Temporary Creative Writing Mfa Jobs in Chicago, IL

Chicago Public Schools (CPS) is a district on the rise, serving over 325,000 students in 500+ schools and employing over 45,000 people, most of them teachers. CPS has set ambitious goals to ensure that every student, in every school and every neighborhood, has access to a world-class learning experience that prepares each for success in college, career, and civic life. Aligned with our transformed philosophy, we are steadfastly focused on ensuring that the District provides resources equitably to support every student, every school, and every community. Six core values guide the work we do every day for our students - student-centered, whole child, equity, academic excellence, community partnership, and continuous learning. Each role in the district supports our vision that every student deserves a rigorous, joyful, and equitable learning experience.
The Department of Arts Education (DAE) integrates rigorous arts instruction into the district's core educational infrastructure to drive student engagement, academic achievement, and postsecondary readiness across every Chicago Public School. The Goal of the DAE is to establish the arts as a universal instructional lever that empowers every CPS student to become a critical thinker, an inventive problem-solver, and a high-performing citizen in a global economy.
Every student in Chicago Public Schools will experience innovative, rigorous, and joyful arts learning that cultivates creativity, curiosity, empathy, and confident self expression. Through bold artistic practice and deep personal exploration, students will become critical thinkers, imaginative problem-solvers, and engaged citizens, ready to thrive in a dynamic world.
This role is expected to begin in August 2026, with additional details provided closer to the start date. Resident Artists can anticipate working 10-15 hours per week until the school year begins, and 15-25 hours per week onsite during the CPS school year, per CPS calendar. Resident Artists may work between the hours of 10:00am and 7:00pm, depending on program assignment. Up to an additional 5 hours of flexible work time may be used to support curricular planning, meetings with staff, prep for performances and exhibitions, and field trip supervision. Scheduling of this time will be determined in collaboration with the Program Manager.
Job Summary:
Reporting to a DAE Program Manager or Director, with site-based dotted-line reporting to host Principals, the Citywide Resident Artist is a high-level creative professional and arts technical expert managed centrally by the DAE. This role is designed as a strategic instructional infrastructure, providing the District with a mobile, elite creative workforce capable of delivering industry-standard arts education across diverse contexts. Unlike school-based faculty, citywide Resident Artists are deployed as specialized assets to catalyze student engagement, drive pre-professional artistic mastery, and provide supplemental in-school arts education experiences and arts integration programming in schools citywide.
Citywide Resident Artists are deployed to one or more of the following programs based on District need and artistic disciplines of music, dance, theatre, visual arts, media arts, and creative writing:
RE:ALIZE (Early College) Pre-professional transition to higher education:
Facilitate advanced studio blocks; align curriculum with ISBE state standards; mentor students in portfolio/audition prep for college or career; support recruitment efforts via student interviews; plan and implement winter and spring showcases and exhibitions. Cohorts include digital music, theatre, visual arts, media, and dance.
The Chicago Arts High School Conservatory Technical mastery & pre-professional training.
Lead daily pre-professional labs; conduct student juries; maintain industry-aligned artistic standards for The Chicago Arts High School; plan and implement showcases and exhibitions; collaborate with arts teachers.
All-City Performing Arts Ensemble Based Arts Learning Experience
Direct beginner, intermediate or prestige ensembles. Ensembles include: choir, elementary concert band, elementary rock band, high school rock band, mariachi, orchestra, percussion, symphonic band, jazz band, theatre, dance.
Districtwide Utilization Instructional continuity and artistic school support.
Deploy to CPS schools including Fine & Performing Arts Schools to design, support, and implement arts integration models in collaboration with the school community providing an arts-rich learning experience across the curriculum.
The Part-Time/Temporary Citywide Resident Artist will be held accountable for the following responsibilities:

