The Search For An Artistic Director of The Substation

THE ANNOUNCEMENT & Thank You from Audrey and Weng Choy

2010-01-11T23:54:00.000-08:00

A big thank you to all our supporters and the candidates for their care, concern and patience during our search for a new Artistic Director. And finally, we've made the announcement - it will be Noor Effendy Ibrahim!

Yes, the search took longer than we anticipated. Two interview rounds, one stakeholder's forum, many subcommittee and board meetings later, we are at the end of the process.

During the search, the board and team at The Substation underwent their own process of reflection about what The Substation is, was, and can or should be. Each of us has our own dreams for The Substation, as did the candidates. The challenge is to match our aspirations with the reality of the organisation's situation and the resources in Singapore's arts and cultural scene, right here right now. We looked hard at what we had done successfully and where we hadn't done so well; where we had managed to fulfill our mission and where we had misfired. We asked ourselves many questions: "what exactly is our vision and mission? What needs to be changed? What can we afford to change? What are the future possibilities for The Substation? Why does it need to exist? What type of Substation Artistic Director does the Singapore arts scene need?"

These are questions without ready answers, and it's probably why we deliberated so long and hard over the candidates. Each candidate would have represented a different future Substation. We feel fortunate that we could attract extremely talented candidates with strong, diverse and sometimes fascinating track records. To all the candidates, we'd like to say how much we appreciate your thoughtfulness and contribution to the process, and that we are very glad to have met you. To the final four who faced the gauntlet of the stakeholders' forum, we thank you for your commitment - we know it wasn't easy, and we appreciate your time, effort and courage. We know that some people have been critical of the idea of putting the candidates in front of the stakeholders, but The Substation has always done things differently and is a place where people are challenged to go outside their comfort zones. (That's a quality that we'd like our AD and artistic leader to have!) We believed that people who had invested so much of themselves in The Substation and wanted a voice in the future of the place they love, needed to be heard and we sought to find a place for them. A big thank you to the stakeholders who respected the process and its
confidentiality.

The forum demonstrated a certain maturing of The Substation community. Five or six years ago, I doubt that we could have done it, or could have found candidates who would have agreed to it.

It's been a tough process for the board and staff as much as it was for the candidates. But it has been thorough, and the board has been involved, engaged, and taken its responsibilities of guardianship and governance very seriously indeed. We are honoured to have been part of the process.

We are prepared for change and, since The Substation is an organisation that challenges artists, audiences and our own board and staff, we're looking forward to it.

We hope you will all continue to support the work of The Substation! We would like to express our deepest appreciation to all our board,staff, supporters, and artists, who have generously let us oversee The Substation for a while. It has been a privilege.

Audrey & Weng Choy

Drums rolling

2010-01-07T21:18:00.001-08:00

The search is complete and the Board has made its decision. We’ll be making a public announcement soon.

We thank our supporters and the arts community for their care and concern.

discussions and listening

2009-11-18T19:51:00.000-08:00

At the completion of the stakeholders' presentations on Monday, KC invited people to send in thoughts, concerns, preferences and reasons directly to him (or Peter) by the end of Wednesday. We're collating these now... and there are many & varied. Clearly the session made an impact.
One of the groups represented on Monday was the ever-patient, hardworking staff of The Substation. In a debriefing on Tuesday, one of the people who has been there for a long time said she wanted to say how impressed she was that so many people had come, and shown so much care and passion for The Substation. It made her proud.

So, in inviting and assessing feedback, will we be influenced? yes, of course. These are our stakeholders. The Substation is a sum of its parts, and these people are part! Ultimately it is the board decision however and given the varying nature of feedback, surely some people won't be happy. But something we've learnt through this process is that it is impossible to please everyone all of the time... we can only do our best, filtered through our experience, knowledge, hopes and intentions.

The aim is to make a decision by the 27th of November.
From now until then, we'll be talking, emailing, asking more questions, debating (and probably arguing)...so you can rest assured the care is deep and significant.

