Working with Artist-Instructors to Lead and Teach

Working with Artist-Instructors (A-I’s) for Oaxaca Programs, Workshops, Retreats

Thank you for considering the opportunity to lead a program in Oaxaca through Oaxaca Cultural Navigator LLC.  We are educational providers who create learning experiences based in the Oaxaca valley of Mexico.  We are not tour guides or tour operators.  We develop residential programs, usually based in the Zapotec weaving village of Teotitlan del Valle.  Some of our programs include overnights in Oaxaca city , depending upon the content.  Our goal is to create extraordinary experiences that introduce people to the beauty of Oaxaca and ignite their desire to return again and again.  Our interest is in supporting cultural sustainability based upon tourism support for local artisans.

The following is an explanation of how we typically work with artist-instructors and anyone with a creative idea that could become a valuable learning experience for others.

Oaxaca Cultural Navigator LLC produces the educational event, and covers artist-instructor airfare, lodging, meals, most on-ground transportation related to the workshop, and a negotiated honorarium.   A complete “how we work with artist-instructors” is sent upon receipt of a prospectus and bio-brief.

We request that that A-I’s actively co-market with us.  This is important because instructors will have local, regional or national name recognition as an expert in their field, and a network of professional and personal contacts.  Promoting the program then becomes a shared responsibility to attract participants.  Because of this, we are open to sharing revenue after expenses are covered. We will prepare a flyer for e- distribution and post this to our website and Facebook pages, and distribute via our electronic mailing list.  We request that the A-I use the flyer in the same way, as well as print and post it in key locations in the region where s/he lives.

We organize and deliver all the infrastructure and support for the on-ground program logistics, including arranging and pre-paying lodging, meals, transportation, pre-meetings with subject individuals or families, and any other activities related to the program that we agree to. All pre-workshop information sent to participants is prepared by us both and sent by email in order to contain costs.

A-I’s are responsible for developing all content, determining length of learning sessions, outlining lesson plans, preparing pre-program information for e-distribution, creating what-to-bring/equipment lists, and preparing a daily program schedule using a template that we provide.  Before moving forward, we will provide feedback about lesson plans and program goals.  Our goal is to offer a valuable program at a reasonable cost to the participant, while including optional activities and plenty of space for independent work or free-time.

We want to bring people to Oaxaca to enjoy the arts, culture, history and villages, introduce them to communities and culture, and keep the workshops affordable. We also want to offer opportunities for creative people to teach in Oaxaca and enable them to get there without extraordinary out-of-pocket expense

You can see the schedules of upcoming programs on this website to see how we market, promote and organize our typical educational experiences.

We request that you send us a prospectus for what you would like to teach and a short (no more than one-page) bio brief that includes your professional qualifications.  We will then contact you to discuss your proposal in more detail.

With sincerest thanks,

Norma Hawthorne

Oaxaca Cultural Navigator LLC

normahawthorne@mac.com

(919) 274-6194