Independent Contractor | Five-Month Pilot Project Dorchester Center for the Arts | Cambridge, Maryland

Dorchester Center for the Arts (DCA) is seeking a creative, entrepreneurial retail marketing professional to lead a five-month pilot to strengthen and reimagine DCA’s established gift shop, StudioWorks.

StudioWorks has long provided DCA member artists with opportunities to sell their work. This pilot will build on that foundation by developing the store into a more intentionally marketed, dynamically curated, regularly refreshed retail experience that better serves artists and visitors. The goal is to position StudioWorks as a destination within the Cambridge Arts & Entertainment District, offering visitors distinctive items they cannot find anywhere else in town and giving them a reason to return throughout the year.

This is a short-term independent contract, not a staff position. The selected curator will develop and implement the pilot over a period of up to five months and provide DCA with a practical plan for sustaining StudioWorks after the contract concludes.

Scope of Work

The StudioWorks Retail & Marketing Consultant will:

• Develop an overall curatorial and merchandising vision for StudioWorks.
• Review the current artist and inventory mix and thoughtfully transition the shop to a new model.
• Identify, recruit, and select additional artists and artist-made products through direct outreach, studio visits, regional events, referrals, online research, and other appropriate methods.
• Create a distinctive mix of artwork and merchandise across a range of media, price points, and styles while complementing, rather than duplicating, offerings elsewhere in downtown Cambridge.
• Establish a regular schedule for rotating and refreshing inventory.
• Organize and merchandise the space to create an attractive, cohesive visitor experience.
• Develop practical procedures for artist participation, consignment, inventorying, rotation, and communication.
• Coordinate monthly public events during the contract period, such as demonstrations, talks, meet-the-artist events, book singings, or Second Saturday activities.
• Work with DCA staff and volunteers on promotion, sales procedures, inventory administration, and program implementation.
• Track basic measures of success, including participating artists, sales, inventory turnover, and public-program participation.
• Provide a written StudioWorks Sustainability Plan at the conclusion of the pilot, with recommendations for future curation, staffing or volunteer support, inventory management, programming, and revenue potential.

What We’re Looking For We are seeking someone with a strong visual eye, practical organizational skills, and an interest in artists, retail, and public engagement. Relevant experience may come from boutique retail, marketing, merchandising, brand strategy, arts administration, or creative entrepreneurship Strong candidates will demonstrate: 

• An eye for quality, presentation, and a compelling mix of merchandise.
• Enthusiasm for discovering artists and makers from the Eastern Shore and nearby regions. 
• Experience working with artists, vendors, retailers, galleries, or creative businesses.
• Ability to organize a project independently and carry it from concept through implementation.
• Understanding of merchandising, pricing, inventory, retail, or earned-revenue strategies.
• Comfortable with visual merchandising, arts programming,
• Strong skills in marketing, photography, social media, Square, or other retail systems Experience serving as a brand ambassador—building visibility, cultivating community partnerships, strengthening customer experience, and representing a business or organization in the community—is especially relevant.

Contract Structure

This is an independent contractor (1099) engagement for up to five months. Regular on-site work at DCA, 321 High Street in Cambridge, Maryland, will be necessary, although some planning and administrative work may be completed remotely. Contract fee: $3,500, payable according to agreed project milestones. This temporary contract does not create an employee position or guarantee continued work beyond the pilot period. Volunteers may assist with selected aspects of implementation.