Recovering from the stakeholders' presentations

2009-11-18T18:47:00.000-08:00

It has taken a few days to be able to write about Monday night's stakeholders' meetings as the evening was very intense and thought-provoking.
The chairman, KC welcomed guests and commented on the changes taking place at The Substation before handing on to Peter Schoppert (Director) to explain the process of the search. Finally T. Sasitharan (Sasi, also a Director) explained how the evening would progress and laid down a few rules. Essentially, guests were asked to focus succinctly on questions and the future rather than commentary about the past. Confidentiality was reiterated.
It was clear that the 30 assembled stakeholders, representing artists, former board, government, policymakers and other arts' groups were very committed, knowledgeable and undeniably passionate. Each of the 4 candidates made a short summary presentation and a Q&A session followed moderated by Sasi.
Questioning was direct, succinct, charged and relevant.
The way the candidates responded gave the board an opportunity to know them more, see how they related to The Substation's stakeholders and how they communicated their thoughts.
We finished after 10.30 and the board reconvened to discuss the next steps. It was agreed that no decisions would be made on the night as we needed time to let everything sink in.
It was, no doubt about it, a huge night. Responses, comments and thoughts all confirmed the sense of 'public ownership' of The Substation....not unsurprising at all!

Monday night - stakeholders' presentations

2009-11-12T21:24:00.000-08:00

The point of the final stage in the selection process is to get to know the candidates better. We need to see how people relate to a range of significant stakeholders. This will be challenging, no doubt about it!

This invitation-only presentation to stakeholders will be held at The Substation on Monday 16th November.

To keep the event focused, a small number of people representing significant groups have been invited to attend the stakeholders' presentation evening. Stakeholders include & represent artists, staff of The Substation, Board, Government, neighbours, partner institutions, donors, tenants and members of the broader policy-focused public.
Each candidate will deliver a short presentation, followed by a 20-25 minute Q&A session which will be moderated by Sasi. The audience will be invited to share concerns, thoughts and opinions in order to elicit responses from the candidates. The board hopes to see a robust discussion, which will give us a clearer idea as to a) what people expect or hope of us and b)how the candidates respond to the various challenges.

A major condition of this event is confidentiality. At this point, perhaps it is not even so much the importance of the confidentiality itself as respect for our process and for those (the candidates) who have trusted us.

Beyond the night...what next?
It may be clear to the board immediately who is the right person...it may not.
Either way, watch this space for an update from Tuesday!

Down to 4

2009-11-12T21:16:00.000-08:00

We'd originally aimed to be considering only 3 candidates after the third stage, but this proved to be much more difficult than we'd imagined. So, rather than making a cut - which would be based on a vote - we are allowing 4 candidates to progress to the next stage.

Again, decisions have been difficult. It is surprising to us that at this late stage, we still do not know 'who' the new Artistic Director will be. It is still wide open and so is the future direction of The Substation. Each of the remaining 4 candidates represents something different and so our ultimate decision will be based on which person presents the clearest and best artistic direction for the organisation. It is also as much about the person as about the plan; moral integrity has always been fundamental to the people of The Substation and in a small and totally hectic office, 'personality' is very important!

Getting closer

2009-11-03T01:01:00.000-08:00

It has been a long couple of weeks. Following meeting all the candidates of the first round, the subcommittee of the board met to decide which candidates they’d like to meet again. Discussions were deep and considerable. The subcommittee talked about each candidate and their ‘offering’ to The Substation, as well as considering where candidates are personally & professionally…whether the ‘intersection’ of journeys is obvious. Cutting people out was very difficult. Without exception, all the meetings were significant with people offering us insights to The Substation, the arts community, the landscape and organisational opportunities so it was difficult to make decisions.

In the end it came down to that ‘intersection’; where The Substation is now & where the candidates are going. Does a combined journey make sense?

The new shortlist of candidates to be interviewed by the larger board was finalised last week and this group are in the process of being interviewed again. Sasi’s participation in this round is key. As former Artistic Director and long-serving member of the board, he is well-placed to ask pointed questions to enlighten both board and candidate.

The purpose of this round of discussions is to further get to know the candidates, their vision, their capacity and purpose – as well as give them the opportunity to question the board more closely.

We are still holding the process tightly, trusting that all the checks and balances we’ve built into it work well and guide us to the next stage clearly!

Current state of mind (15 Oct 2009)

2009-10-14T22:56:00.001-07:00

So, here we are – in the middle of the second stage and thinking about the third, fourth and fifth. Our heads are spinning – but in a good way.

