The nonprofit Rivard Report, a five-year-old online news site that publishes daily and has the feel of a magazine, is seeking a full-time staff reporter to cover the performing arts, art, and culture.
We are located in a fast-growing, livable city ranked as the 25th among U.S. Census MSAs, with a majority Hispanic population and located three hours from the U.S.-Mexico border. San Antonio is home to major arts and history museums, a children’s museum, and the Tobin Center for the Performing Arts, itself home to the San Antonio Symphony, the Youth Orchestra of San Antonio, Ballet San Antonio, Opera San Antonio, and the AtticRep repertory theater. The Guadalupe Cultural Arts Center is a major national Latino arts organization. The Blue Star Arts Complex and ArtPace are major contemporary art centers with international programming. The Instituto Cultural Mexicano, funded by the Mexican government, is one of the few Mexican arts institutes of its kind in the U.S.
There is a lively studio and gallery arts scene in the city, and a growing annual San Antonio Book Festival. Other annual events include the Luminaria Arts Festival, CineFestival, Fotoseptiembre USA, the San Antonio Folk Festival, and others.
Covering the role of public art in a city seeking to compete with other leading regional destinations for smart, creative workers is within the scope of the job, as well as covering the arts curriculum in local schools, where reduced public funding and a focus on testing outcomes has led to diminished support for the arts from Pre-K-12.
The journalist who fills this position must be just as comfortable profiling a symphony soloist or musical program in advance of the performance for a general-interest audience as covering the business of the arts and how nonprofits struggle to maintain and build audience in a constantly evolving cultural scene. This is not a job posting for a traditional arts critic. We seek a curious storyteller who will bring people and programs to life and can convey to readers from all walks of life the importance and vitality of the arts in everyday life.
Applicants must be comfortable with taking basic photography and working on a WordPress site. Given the region’s predominantly Hispanic population, the ability to speak Spanish is a valued asset.
Salary, health care benefits, 14 days vacation after one year of employment, and YMCA gym membership are included. Applicants should send letters of interest, their résumé, and examples of published work to apply@rivardreport.com. Deadline for applications is Feb. 10, 2017.
