Open Call: Processing Community Lead Fellowship

Image description: A gradient blue background with a deconstructed P and the words Welcome to Processing! on the left hand side with multiple navy colored buttons to Download software, access references, donate, and open editor.

The Processing Community Lead Fellowship is a new fellowship opportunity from the Processing Foundation. It’s a one-year paid fellowship to guide and steward the global, decentralized community formed around the original Processing (Java) software and its ethos.

Processing is a flexible software sketchbook and a language for learning how to code. Since 2001, Processing has promoted software literacy within the visual arts and visual literacy within technology. There are thousands of students, artists, designers, researchers, and hobbyists who use Processing for learning and as a part of their creative practices.

All applicants will receive equal consideration, and we will not discriminate on the basis of race, ethnicity, color, religion, gender identity, sexual orientation, national origin, age, disability, or genetics. Applicants from groups generally underrepresented in open-source, art, and technology fields, those with disabilities are highly encouraged to apply.

Responsibilities

The primary responsibilities for the position include:

• Maintaining and enhancing the Processing website, including ensuring the site continues to run and content is updated as needed including, but not limited to, the Examples, Reference, and Tutorials. The website was developed by Design Systems International, but this role accepts responsibility for the site content
• Coordination with the team developing the Processing (Java) software to keep the documentation in sync with the software as it evolves
• Working with the Processing Foundation on the annual fellows and Google Summer of Code participants
• Responsibility for the Processing Discourse discussion forum and community, which includes working with the current moderators and behind-the-scenes administration
• Improving the accessibility of documentation which may include internationalization through translation of the site and software into other languages
• Collaborating and coordinating on Processing Community Day events
• Collaborating and coordinating with the Processing Education Community on shared goals and initiatives
• Contribute to social media efforts for the Processing Foundation, as related
• Contribute to the planning of the annual Processing Foundation fundraiser
• Other responsibilities are possible as desired by the person who receives this fellowship

Experience and Skills

• Clear communication, written and verbal
• Enthusiasm for collaborating with others
• Desire to communicate and work with people from all over the world
• Experience within the Processing community
• Experience and expertise working with the Processing Software

Working knowledge of:

• Git and GitHub
• Markdown and Javadoc notation
• Willingness to work with Google Docs and Spreadsheets to coordinate with other team members

We realize that candidates may not have strengths in all of these areas, and you are encouraged to apply regardless. We are committed to working with you to create space for learning and/or to develop creative solutions that address the different domains of this role.

Onboarding

• A one-month onboarding will take place after the fellowship is offered and accepted through a series of meetings with Casey Reas, who currently owns these responsibilities. Casey will prepare a set of materials that document the current structure, information, and passwords for the project. At the end of the onboarding period, you will coordinate with Casey on immediate and longer term goals for the year, and come up with a plan for next steps.
• We’ll organize one or more meetings with Ben Fry, the lead on the Processing software, and Dan Shiffman, a Processing Foundation board member and Processing co-lead
• We invite you to join our Processing Foundation monthly team meeting to meet everyone. Date to be determined.
• During this time, we will also ask you to create a post for our medium blog introducing yourself to the community. This is an opportunity, but not an obligation. See examples from Dorothy and Saber.

Mentorship and Support

• We are committed to supporting this trajectory through mentorship provided by Casey Reas
• The fellowship will be supervised by the Processing Foundation who will also provide support and collaboration.

Grant Award

The recipient of this fellowship will receive $90,000 USD with the idea that it’s the primary energy of the awardee. We envision this role as a 30–40 hours/week fellowship. The Foundation will provide an additional budget of $12,500 for paying other contributors or other project support needs. Payments will be made quarterly.

Contacts

• Casey Reas, Processing Project Co-Lead, and Board of Directors Member reas@processing.org
• Ben Fry, Processing Project Co-Lead
• Daniel Shiffman, Processing Project Co-Lead, and Board of Directors Member
• Dorothy R. Santos, Processing Foundation Executive Director

Application for Processing Project Lead

The deadline is June 10, 2022. You can find the application here. The Information section needs to be included, you may choose to respond to only one of the Video and Text sections, or a combination.

Information

• Name
• Email address
• Website (optional)
• GitHub link (optional)
• CV or resume (2 pages max)
• Names and email addresses of two references that can recommend you. These can be employers, colleagues, mentors, or collaborators. We’re not asking for reference letters at this time.

Video

We acknowledge that the written application is not always a perfect gauge of an applicant. You are welcome to submit a video introducing yourself and your vision for the Processing Community Lead Fellowship (please see the Text prompts below for reference.) We’re not evaluating the quality of video, we are interested in what you have to say. Please limit all videos to 5 minutes or less.

• Video link and password (if needed)

Text

If you opted to submit a video that has already answered the questions below, you do not need to include text responses for those questions.

• What would be your priorities for your time leading the Processing Community? Which aspects are you most interested in working on? (500 words max)
• Describe your approach to leadership. (100 words max)
• How has your previous work demonstrated a commitment to equity and inclusion? If it hasn’t yet, tell us how you would bring this into your practice (250 words max)
• Do you have any questions or concerns (or fears or anxieties) about this position? (250 words max)
• You may provide any additional documents you feel support your application. (3 pages max)

All applicants will receive a response by July 8, 2022. Our current timeline is as follows:

• Open Call: May 5, 2022
• Review begins: June 10, 2022
• Interviews: June 27–July 1, 2022
• Notifications: 8 July 2022
• Fellowship Begins: To be determined…