We have people to meet, consultations to make, hours of discussion and hundreds of emails to go before we are able to make a decision.

And going back to the essence of The Substation. The interesting thing about process – as with experimental art – is that you never know the outcome in advance. In the process we learn about ourselves, about the community and about our purpose. It is not without risk, but where else would we find great opportunity? If we hold precious the process, an extraordinary outcome is possible.

Selection Process (Updated)

2009-10-14T22:55:00.001-07:00

SELECTION PROCESS – AN ADDITIONAL PRESENTATION

The first shortlist of candidates are invited for an interview in the first two weeks of Oct 09. Selected candidates (second shortlist) are invited back for another interview in the second half of Oct 09.

We have added a third component to the selection process
Thereafter, a third shortlist of candidates will be asked to present their vision of The Substation to invited stakeholders of the arts community in the first two weeks of Nov 09.

Each presentation by the candidate will last for about 30 minutes. The candidate speaks for about 10 minutes and he or she will be in conversation with a Board member (the moderator of the event). The moderator will be asking questions and also directing questions from the floor to the candidate.

We anticipate that there may be 2-3 candidates. The whole event will last about 1-1.5 hours (assuming 30 min each). The order of presentation is assigned by drawing lots. The final decision rests with the board.”

Keep refining the process!

2009-10-14T22:53:00.000-07:00

In further refining the process, we then came up with a more comprehensive document which was distributed to the applicants and asked more questions of the candidates. This gives guidelines as to the challenges we face, the opportunities, the assets and the essence of The Substation and helps people delve deeper into their own resources for responses;

“What are we looking for in the new Artistic Director?

Why the Substation?

What does its future look like?

What role will it play in the Singapore arts scene of tomorrow?

THE PERSON

We are looking for a person to lead The Substation as Artistic Director into its twentieth year. A person who understands and is able to articulate the potential and the necessity of The Substation in relation to the many new arts groups and organisations that have started since the Substation was founded 19 years ago. Someone with artistic and/or intellectual capacity that can develop and execute a coherent vision that leverages on Substation's strengths and builds on its legacy.

This person must be able to gain the trust and respect of the community and staff. Other must-have skills are a willingness to engage with diverse groups of people as well as government agencies. This Director is a person who can prioritise, pace him/herself, is a multi-tasker and has the people skills needed to carry out the vision.

This person has a good network, is a good networker, and has fundraising skills. He or she is able to see beyond small budgets to create an experience that is more than its sum of parts. This person is also someone who has insight and experience with the intricacies and subtleties of working in Singapore.

The director is able to leverage on the strengths of web 2.0. Finally this person has a sense of humour, to realise that it is almost impossible to find this all in one person. Yes, this is a challenging job, and it is one that can make an important and positive contribution to the arts community and the audiences of Singapore.

THE SUBSTATION

The Substation is located 7 mins walk from the City Hall MRT and it is nestled in the heart of the Civic District making it a natural and convenient meeting point. The Substation has 13 full time staff, 4 of which are currently involved in programming. The programmers present and co-present work from different artistic disciplines.

The building itself on Armenian Street is granted under the NAC arts housing programming. In addition to the Theatre, Gallery, and Garden (which is currently rented out to Timbre), the building houses two classrooms, a dance studio, blue room, a box office and an administrative office. It has IPC status and a stable finance and governing structure. The Substation has a tradition of independent-mindedness and openness. Most importantly, there is trust and goodwill built up throughout the 19 years with its stakeholders. The current co-Artistic Director Audrey Wong, is also the Arts Nominated MP. She was selected by the arts community to represent the community in Parliament.

THE FINANCIALS

The operating annual budget is just under one million dollars and The Substation has been in the black for the past 3 years. Of the budget, less than 20% comes from government grants; The Substation earns or raises the rest, the bulk of it coming from venue rentals (38%), the rest from private donations (28%), box office (9%), courses fees (5%). The new Artistic Director will be working with a dedicated team who are committed to the financial viability and sustainability of the organisation.

