Textiles Craft Skills Program Instructor – Summer Youth Program

Company: Beam Center

Position: Textiles Craft Skills Program Instructor

Compensation: $30/hour

Type: Part-time Seasonal (In-Person)

Location: Beam Center, Red Hook Brooklyn

Employment Dates: June 1st - August 10th, 2026

Hours & Schedule:

• Training & Planning Period:
  • June 1st - July 6th, 2026
  • Up to 60 hours total (hybrid)
• Program Period:
  • July 6th - August 20th, 2026
  • 24 hours/week (in-person)
  • Program Schedule TBD: Either Mon - Wed (10am-6pm) OR Mon - Thurs (10am - 4pm)

Description

At Beam, we've spent the last 20 years coalescing multi-ethnic and intergenerational learning communities of youth, artists, and teachers who work together to construct spectacular projects - big and small - that highlight the magic of creative cooperation.

This role is a summer position in Beam Center’s SkillCETT (Skills in Craft Education & Technical Training) program. The overall program model and content is inspired by the outcomes offered by classic trade apprenticeship experiences, Career and Technical Education (CTE) programs, industry-specific certification/credentialing workshops, and Craft Studies pedagogy. SkillCETT is a program that both offers competency in craft skills and will offer seminar-style discussions centering cultural and historical contextualization of a specific material practice.

This coming summer, we are excited to be implementing SkillCETT again which will explore four separate material cohorts: Wood, Textiles, Metalworking and Digital Fabrication. Participants of these material cohorts will be, on average, aged 16-18 and invited to engage in the program at Beam Center's Red Hook location for 150 hours total over the course of six weeks beginning in July 2026. We are looking for an enthusiastic, organized person to join the SkillCETT Textiles Cohort for the summer to lead facilitation to youth in NYC.

Responsibilities:

• Lead workshop and seminar instruction to a cohort of 10-12 youth (aged 16+) for 25 hours per week for 6 weeks during the program.
• Uphold and maintain a culture of safety with sharps, machines and heat-producing processes
• Be able to lead practical instruction in:
  • Machine sewing, hand stitching
  • Patterning
  • Garment making
  • Embroidery
  • Weaving (Frame and Rigid Heddle Loom)
  • Natural Dyeing (including teaching mordant/tannin/scouring processes)
• Diligent workshop management and keeping track of tools and materials.
• Participate in regular team meetings to share ideas and feedback
• Learn new skills as required by project goals; Share knowledge and skills with program staff.
• Be able to lesson plan, create project schedule, and keep track of consumables
• Maintain a consistent amount of detailed notes for discussion/reflection of future programming
• Have examples and prototypes of projects prior to giving lessons
• Manage and support (2) Youth Staff who are program alumni hired to assist in instruction

Qualifications of strong candidates:

• A general, overarching curiosity and playful mindset toward textiles
• Some familiarity with weaving (frame or rigid heddle loom)
• Sharp competency with sewing machine operations and soft construction processes.
• Familiarity with natural fiber dyeing processes
• Sewing machine maintenance/troubleshooting
• Highly independent, able to set and manage personal goals, expectations, and schedule
• Imaginative, able to be flexible and resourceful.
• Curious, life-long learner
• Professional written and verbal communication skills
• Experience with project-based learning or otherwise working with young people
• Highly collaborative, able to ask questions, offer insight, professional opinions, and celebrate teamwork

How to Apply

1. Familiarize yourself with our organization by checking out our website, Instagram, and Youtube.
2. Email jobs@beamcenter.org with any questions. When you're ready to submit your application please organize the following documents as a single PDF.
   1. Cover letter (<300 words)
   2. Resume
   3. Work sample (newsletters, blogs, websites, social posts, etc.)
3. Applications can be emailed to jobs@beamcenter.org