Part-Time Community Engagement Coordinator

Genre: Urban Arts is a Milwaukee arts organization and publisher, "a playground for creatives," that grows audiences and opportunities for artists and writers, especially those from communities historically left out of creative spaces. This role drives participation in two of its core programs.

Genre: Young Creatives Residency offers free workshops in written, visual and performance arts to high school students. Sessions run at the Milwaukee Art Museum, Walker's Point Center for the Arts, Cr8tv House and Satélite Gallery, and include gallery tours, studio sessions, artist talks and portfolio development with professional teaching artists. The current residency is underway and culminates in a public exhibition at Walker's Point Center for the Arts in May.

Publications and open call accepts original, unpublished fiction, poetry, nonfiction, creative nonfiction, critical writing, visual art, photography, music reviews and fashion editorials through an online open call. Accepted work appears in Genre's anthologies: the Signature Print, Femme Literati: Mixtape (women of the African Diaspora), House (queer creatives of color), Prose + Script (writers of color and other marginalized groups) and BLACKOUT (Black, African and African Diasporic creatives).

Position summary

The Community Engagement Coordinator supports current Young Creatives students, builds interest among Milwaukee high schoolers for future cohorts, and keeps a steady, diverse flow of submissions coming into Genre's publications. You are the bridge between Genre and the schools, youth groups, writers, artists and community spaces that make up its audience: building relationships, showing up in person, and making it easy for people to say yes.

Community Engagement Coordinator (part-time)

  • Reports to: Nakeysha Roberts, Director

  • Location: Milwaukee, WI: in person at schools, partner venues and events, with some remote work

  • Hours: About 20 hours a month, with flexible evenings and weekends around open calls and events

  • Term: Through the 2026–27 residency, ending after the May exhibition, with possible renewal

  • Compensation: $20 per hour

  • Employment type: 1099 contractor

  • Start date: Early Nov

Key responsibilities

Young Creatives support and recruitment (about 50% of time)

  • Build and keep a contact list of Milwaukee high schools, art teachers, counselors, librarians and youth organizations.

  • Visit classrooms, clubs and community events to introduce the residency and build interest for the next cohort.

  • Stay in touch with current students and families about schedules, venues and questions.

  • Reach students who face barriers to joining, including those without prior arts training, transportation or reliable internet.

  • Support attendance during the residency with reminders and check-ins, and flag students who may need help staying involved.

  • Promote the May exhibition at Walker's Point Center for the Arts to families, schools and the wider community.

Publications and submissions outreach (about 35% of time)

  • Promote open calls for the Signature Print, Femme Literati: Mixtape, House, Prose + Script and BLACKOUT to the communities each anthology centers.

  • Build relationships with writing groups, open mics, MFA and BFA programs, galleries, collectives, photographers and fashion creatives.

  • Explain submission guidelines clearly: original and unpublished work, one entry per category, no simultaneous submissions, and Genre's first publication rights.

  • Help first-time submitters through the online submission process and with formatting their files.

  • Track submission volume by category and point the team to gaps, such as few music reviews or fashion editorials.

Shared outreach and reporting (about 15% of time)

  • Draft social posts, emails, flyers and newsletter copy for @GenreUrbanArts with the Director.

  • Represent Genre at tabling events, festivals, readings and partner programs.

  • Keep outreach contacts and results up to date in a shared tracker, and report monthly on reach and sign-ups.

  • Gather student and contributor stories, quotes and photos (with consent) for promotion and funder reports.

Qualifications

Required

  • At least 1 year of outreach, recruitment, organizing, youth work or arts administration experience, paid or volunteer.

  • Strong ties to Milwaukee's schools, neighborhoods or creative scene.

  • Confident speaking with teenagers, parents, educators and working artists.

  • Clear, warm writing for social media, email and flyers.

  • Organized follow-through: tracking contacts, deadlines and next steps without close supervision.

  • Reliable transportation for travel across Milwaukee, and availability some evenings and weekends.

  • Willingness to complete a background check for work with minors.

Preferred

  • A practicing writer, visual artist, photographer, performer, music writer or fashion creative.

  • Experience working with Black, Brown, queer and other communities centered in Genre's anthologies.

  • Familiarity with online submission platforms, Canva, Instagram and simple spreadsheets or CRMs.

  • Spanish or another language spoken in Milwaukee communities.

Onboarding

  • The first two weeks take about 10 paid hours and prepare the Coordinator to represent Genre independently.

  • Orientation with the Director (2 hours): Genre's mission, the residency, the five anthologies and how to talk about each.

  • Paperwork: W-9, 1099 contractor agreement and a background check for work with minors.

  • Residency visit (2–3 hours): attend one Young Creatives session to meet teaching artists and students at a partner venue.

  • Outreach kit: flyers, approved social templates, submission guidelines, the Young Creatives application link and a starter list of past schools and partners.

  • Tracker setup (1 hour): set up the shared outreach tracker and agree on what the monthly report covers.

  • 30-day plan (2 hours): draft an outreach plan for the next open call and next cohort, then review it with the Director.

  • After onboarding, the Coordinator and Director meet for 1-2 hours each month.

Schedule, compensation and how to apply

The role averages about 20 hours a month. Hours run higher around each open call deadline and in the weeks before the May exhibition, and are flexible otherwise.

  • Compensation is $20 per hour as a 1099 contractor. The position starts November 1, 2026.

  • To apply, send the following to hello@GenreUrbanArts.com with "Community Engagement Coordinator" in the subject line. Applications are reviewed on a rolling basis until the role is filled. Include:

  • A résumé or short list of relevant experience.

  • A note of 300 words or fewer on how you would reach Milwaukee teens or emerging artists.

  • One sample of outreach you have done, such as a flyer, post, email or event.

Equal opportunity

Genre: Urban Arts is an equal opportunity organization. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, creed, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, national origin, ancestry, age, disability, marital status, military or veteran status, arrest or conviction record (except where substantially related to the role, as Wisconsin law allows), or any other status protected by federal, Wisconsin or Milwaukee law.

We especially encourage Black, Brown, queer, disabled and Milwaukee-rooted creatives to apply.