PROGRAMMING AT THE SUBSTATION IN FY2008-09

The Substation's programming is organised according to 4 categories;

· Presented - where The Substation is the main enabler, curator, producer and supporter of the event which represents the vision of The Substation:

Including: My Last Adornment (exhibition) . Rock The Sub (at Singapore Arts Festival). Cloudland (exhibition at International Symposium on Electronic Arts) . The Unconference at the Night Festival . Love Notes (music appreciation) . Online Magazine . Literati (poetry & song at SeptFest). Aya Sekine (SeptFest) . New Castle (SeptFest exhibition) . Jurong West St 81 (SeptFest exhibition) . SeptFest Performances: Nanjing 1937 Phase II, Poverty, Curry Devil . Moving Images - First Take . Moving Images - Singapore Shorts Film Festival. Moving Images - Reel Revolution . Moving Images - Asian Film Symposium . Moving Images - Indie Doc Festival . Test Tube (theatre) . Imprimatura: Solos (theatre) . Circus - a collaborative performance . HAO Summit. Article - publication for Singapore Biennale. Open Call exhibitions

· Co-presented - where The Substation contributes to the show / project in any of the following ways: giving space, marketing the show, raising funds, providing curatorial input, technical expertise:

Including: Flipside (exhibition). Sometimes A Long Five Miles (exhibition) . Our Mess (exhibition) . Maps (exhibition) . PPF (poetry/ performance). Dot-net-dot-au (exhibition). The State of Things (exhibition) . Teenage Ancient (exhibition) . A Light Sleep (exhibition, M1 Fringe Festival). Volatile Candy (exhibition). Moving (exhibition). Manifold (exhibition) . The Grey Festival of Indian Contemporary Dance . Control - Film Screening . Melbourne Comedy Festival Roadshow . Rojak (SeptFest). To Each Their Own (SeptFest) . Dance Forum . Coming to Sleep (Artist's talk) . Spread the Love (gig). Looming the Memory (M1 Fringe Festival) . We live in a box (M1 Fringe Festival). No Strings attached (M1 Fringe Festival). Singapore International Film Festival Press Screening & Screening Venue. Women, Wine and Words . Quiesce (performance). Storytelling

· Art Courses - programmed and publicised by The Substation

· Venue Hire - a range of arts and commercial events by independent hirers where The Substation occasionally participates, but mostly facilitates. These include theatre groups, solo artists, visual art exhibitions, companies, conferences, film screenings, etc.

ISSUES TO BE ADDRESSED

Why The Substation? What does its future look like? What role will it play in the Singapore arts scene of tomorrow?
Currently The Substation plays many roles, it is a venue for presenting and co-presenting work from different disciplines, it hires itself out as a venue and it presents courses. Should this generalist approach continue? Are there new areas of focus that the Substation can pursue, where it has a unique advantage over other arts groups or institutions in the Singapore context?
Are there new business and/or artistic opportunities to boost Substation’s sustainability?

Slow Response

2009-10-14T22:49:00.000-07:00

And then we waited!

For a couple of weeks we were getting a little stressed because we thought that no-one was going to apply! And then, one by one, people began responding to our calls. Not many – but enough for us to know that these applicants had thought deeply about the position, their application and the requirements of such responsibilities. Some of these people we knew, some we didn’t.

First Public Announcement- 2009 August

2009-10-14T22:46:00.000-07:00

Finally the first public announcement was made – in late August, sending our ‘call’ via media release, direct mail, website, social media and e-groups.

“ The Substation, one of Singapore's most important contemporary arts centres, is looking for a new Artistic Director. We are a space that is versatile and open to a wide range of arts and cultural practices, but we also aim to challenge artists. If you are interested in helming an organisation that is a crucible for innovation in the arts, and have the requisite experience, we invite you to submit an application.

The Substation, as the name suggests, was previously an electrical power sub-station. The building dates from 1926. In the late 1970s, the sub-station ceased operations and the building was left vacant. Then in the mid-80s, Kuo Pao Kun proposed its conversion to an arts centre, and The Substation opened on 16 September 1990.

Under the visionary direction of founder Kuo Pao Kun, The Substation established itself as a pioneer arts space. Its founding coincided with a burst of local cultural activity. Artists from all disciplines — from theatre to the visual arts — found a congenial home at The Substation, which encouraged them to experiment and risk failure – and then continue. From the start, The Substation has been committed to privileging the artistic process over the product, and to supporting diversity and depth in local culture.

