Curator, Gallery

The Municipality of Chatham-Kent has an opening for a permanent full-time Curator, Art Gallery in the Arts and Culture Services division.

**Job description**

The Curator, Art Gallery in the Arts and Culture section of the Community, Culture & Connections division is responsible for managing all aspects of the Thames Art Gallery and ARTspace including municipal administration, operations, exhibitions management, collection management, programming, and community relations.

**Essential responsibilities**
- Demonstrate Chatham-Kent’s core values and competencies
- Lead, inspire, direct, engage and mentor a talented and diverse staff team in the successful operation of the Thames Art Gallery, which is recognized for dynamic exhibitions featuring local, national and international artists with a focus on arts education and multidisciplinary programming that encourages engagement and fosters critical dialogues; and ARTspace, an incubator for local artists, which exhibits and promotes a diversity of artistic practices, with focus on professional development of local emerging artists, connections, mentorships, affordable arts programming and community engagement.
- Research, produce and market a multi-year exhibition plan for the Thames Art Gallery in accordance with the Gallery’s Strategic Plan, utilizing a team approach
- Lead and support staff in the development and implementation of programming and special events that provoke, inspire and encourage reflection on the histories of arts, our locale and population, and extend the definition of art as it relates to broader contemporary culture
- Establish priorities for collections development, lead curatorial decision making and oversee collection stewardship
- Oversee the management of the permanent collection according to industry standards, including acquisitions, deaccessions, donations, and related cataloguing
- Responsible for municipal budget development, management, tracking and reporting; be familiar with day to day financial operations such as cash handling and payroll
- Liaise with the Gallery Advisory Committee in accordance with the Terms of Reference for the Committee
- Coordinate the physical requirements needed at the Thames Art Gallery and ARTspace with facility staff
- Be an ambassador for the arts within the community, particularly at Thames Art Gallery and ARTspace functions

**Essential qualifications**
- University degree, preferably in an Art History or Fine Arts and/or Curatorial Studies, with two (2) to four (4) years of related experience
- Experience in managing or has assisted with the management of gallery operations, including supervisory experience ie. recruitment, training, mentoring and coaching staff
- Experience managing exhibit operations, including exhibition development, catalogue publishing, and collections management
- Knowledge of municipal, provincial and federal Art Gallery operating standards
- Working knowledge of operating budgets and financial reporting
- Strong interpersonal and communication skills, written and verbal
- Strong computer skills, specifically Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook) (or similar software program)

**Other qualifications**:

- Previous experience in a municipal art gallery would be an asset

**Certifications, memberships, licenses**
- Certificate in Collections Management is an asset
- Member of Ontario Association of Art Galleries (OAAG) is an asset

**Work environment/hours of **work
- This position works mostly indoors
- This position works weekday hours, with occasional evening and weekend hours
- Ability to work a variable work schedule including evenings, weekends and holidays as required

**COVID-19 Vaccination**

The Municipality of Chatham-Kent no longer requires a COVID-19 vaccination as a condition of employment. Although it is not mandatory to be vaccinated, it is highly encouraged.

**Driver’s licence/vehicle requirements**

Because this position would be required to travel, a valid Province of Ontario driver's license with a reliable motor vehicle is necessary.

**Background check requirements**

**Essential physical and/or safety requirements**
- Bending: frequent stooping, twisting (ticket printer is below the box office attendants which requires bending and twisting)
- Walking: frequent walking on level surface (work indoors on a carpeted floor)
- Sitting: constant sitting in a chair (Box Office Attendants sit at their computer throughout the day to sell tickets, answer phones, and direct the public to the area that they want to go in)
- Reaching: frequently reaching below shoulder, forward (reach below shoulders whenever tickets are printed; required to stretch and reach for customers to give their tickets to them)
- Hands: frequent fine finger dexterity (movement); constant mousing (using fingers to sell tickets on the computer, pick up printed tickets, counting cash)

**Benefits**

This permanent full-time position will receive an annual wage of $73,1