Andrew Heiskell Arts Director
H Net ·
Term:Three-yearappointment,renewableforuptotwoadditionalyears. StartdateAugust 2027. È questo il prossimo passo nella sua carriera? Foundedin1894,theAmericanAcademyinRomeisaleadingAmericanoverseascenter for independent study and advanced research in the arts and humanities.
Each year, the Academy awards the Rome Prize to approximately 30 artists and scholars who join a dynamic, transdisciplinary residential community on the Academy’s eleven-acre campus on the Janiculum Hill—enriched further by invited Residents and Affiliated and Visiting Artists and Scholars, reaching a community of approximately 100 at any given time.
TheAcademyisledbythePresident encourage and facilitate dialogue among Fellows, Residents, Italian Fellows, and AffiliatedandVisitingArtistsandScholars. Facilitate introductions and sustained relationships between Fellows and their counterpartsinRome’sandItaly’sartisticandculturalcommunitiesthroughthe Advisors in the Arts network and beyond.
Design,organize,andleadsitevisitsandlongertripsinandaroundRome,Italy, and the Mediterranean that deepen Fellows’ engagement with the material, historical, and cultural dimensions of their work. May participate in the selection of Rome Prize and Italian Fellows and assist as neededintheselectionofResidentsandAffiliatedandVisitingArtistsandScholars.
ConducttheirowncreativeandresearchworkandsetanexamplefortheFellows of what a life in the arts could look like. As a member of the Academy’s intellectual leadership team, contribute to the designandexecutionofprogrammingthatservestheinstitutionalmissioninclose collaboration with the Director, the Humanities Professor, and Programs staff.
ServeasstaffliaisontotheArtsCommitteeoftheBoardofTrustees,contributingto governance discussions on matters of artistic programming, fellowship in the arts, and the Academy’s creative identity. AttendmeetingsoforganizationswheretheAcademyholdsaboardseator institutional partnership, as necessary.
CommunityStewardshipandExternalEngagement (10%) Maintainavisibleandengagedpresenceinthelifeoftheresidentialcommunity—at meals, at internal and public events, in communal spaces—as an active participant in the community the Academy exists to sustain.
Represent the Academy in Rome’s artistic and cultural communities; build and expandrelationshipswithItalianartists,institutions,andorganizationsthatenrich the Fellows’ experience and deepen the Academy’s presence in the city.
Qualifications Required AnadvanceddegreeinoneoftheartsdisciplinesrepresentedattheAcademyand arecordofaccomplishedcreativeorscholarlyworkcommensuratewithnationalor international standing, with a minimum of five years of experience in an academic, cultural, or arts institution.
Demonstratedintellectualgenerosityanddisciplinaryrange:theabilityandgenuine desire to engage with creative and scholarly work across fields, and to support Fellows whose practices differ substantially from one’s own. FluencyorahighdegreeofproficiencyinspokenandwrittenItalian;strongworking knowledge of the arts, cultural sites, and organizations of Rome and Italy.
Provenabilitytomentorartistsandscholarsatvaryingstagesofcareer,with superiorinterpersonalskillsandtheabilitytobuildtrustacrossadiverseand talented community. Demonstrated ability to represent an institution professionally—interacting diplomaticallywithFellows,staff,boardmembers,donors,institutionalpartners,and government officials.
Strategicthinkingandorganizationalcapability,withexperiencemanaging programs and working collaboratively across teams. FlexibilitytoworkoutsidestandardhoursgiventheAcademy’seveningand weekendprogramming,andwillingnesstotravelbetweenRomeandNew York.
Preferred Establishedrelationshipswithartists,institutions,andculturalorganizationsin Rome and Italy. ExperiencelivingandworkinginItalyoranotherinternationalcontext,with demonstrated cross-cultural fluency. Familiaritywithartsadministration,exhibitiondevelopment,orpublicprogramming in an international setting.
Leadership Profile TheidealcandidatewillberecognizedbyFellows,colleagues,andpeersinRomeforthe following qualities: Creative distinction. A practitioner or scholar whose work commands genuine respect—whosepresenceattheAcademylendsartisticauthoritytothecommunity and whose engagement with Fellows’ projects carries real weight.
Disciplinaryrange. Thecuriosityandcapacitytoengagesubstantivelywithwork far outside one’s own discipline—to follow the argument of a historian, to understand what a composer is working through, to engage with equal interest a poet and an architect.
Institutional commitment. A genuine orientation toward community and collaboration—someone who finds meaning in supporting the work of others and understands that their role is as much about creatingconditionsforexcellenceas producing it themselves.
Romanfluency. ArealconnectiontoRome—itsartisticlandscape,itsinstitutions, its rhythms—and the ability to move through the city’s creative and cultural communities as a trusted participant. Mission conviction. An authentic belief in what the Academy does and why it matters—inthevalueofsustainedindividualcreativeandscholarlywork,inRome as an irreplaceable context for that work, and in the Academy’s unique role in American cultural life.
Compensation Secondmentappointmentswillbecompensatedinaccordancewiththetermsofthe secondment. Salary range for direct employment is $100,000–$200,000, based on experience and qualifications. To Apply Submission deadline is October 15, 2026.
The American Academy in Rome is an Equal Opportunity Employer. AAR believes that a diverse community makes for a stronger institution, and actively encourages applications fromcandidatesof fallbackgrounds,identities,andlivedexperiences.
Wearecommittedto ahiringprocessthatisequitable,inclusive,andfreefrombias,andtobuildigal ad leadership community that reflects the breadth of the artistic and scholarly traditions we support.