WHO WE ARE:
As one of the leading organizations of our size and focus in the United States, we produce unique performance projects by leading artists and create one-of-a-kind experiences for our audiences. We make significant investments in the performing arts community to help increase the quality of new work created. We contribute to the vitality of arts and culture in our region by helping launch and continue the careers of some of its most promising artists while growing audiences for experimental performances. On the Boards is located in the Behnke Center for Contemporary Performance in Seattle's lower Queen Anne neighborhood.
As an arts organization that is in the process of structural change, we are implementing policies and practices for our Board of Trustees with inclusive decision-making. We see this open call for Board members as a part of shaping the organization’s next chapter and is integral to helping us usher in our creative future.
Our primary activities include an annual performance season, featuring new projects by the most innovative performing artists from the Northwest and from around the world; the OtB Residency program, providing artists with paid residencies along with space, time, and professional development ; Northwest New Works festival for new works; , and OntheBoards.tv, a first-of-its-kind online platform that features HD contemporary performance films available to global audiences and universities.
OUR MISSION AND VALUES:
On the Boards (OtB) mission is to cultivate and share experimental works of contemporary performance, to champion artists both near and far, and to provide a home in Seattle for artistic risk and discovery.
On the Boards acknowledges that we work on land that is the ancestral home of the Duwamish and many other Indigenous peoples recorded and unrecorded, who have been the custodians of this land since time immemorial. On the Boards is engaging in conversations to deepen our practices in a way that reflects and honors Coast Salish protocol.
Our vision is for a more inclusive, creative, and forward-thinking culture, enabled through the power of artistic experimentation and live encounters.
We believe that the alchemy of gathering people in real time, combined with artists’ ability to bring us to the edge of uncertainty, complexity, and imagination, creates the unique conditions to invent meaning together and discover what’s possible.
These values describe how we practice our mission. They articulate the principles that guide decision-making across artistic, organizational, and relational choices—especially in moments of uncertainty, constraint, or tradeoff:
Artists and Their Work
Artists and their process, work, and presentation are central to OtB.Artistic Experimentation and Risk
OtB embraces diversity, complexity, and experimentation as necessary conditions for discovery and cultural change.Live and Embodied Experience
OtB values live embodied performance as a powerful site of shared presence and transformation.Belonging and Access
Creating communities of belonging and connection around unique and boundary-pushing live art experiences is core to our mission.Stewardship, Care, and Organizational Sustainability
OtB stewards its people, resources, and relationships with care and integrity, leading through collaboration and mutual respect.
We welcome all races, religions, countries of origin, sexual orientations, and genders here.
WOULD YOU BE A GOOD FIT FOR ON THE BOARDS?
Expertise We Seek in Future Board Members:
We are seeking individuals who may have these experiences or skills and are committed to:
Strategic mindset & planning- able to help the organization think in long-term and strategic ways, and support the organization in charting a path through a changing industry landscape. Interest in the planning and implementation of practices that will ensure the growth and security of the organization
Donor and Fund Development- ties to corporations, individuals, government agencies, family foundations, or other organizations that may be able to facilitate charitable giving, funding, corporate sponsorship, and/or with experience and drive to help connect OtB to new donors and help steward fundraising efforts
Community Building- adept at authentic connection and coalition building
Cultural Equity- interest in applying this to all aspects of our work
Fiduciary Oversight and Financial Management - A CPA, accountant, or banking experience
Growing New and Diverse Audiences - e.g. well-seated in technology, design or other communities
Creative and future thinking - with an understanding of contemporary art and passion for the creative process
Organizational, team building or governance skillset - a passion for creating high-performing teams, organizing and implementing work and managing projects to deliver impact
WHAT WOULD BE MY DUTIES AS A BOARD MEMBER?
The Board's Primary Functions:
We are a governing and fundraising Board, though we all wear other volunteer hats. Members participate as committee chairs or members, event helpers, financial advisors, and more. As a member of the Board, our main function is to be a primary force guiding the organization to realize its opportunities for service and fulfillment of its mission. You can expect to spend 6-10 hours per month on OtBBoard activities. Board members are asked to:
Challenge the organization to live its values to the fullest
Engage with fellow Board members and staff in a spirit of learning and respect
Accept fiduciary responsibility for the organization
Represent the interests of the organization as a whole, rather than individual interests
Oversee the Executive Director
Ensure the organization is in accordance with legal and ethical practices
Assist in the development and approval of the annual budget
Oversee the organization’s properties and investments
Follow trends in the organization’s field
Be a positive advocate for the organization
Commit to equity and inclusion work
Read and understand financial statements
Be a bridge into many communities as an ambassador of our organizational work and values
Cultivate patrons and donors
BOARD MEMBER REQUIREMENTS
Attend Board meetings (2 hours each) which currently occur six times per year, plus one full-day Board retreat per year
In-person attendance is encouraged, with a virtual option to some meetings. Meetings are usually on Tuesdays at 6 pm at On the Boards in Lower Queen Anne
Attend OtB presentations/productions on a frequent and regular basis, typically through the purchase of a full season subscription
Support the organization with a yearly financial contribution via Board dues (currently $1500)
Chair or participate on a committee or other working group. Committees or working groups meet approximately an hour or more each month, depending on the task
Assist with identifying potential new Board members
Assist in and attend fundraising (and friend-raising) activities, especially Spectacle Spectacular, the yearly gala by being a table host or purchasing tickets, making a ‘raise the paddle’ contribution in an amount meaningful to you, and actively encouraging others to do the same
Champion OtB’s mission
Each Board member should plan on spending approximately six to ten hours per month on Board activities and show attendance. Special projects will require a greater time commitment
TERMS OF SERVICE
Board service is July-June, with a majority of Board work between September and early June each year.
Board members are elected to a 3-year term and may be renewed for subsequent 3-year terms.
We do not have term limits.
APPLICATION AND SELECTION PROCESS
Please fill out this application form for consideration. The application remains open - and candidates may apply at any time, and we encourage you to apply by May 1 for consideration in the next Board service year. Members of the OtB Nominating Committee (made up of OTB staff, current Board members, and a group of community advisors) will select potential candidates for future consideration from the applications submitted based on the criteria outlined above and priority needs on the Board.
A phone or Zoom interview may be scheduled with candidates selected for further consideration.
The Nominating Committee will formally nominate the top candidates for consideration by the full Board.
The Board will vote to approve candidates.
The candidates will then be formally invited to join the Board.
If you'd like to be connected to a current Board Member with your questions, we're glad to do so.