Summer Work Placements
Drop Deadly Gorgeous, Midsumma Festival 2020. Photo by Suzanne Balding
Positions Vacant: Volunteer Summer Work Placements
Help deliver one of Australia’s largest LGBTQIA+ cultural festivals, gain valuable professional work experience and grow your networks in the arts community.
Midsumma is Australia's leading queer arts and cultural organisation, for people who identify as LGBTQIA+ and is now one of the largest cultural festivals in Victoria. We are a champion of queer cultures, conversations and events. With the primary festival held in summer each year, we work year-round to support artists to create, present and promote their work.
Midsumma Festival 2023 runs from 22 Jan to 12 Feb
Highlights of the festival each year include our opening event, Midsumma Carnival, attracting over 117,000 people to Melbourne’s Alexandra Gardens, the iconic Midsumma Pride March which sees approximately 45,000 people descend on St Kilda, Melbourne Pride which last year attracted almost 40,000 people, and a rich program of performances, visual arts, forums, and social events. The festival is delivered by a team of experienced professional arts workers and event managers working alongside a dedicated team of volunteers.
The festival offers opportunities for voluntary summer work placements for people wanting the opportunity to further develop their skills in a professional environment that is vibrant, supportive, and fun.
Summer work placements commence between AUG AND NOV 2022 and run until LATE FEB 2023.
Placements are full or part-time, with hours increasing over the duration of the festival period (22 Jan – 12 Feb 2023). During the festival period working outside standard business hours will be required.
Start date and hours are negotiable however it should be noted that the roles are designed to provide experience of a professional full-time cultural role within a festival environment.
The positions are short-term non-paid work placements open to students and non-students in the areas of Programming and Event Management, Arts Administration/Management, Marketing, Design and Publicity and Production and Operations. A $500 honorarium will be paid to successful applicants.
YOU CAN APPLY FOR MORE THAN ONE POSITION.
Download the full position descriptions for Volunteer Summer Work Placements
Positions Vacant
MARKETING AND COMMUNICATIONS
Reports to Manager of Marketing & Communications
This role will gain experience in:
- CONTENT & SOCIAL MEDIA: curating and creating content for Midsumma eNews, website and social media. This is a great opportunity for anyone who is interested in developing their digital communication skills, growing online communities and understanding online analytics. Starting Aug-Sept.
- MARKETING & PR: champion event cross-promotion in the lead-up to and during the festival as well as assisting with media and other PR operations. Starting Aug-Sept.
- DESIGN: deliver creative assets for the festival. Design and create digital and print assets alongside the Marketing Manager. Starting Aug-Sept.
- SIGNAGE: assist with all signage procurement and placement over the festivals three major events. You will love spreadsheets! This role offers the opportunity to manage signage volunteers at major events.
- A combination of the above specific specialty areas may be negotiated for students wishing a more generalist marketing and communications experience.
PROGRAMMING AND EVENT MANAGEMENT
Reports to Program Manager
This role will gain experience in:
- Major Events Coordination: assists with communicating, contracting and coordinating artists for Midsumma’s two large-scale outdoor signature events, Midsumma Carnival and Midsumma Pride March.
- Festival Event Coordination: assists with supporting the coordination of a selection of festival events that are supported/produced by Midsumma.
- Programming: understand and assist with the programming process across a multi-event, large scale festival
- Administration: understand the variety of administrative processes that support the overall programming strategies of the organisation
PRODUCTION AND OPERATIONS
Reports to Head of Production and Operations
This role will gain experience in:
- Production coordination: Assists Head of Production and Operations with logistics and production delivery across Midsumma Pride March, Midsumma Carnival and other Midsumma produced events.
- Supplier/Stakeholder coordination: Assist with the coordination, scheduling and hires of all festival supplies for event infrastructure i.e. stages / toilets / fencing / marquees.
- Production Administration: Assist with production and general event delivery schedules, asset and consumable purchases, staff scheduling, any permit documentation as required.
- This role is a combination of both hands-on and administrative tasks gaining a thorough overview of production management in a vibrant festival environment.
ARTS ADMINISTRATION
Reports to Production, Programming and Marketing Manager
This role will gain experience in:
Arts Administration / Arts Management assists Midsumma teams with critical tasks associated with the administration and management of a busy cultural festival across all areas of the festival including but not limited to broad stakeholder management, signage and business delivery. This role is a combination of both hands-on and administrative tasks alongside event delivery tasks during the festival period itself, gaining a thorough overview of arts management in a vibrant festival environment.
How to Apply
YOU CAN APPLY FOR MORE THAN ONE POSITION.
To apply, email [email protected] with:
- A current CV or résumé, with one reference contact.
- A cover letter stating the position(s) you are interested in and why, and what you want to get out of a work placement with Midsumma.
- Your availability over the period of the work placement.
If you have any questions or would like any assistance please contact [email protected]
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Midsumma Festival is one of Australia’s premier LGBTQIA+ arts and cultural festivals, for and by communities who live with shared experiences around diverse gender and sexuality.
- A leadership arts organisation cultivating queer arts culture unique to Australia with local, national, international engagement; leading LGBTQIA+ cultural conversations.
- An artistic powerhouse investing in diverse LGBTQIA+ artistic voices to develop powerful new work, across disciplines, that inspire, shares unique stories, build meaningful connections spanning all cultures, age/generations, gender/sexual identities and disability.
Midsumma has repositioned itself as a cultural influencer with artistic leadership, learning, and diversity at its heart. Midsumma has significant programs aimed at disability cultures, indigenous and culturally and linguistically diverse programming. With the attendance of 285,000 per year, our summer Midsumma Festival features up to 200 events across art artforms in venues across Melbourne with both a curated and open access festival program and a year-round arts development program. Midsumma is currently in a state of tremendous growth and success and ready to spring into its next stage.
Volunteer With Midsumma
Midsumma Festival is a volunteer-fuelled organisation that wouldn't exist without the contribution from individuals within our community. Every volunteer is an ambassador for Midsumma Festival: enthusiastic, friendly, helpful and professional.
Volunteer With Us
Become a Patron
By becoming a Midsumma 2020 Patron you not only get the VIP treatment at our signature events but you also receive regular behind the scenes updates on Midusmma’s activity as the festival develops and invitations to attend VIP events throughout the 22-day festival.
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