Critic-in-Residence Program Editor (Midwest Satellites)

Application Period: December 1, 2025 to January 4, 2026, 11:59pm CST (Note: Out of consideration of our capacity and a high number of potential applicants, applications submitted outside of the application period will not be considered. Sixty’s Winter Slowdown will also take place from December 1st to January 5th, so any questions about the position should be sent prior to December 1st.)

Overview

Sixty Inches From Center is looking for a Critic-In-Residence Program Editor to provide editorial guidance and editing services for Sixty’s Critic-in-Residences that will take place as part of Midwest Satellites, a multi-year initiative of relationship-building, collaborating, and publishing with Sixty’s partners across the Midwest.

The responsibilities of the Critic-In-Residence Program Editor will be twofold: 1) To communicate and coordinate with all of the critics-in-residence, and other appropriate parties (such as Sixty team members); and 2) To work as editor with each critic-in-resident, reviewing their pitches, working with the writer to develop their ideas, and ensuring that each piece makes it to publishing.

The person in this role will be working collaboratively and closely with the two Midwest Satellites Project Co-Leads, Tempestt Hazel and Christina Nafziger. The Project Co-Leads are currently solidifying partners for seven (7) critic-in-residence programs to take place in seven (7) locations across the Midwest, which include Cleveland, OH, Omaha, NB, St. Louis, MO, Rapid City, SD, Kansas City, MO, Detroit, MI, Wausau, WI. The arts space/institution we will be partnering with in each location will host two critics-in-residence: one traveling writer from another city and one local writer. Each critic will be writing a piece that engages with a local art exhibition, artist, art space, archivist, and/or cultural worker.

The person in this role will be responsible for communicating with all fourteen (14) critics-in-residence over the course of the project and editing each of the residences’ pieces. The primary purpose of this role is to act as the point of contact for Sixty’s regional writers for the Critic-in-Residence component of Midwest Satellites while providing each resident with editorial guidance in shaping their piece, ensuring that each aligns the mission of Midwest Satellites.

This position is 100% remote and is open to anyone based in the Midwest region of the US. Folks with prior experience working with Sixty are encouraged to apply.

About Midwest Satellites:

Sixty’s Midwest Satellites project is an initiative focused on short-term projects and collaborations between Sixty and multiple regional cities. During this initiative, Sixty will work with partners and current residents in selected cities across the Midwest to co-create critic-in-residences as well as editorial projects that echo and find inspiration in Sixty’s existing editorial programs but are customized for the needs and circumstances of each city’s cultural ecosystem.

With this initiative, we hope to 1.) deepen our established regional relationships through collaboration and by being a conduit of financial, creative, and material resources through the leveraging of our local and national relationships; 2.) spark new collaborations with artists and organizations we’ve long admired; and 3.) amplify the existing preservation and editorial efforts, and other creative dreams of communities outside of our region’s largest and more resourced cities.

The hope is that these regional partners will become long term collaborators in Sixty’s mission to thoughtfully nurture more inclusive cultural records of queer, indigenous, diasporic, and disability communities in the Midwest.

What You’ll Be Doing

Building lasting relationships with regional partners through thoughtful and open communication, hosting virtual meetings as needed, and acting as a connector between the regional writers and Sixty’s core team
Acting as the first point of contact for the fourteen (14) critics-in-residence and provide them with editorial support and guidance.
Editing all critic-in-residence articles (14) using Google Docs, ensuring that they all make it to publishing and meet Sixty’s publishing standards.
Gathering and presenting to the Midwest Satellite team the pitches from critics-in-residence that are focused on the following: A review of a local show or event or an interview or conversation with a local artist or cultural worker–anything that deeply engages an element of the local culture.
Attending meetings with Project Co-Leads to provide updates, ask questions, and communicate issues
Offering creative input on the development of the program and ways to strengthen and more deeply explore our Midwest relationships.

What You’ll Need To Do It

A commitment to Sixty’s mission and ethos
A working history of project management
Experience writing and editing
An understanding of archival practices is a plus but not required
A commitment to creating a space that is warm, open, healthy, generative, and challenging
A collaborative work ethic and mindset
A dedication to seeing projects through to the end
A willingness to learn, ask questions, and openly ask for what you need

Payment + Timeline

This is an 8-month independent contractor position. The compensation for this role is $6,000 (or approximately $850/month) and the projected timeline of the role would be from February 15, 2026 to October 30, 2026. While this position allows for a self-determined weekly schedule and workflow, availability on Tuesday afternoons between 1pm – 2:30pm CST to check-in with the project team is a plus. For this role, Sixty will pay out the stipend monthly, with the first month’s disbursement coming on March 10, 2026. If at the end of 8-months an extension is required or desired, we will discuss the terms of the extension together and within 30 days of the contract end date, if/when that time comes.

It’s important to note that the entire Sixty team takes two collective slowdowns each year: a 3-week Summer Slowdown starting June 19th (Juneteenth) and an 8-week Winter Slowdown starting December 1st. The person in this role will still receive a monthly stipend during these periods of collective rest and slower work pace.

Interested? Then please respond to the following prompts and send your materials to writeforsixty@sixtyinchesfromcenter.org with “Critic-in-Residence Editor” in the subject line. We will begin reviewing applications after the deadline date and will work to respond to all inquiries within two weeks of the January 4th deadline date.

Write a brief statement on why you’re interested, the experience and perspective you bring to the role, and your relationship to any of these partner cities and/or the wider Midwest. Also, if you’ve worked with Sixty before, please tell us more about that work and experience. You can keep it brief, 8-10 sentences or less.
Share any materials that demonstrate relevant experience (feel free to include web links to work samples, include attachments (e.g. resume or CV), or send them in any other format you need to).
Any questions you have for us about the project.