Curatorial Producer (Project-Based)
Once Upon Our Time Capsule — a Chicago-based nonprofit that helps people reflect on their past, connect in the present, and imagine their future — is seeking a contract-based Curatorial Producer to help shape and implement a participatory public art exhibit marking the reopening of the city’s 2021 youth time capsules in 2026.
About the Project
In 2021, thousands of young people across Chicago created time capsules to capture their experiences of living through the pandemic. In 2026, these capsules will be reopened in partnership with schools, libraries, and museums across the city. The accompanying public art exhibit will showcase select artifacts from those capsules, invite visitors to reflect on how the world has changed, and contribute their own hopes and messages for the future.
This will be the first time Once Upon Our Time Capsule publicly marks a citywide reopening, making the exhibit a key opportunity to celebrate youth creativity, foster community reflection, and invite new audiences into a longer-term relationship with our work.
Role Overview
The Curatorial Producer will collaborate with Once Upon Our Time Capsule’s Executive Director and a small creative working group to:
Design and lead an inclusive creative process that empowers youth to shape both the concept and the creative direction of the 2026 public art exhibit.Facilitate workshops and collaborative sessions that help young people decide what stories, artifacts, and ideas from 2021 should be shared — and how their generation wants those stories to be represented.Shape the curatorial framework and exhibit experience, ensuring youth voice drives the storytelling, design, and audience engagement.Coordinate with artists to create the exhibition.Champion inclusion, accessibility, and authenticity throughout, reflecting the diversity and creativity of the communities Once Upon Our Time Capsule serves.
Qualifications
Demonstrated experience in creative production, arts education, exhibit curation, and/or community-based artmaking, ideally with youth or intergenerational participants.Skilled in facilitating collaborative and participatory processes that empower young people and community members to shape creative work.Strong collaborator, comfortable working across institutions, artists, and youth-serving organizations.Familiarity with Chicago’s arts, education, and community engagement landscape and enthusiasm for youth-centered storytelling.Excellent communication, organization, and follow-through — able to guide a creative process from concept to implementation with care and clarity.
Details
Contract Fee: $15,000 (project-based; scope and hours flexible based on candidate’s approach)Timeline: Begin late February/early March 2026; concept development in spring, installation in fall 2026Location: Chicago-based
To express interest, please contact Stacey Gillett at hello@ourtimecapsule.org.