• Facilitate high-intensity technical studios and conservatory-style workshops in Music, Dance, Theatre, Visual Arts, Media Arts or Creative Writing, that drive students toward industry-standard competency while ensuring pre-professional training is vertically aligned with academic curriculum and supported by the successful integration of visiting professionals.
• Develop and implement customized arts integration plans and workshop curricula that complement school-based learning and align with the CPS Instructional Core and Illinois Arts Learning Standards.
• Operationalize differentiated instruction for Diverse Learners (DL) and English Learners (EL) to ensure advanced arts training is accessible, while utilizing trauma-informed practices as a Safety & Belonging lead to re-engage students and reduce chronic absenteeism.
• Oversee Portfolio and Audition Readiness cycles and facilitate student-directed projects that activate student voice, agency, and critical thinking to ensure competitiveness for the creative economy and higher education.
• Execute student-directed project-based learning modules and site-specific works that culminate in collaborative projects, showcases, or public exhibitions to serve as a benchmark for student growth and school-wide engagement.
• Ensure 100% compliance with attendance reporting and student progress monitoring while managing site-specific inventory and budgets for arts consumables to ensure high-efficiency use of materials.
• Act as a DAE Ambassador to school leadership and Certified Teachers to articulate the value of arts as a core academic lever, co-design arts integration strategies, and uphold site-specific collaboration, priorities, expectations, and norms.
• Contribute to the DAE and site-specific community through mandatory participation in staff meetings, planning sessions, and assigned professional development, including specialized Resident Artists training frameworks established by the department.
• Maintain a regular schedule of onsite mentorship, document growth metrics and student work to support long-term program sustainability, and perform other duties as assigned to support district priorities.

• Serve as a lead for other student-centered arts programming and initiatives

• Other duties as assigned

In order to be successful and achieve the above responsibilities, the Part-Time/Temporary Citywide Resident Artist must possess the following qualifications:
Education Required:

• High school diploma or GED equivalent
• Bachelor's degree in an artistically related field from an accredited college or university preferred

Experience Required:

• Minimum of three (3) years of professional experience working with public school students either as a teacher, Resident Artist or artist in residence, including the following, is required:
  
  • Experience designing and developing customized arts education programming for public school students in alignment with state standards.
  • Experience facilitating workshops and/or programs
  • Artistic merit and professional qualifications demonstrated in a dynamic portfolio of past work including, but not limited to community-based projects, social practice, arts education, and exhibiting or developing performances and/or public art
  • Experience working collaboratively with diverse stakeholders

Other Requirements:

• Access to reliable transportation to travel to various deployment sites citywide is required
• Bilingual English and Spanish preferred

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities:

• Significant knowledge of the foundational concepts within the arts education landscape and disciplines, including the Illinois Arts Learning Standards, Studio Habits of Mind, etc.
• Ability to consistently demonstrate a professional and positive demeanor while ensuring confidentiality in matters related to both students and the school program.
• Dedicated to providing every child with access to high-quality education, supporting their ability to achieve at high levels, and fostering students' artistic process while encouraging the creation of artistic products.
• Strong communication skills (speaking, listening, and writing), including prompt communication with program administrators
• Strong lesson planning and facilitation skills.
• Ability to communicate effectively and synthesize complex concepts into compelling curriculum, projects, and student experiences
• Ability to collaborate effectively and professionally with a wide variety of stakeholders, including (but not limited to) CPS teachers, School Leaders, DAE, RE:ALIZE, ChiArts and other CPS staff, and CPS student participants
• Ability to provide technical support for workshop technology and assist students with digital tools, as needed

Compensation:

• Resident Artists will be paid between $35-$55 per hour, depending upon years of professional experience and education. Maximum 1,200 hours per calendar year.

Conditions of Employment
As a condition of employment with the Chicago Public Schools (CPS), employees are required to:
Establish/Maintain Chicago Residency - Employees are required to live within the geographic boundaries of the City of Chicago within six months of their CPS hire date and maintain residency throughout their employment with the district. The Chicago residency requirement does not apply to temporary/part-time positions; however, all CPS employees must be residents of Illinois.