Executive Director

Breathe Project; Pittsburgh (Allegheny County); On-site; USD 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Job summary

Pedantic Arts seeks a visionary Executive Director to lead our newly formed nonprofit organization in Pittsburgh, guiding staff, governance, and strategic planning for a premier arts residency and research program.

The Executive Director will report to the Pedantic Arts Board of Directors and drive fundraising, program development, and community engagement to sustain a vibrant cultural ecosystem.

Responsibilities

• Provide overall leadership and strategic direction for Pedantic Arts
• Establish organizational policies, procedures, and governance structures
• Provide visionary leadership to position Pedantic as a leading arts residency program
• Build and maintain relationships with key partners in Pittsburgh's art community
• Build a strong national network with other arts organizations, artists, and foundations supporting the arts
• Steward and enhance relationships with current, past, and future arts residents across the nation

Job description

About Pedantic Arts

Pedantic Arts is a Pittsburgh-based arts incubator that nurtures visual artists, writers, and curators who are seeking connection. We host mid-career creatives from across the world through our immersive, interdisciplinary residency program and research grants, providing space and curated resources to deepen and inspire their artistic practice.

Pedantic was established in 2021 by Headwater Media and Casey Droege Cultural Productions and transitioned to non-profit status in 2026. Pedantic and its building located in the Garfield neighborhood of Pittsburgh were both conceived as mechanisms to enhance the neighborhood's vibrant arts corridor while creating intentional space for creative development and network building, both for cohort members and Pittsburgh's larger cultural community.

Our Goals

• Strengthen local arts ecosystem


• Create networks between local, national, and international creatives


• Build community


• Foster greater discourse across sectors and institutional silos


• Increase opportunities for curatorial and critical development


• Help to sustain a vibrant and supportive cultural economy


• Support creative process rather than production

What We Do

• HOST: Welcoming, hosting, and supporting artists and creatives locally and from across the country in the City of Pittsburgh and its multidimensional arts community


• MATCHMAKER: Making connections across disciplines to create space for inspiration or new/deeper ideas


• MUSE: Fostering the artistic practice without strings attached, paid residency with no requirement of output


• ADVOCATE: Modeling a new future for artistic infrastructure that invests in creators and cares for them holistically

How We Do It

• Pittsburgh as a Hub: Acting as a bridge between local and global creativity.


• Space & Place: Using the Pedantic apartment in Garfield as a literal and metaphorical "home" for creativity. Offering the hospitality of a beautiful, central space in an artistic hub of Pittsburgh.


• People: A welcoming community curated to support and connect you with the city.


• The Cohort Model:Intentionally interdisciplinary, pairing a visual artist, a curator/organizer, and a writer to spark connections and dialogue (cross-pollination of writers with curators and artists is especially unique).


• Immersion: Not a residency where you hole up in a quiet room alone - an invitation to connect, discover, and explore.


• Non-Production Focus: Providing the "freedom to explore" instead of the "requirement to produce".

Visit pedanticarts.org to learn more.

Position Summary

Pedantic Arts seeks a visionary Executive Director to lead our newly formed nonprofit organization as we establish ourselves as a premier destination for arts residency and research in Pittsburgh. The Executive Director will lead all aspects of organizational leadership, including staff management, strategic planning, financial management, governance, fundraising, program development, and community engagement. This is an exceptional opportunity to shape the future of an innovative arts organization.

The Executive Director reports directly to the Pedantic Arts Board of Directors.

Key Responsibilities

Strategic Leadership and Vision

• Provide overall leadership and strategic direction for Pedantic Arts


• Establish organizational policies, procedures, and governance structures


• Provide visionary leadership to position Pedantic as a leading arts residency program


• Build and maintain relationships with key partners in Pittsburgh's art community


• Build a strong national network with other arts organizations, artists, and foundations supporting the arts.


• Steward and enhance relationships with current, past, and future arts residents across the nation