Student Art Showcase Teaching Artist

Job Description

The National Cherry Blossom Festival (NCBF) is seeking multiple experienced and engaging teaching artists to facilitate student workshops and guide the creation of a collaborative mural project at an assigned school.

Company Description

The National Cherry Blossom Festival produces and promotes the nation’s greatest springtime celebration and is dedicated to promoting the beauty of nature and international friendship through year-round programs, events, and educational and entertainment initiatives that enhance our environment, showcase arts and culture, and build community spirit.

Project Description

The National Cherry Blossom Festival Student Art Showcase enhances creativity, collaboration, and community spirit among K-12 students from DC public, charter, and Japanese schools. The program connects eight local artists who will lead guided workshops at eight schools. These workshops will inspire and educate students on various art mediums, enabling them to express their unique interpretations of a selected theme provided by the Festival.

Through these collaborative workshops, students will work together to create mural-style artworks that reflect the spirit of friendship, community, and the blossoming beauty of spring. The murals will be unveiled during peak bloom at the Tidal Basin and returned to each school for a special hanging/unveiling ceremony.

Key Dates

• Application deadline: August 21, 2026
• Artist selected: On or about September 4, 2026
• Kickoff Meeting: Wednesday, November 18, 2026
• Workshop and mural development period: January 2 – March 8, 2027
• Final mural submission deadline: Monday, March 8, 2027
• Public exhibition period: Determined by peak bloom, 16 days within the time frame of March 15 and April 22, 2027
• Field trip to the Tidal Basin: Friday, April 2, 2027 from 11AM - 1PM.
• School Closing Ceremony: Date and time determined by each school, occurs during school hours between April 22, 2027 (one week after the end of the festival and June 17, 2027 (last day of DCPS schools).

Key Responsibilities

Selected artists will:

• Lead a minimum of 10 workshops with K–12 students at an assigned participating school. Artists must be available during weekdays during school hours.
  • Workshops will be between 45 minutes-60 minutes in length, depending on the period length of assigned school.
• Design and facilitate an inclusive, collaborative mural-making process aligned with the festival theme and project guidelines.
• Complete and submit the mural for review by Monday, March 8, 2027.
• Be responsible for transportation to and from all assigned workshops.
• Successfully complete any required clearance processes, including District of Columbia Public Schools requirements, before workshop activities begin.
• Procure all needed classroom supplies, with reimbursement of up to $500.

Qualifications

• Experience teaching visual arts to K–12 students.
• Strong classroom facilitation and project management skills.
• Demonstrated experience developing collaborative or community-based art projects.
• Ability to guide students through a creative process while maintaining project timelines.
• Strong communication skills and responsiveness to feedback.
• Ability to pass required school district clearance processes.

To Apply

Please submit:

• Artist bio
• Portfolio of relevant work (community arts, murals, youth arts education, or public art preferred)
• A brief cover letter, which entails:
  • A description of your experience working with students and collaborative art project
• A mention of where you live, neighborhoods and wards you have established connections to, and how far you are willing to travel within the city for this project. It is our desire to pair artists with their immediate community: allowing artists to give back to their neighborhood and take inspiration from a pool of shared experiences with the students they serve.
• A 150-300 word proposal of how you plan to use the workshop time with the students, specifying how you will involve the students in the creative process for creating and determining the visuals of the 8’ x 4’ mural. Include what medium and methods you would utilize and how you plan to teach it. Bullet points are acceptable.
  

Questions may be directed to: gkennis at NCBFDC.org

Compensation/ Benefits

Teaching artists will receive a total stipend of $1,500.

The National Cherry Blossom Festival is an Equal Opportunity Employer (EOE).