Job Description: Executive Director
Updated: August 2026
Salary Range: $75,000 – 82,500
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
Fundraising
- As the Executive Director, you are the face of the organization and lead fundraising and overall growth and sustainability. Fundraising is a key component of your role and the team’s.
- Create and execute comprehensive fundraising strategies.
- Cultivate and steward relationships with individual, institutional, and public funders locally, regionally, and nationally.
- Oversee solicitation, appeal, and grant calendars
- Leverage opportunities to ensure financial sustainability and growth
Program Development and Management
- Oversee all aspects of the Pedantic Arts Residency and Research Grant programs.
- Develop new programming initiatives and partnership opportunities alongside staff.
- Ensure high-quality resident experiences and program outcomes
- Develop fundraising strategies to support the program, along with future development in community networking, national relationships, and the program’s overall long-term growth.
Financial Management and Administration
- Recruit, hire, manage, and mentor staff
- Oversee day-to-day operations
- Develop and manage annual operating budgets
- Develop and maintain vendor relationships and service providers
- Implement effective organizational systems and processes
Community Engagement and External Relations
- Serve as primary spokesperson and public face of Pedantic Arts
- Build strategic partnerships with local, regional, and national arts organizations, museums, and cultural institutions
- Represent the organization at community events and professional conferences
- Develop marketing and communications strategies alongside staff
Board Development and Governance
- Work closely with the Board of Directors to support strong governance and strategic decision-making.
- Provide support to the Board including its meeting schedule, meeting agendas, committees, priorities, reporting, and goals.
- Support Board recruitment and onboarding; support Board Committee engagement
- Engage the Board in fundraising, advocacy, and community engagement.
Preferred Experience and Qualifications
- At least 5 years of nonprofit leadership experience and/or relevant experience in arts and culture organizations
- Knowledge of Pittsburgh’s arts and cultural landscape and the overall community engagement within the arts sector
- Proven track record in fundraising
- Strong financial management and budgeting skills
- Experience with program development and implementation
- Excellent written and verbal communication skills
- Demonstrated ability to build relationships and work collaboratively
- Experience working with a Board of Directors
Personal Attributes
- A strong commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion
- Entrepreneurial mindset with ability to build systems from the ground up
- Passion for supporting artists and fostering creative communities
- Strong leadership and mentorship skills
- Flexibility and adaptability in a startup environment
- Detail-oriented with strong organizational skills
Compensation and Benefits
- The salary range for this position is $75,000 – 82,500
- Competitive benefits package, including a flexible health and wellness stipend
- Professional development opportunities
- Flexible work environment
To Apply
Please submit a cover letter, resume, and three professional references to pedanticarts.info@gmail.com
Pedantic Arts is an equal opportunity employer committed to diversity, equity, and inclusion in all aspects of our work. We strongly encourage persons with underrepresented identities and varied lived experiences to apply.