Today, the Singapore cultural landscape has changed significantly, and The Substation is no longer the only contemporary arts space in town. Parallel with these developments has been the increasing global interest in “Asian” contemporary arts. Yet, The Substation remains as relevant and as crucial as ever: it as an incubator of new artistic work, practices and artists; a much-needed gathering point for the arts community, the public, civil society and people of different languages and cultures; a place where young artists and arts groups can have their start; a space for critical discussion; and most importantly, as a place where artists are given the time and space, and the freedom, to create art of significance.

Mission and Vision:

The Artistic Director (AD) is responsible for stewardship of The Substation’s Mission and Vision, which she/he jointly develops with the Board of Directors. The AD is the principle voice of the organisation. As with The Substation, the AD’s role extends beyond the premises of the building, and she/he is expected to provide leadership in the Singapore arts community.

Responsibilities and Duties:

The Artistic Director inspires the staff and the Board of Directors to do excellent work;
Develops, implements, and evaluates Substation programmes and activities;
With the Management, hires, supervises and evaluates all full-time and part-time personnel, including any project-basis programmers, curators, artists, filmmakers, performers, designers, technical and production personnel;
With the Management and programming staff, develops annual programme budgets;
With the Management, supervises all operations of the organisation and develops the organisation’s policies;

Acts as a spokesperson for The Substation at various public, social and private functions, including fundraising events and sponsorship solicitations;
Further develops The Substation’s strong relations with the arts community by participating in community meetings and activities, as well as playing a leadership role when relevant and appropriate;
Directly curates, directs or produces at least one major production/exhibition/project per year;
Provides relevant information to the appropriate personnel in relation to license and grant applications, marketing, strategic plans, operations, etc.;
Reports to the Board of Directors on a regular basis.

The successful candidate will have a proven track record as an arts professional, have experience managing multiple projects, and have a network covering the breadth of art disciplines. She/he should be comfortable in a range of professional situations and in relations with a range of stakeholders including, but not limited to artists, major individual/foundation donors, government and associated bodies, media and the general public.

Salary and benefits are negotiable depending on the candidate’s experience and qualifications”

The announcement from Lee Weng Choy and Audrey Wong 2008- October

2009-10-14T22:40:00.000-07:00

In October last year, Weng and Audrey told us (the board) of their decision to step down some time in 2009. Although this was sad…end of an era…it was clear that closure and renewal is important for everyone, both personally and professionally. So the process of finding a new Artistic Director began.

Like everything in The Substation, it is all about process.

We felt we had to design a process which took into account many different things including; The Substation’s mission, ‘best practices’ (of charities and arts groups), our own Articles of Association, our existing hiring policies, our budget and our own – the board’s – responsibility for the integrity of the process itself.

We realised that this process would have to stand up to the staff, the incumbents, artists, major stakeholders, donors and the general public.

So we spent nearly 8 months coming up with the final process, a job description, a timeline, and the very first public announcements.

During this time, many things were discussed, passions were expressed (in a good way!), values were explored and the very essence of The Substation was turned inside out by the board members. The management (Weng, Audrey and Julie) and Board of Directors also spoke with individuals in and around the arts community to assist us in clarifying issues and developing the most robust process possible.

We decided that we’d proceed thus:

1) First we call for applications and submissions. Obviously ‘applications’ speaks for itself, but the ‘submissions’ bit was our way of asking people interested in the future of The Substation to air their views. This way, even if someone didn’t want the job, they’d have a say and we would listen.

2) Then we’d (a subcommittee here as it is hugely time-intensive, of Peter Schoppert, Tan Pin Pin, and KC Chew) meet everyone who is an eligible, qualified and appropriate candidate and listen to what they have to say. We’d have questions of course, and these applicants’ opinions are sought on a wide variety of topics.

3) A shorter list of candidates would meet again with the remainder of the board to present, ask questions, answer questions and generally explore possibilities, potential and a future.

4) In the final stage, two or three remaining candidates would be asked to make a short presentation to the board and invited members of the arts community and stakeholders of The Substation. This final stage was only confirmed quite late in our own internal discussions. We knew we needed to seek broader input, but struggled with finding the right forum. We considered opening this up to the general public, but realised that in order to respect the (understandable) requirements for confidentiality on the part of the candidates, those attending this presentation must be invited guests and also must agree to respect the process.