engagement amongst Indigenous participants and community leaders/partners
• Collaborate with HOLA’s communications team to create visibility and awareness of the work
• Work closely with project managers at HOLA and cityLAB-UCLA to ensure the project goals and timelines are being met
• Document and reflect upon the process to support continuous learning and reflection among MARKINGS partners.
• Support the creation and source content for the project website
• Other relevant programmatic and departmental duties as assigned.

KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS, & ABILITIES:

• Enjoys being a collaborator and team member
• Demonstrates being a clear and effective communicator and listener
• Self-starter who can hit the ground running and produce quality work by demonstrating strong time management skills with specific action plans
• Strong ability to manage and prioritize competing tasks/goals/results
• Effectively manage relationships with multiple internal stakeholders
• A passion for people and desire to be a positive influence on the community

Qualifications

QUALIFICATIONS:

• BS/BA degree or equivalent years of experience
• Project Management experience
• Bilingual in English and Spanish is needed
• Demonstrates an awareness of the many Indigenous Mexican and Central American languages and dialects spoken in and around the Westlake area of Los Angeles, including (but not limited to): Amuzgo, Akateko, Ayuuk, K’iche’, Chinanteco, Chontal, Kaqchikel, Mam, Maya, Mixe, Mixteco, Náhuatl, Purépecha, Q’anjob’al, Tacuate, Tzeltal, and Zapoteco
• Strong commitment to community building
• Strong writing, communication, and organizational skills; detail-oriented
• Positive attitude, flexible mindset, outstanding customer service; ability to be a strong role model for youth during all working hours.
• Strong interpersonal skills with a desire to work in a highly collaborative, motivated team
• Ability to work effectively and respectfully with a wide range of constituencies in a diverse community
• Commitment to the organizational mission and sensitivity to the needs of underserved youth
• Positive attitude and flexible mindset; ability to be a strong role model for staff and youth during all working hours and embody Heart of Los Angeles’ core operating values
• Committed availability for the full 2 year position term 
• Must pass CA DOJ background check

BENEFITS: 

• Employer-paid medical benefit
• Employer-paid vision and dental benefit
• Employer-paid life insurance benefit
• 403b retirement plan available with employer contribution
• Paid holidays benefit in excess of 20 days annually with birthday off, including 1 week of summer break and winter break between Christmas Eve and New Year's Day
• Paid vacation benefit to include one week during the first year, 2 weeks during 2nd year, and increasing to 3 weeks by 3rd year
• Paid sick time benefit of 10 days annually

PHYSICAL DEMANDS AND WORK ENVIRONMENT:

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this position. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the functions. While performing the duties of this position, the employee is regularly required to talk or hear. The employee frequently is required to use hands or fingers, handle, or feel objects, tools or controls. The employee is occasionally required to stand; walk; sit; reach with hands and arms; climb or balance; and stoop, kneel, crouch, or crawl. 

The employee must occasionally lift and/or move up to 25 pounds. Specific vision abilities required by this position include close vision, distance vision, color vision, peripheral vision, and the ability to adjust

This job description in no way states or implies that these are the only duties to be performed by the employee(s) incumbent in this position. Employees will be required to follow any other job- related instructions and to perform any other job-related duties requested by any person authorized to give instructions or assignments. 

All duties and responsibilities are essential functions and requirements and are subject to possible modification to reasonably accommodate individuals with disabilities. To perform this job successfully, the incumbents will possess the skills aptitudes and abilities to perform each duty proficiently. Some requirements may exclude individuals who pose a direct threat or significant risk to the health or safety of themselves or others. The requirements listed in this document are the minimum levels of knowledge, skills or abilities. 

Salary : $68,640