Curator

**Department**: Art Gallery of Guelph
This position is represented by the agreement between the Professional Staff Association and the University of Guelph.

**General Purpose**

The Art Gallery of Guelph (AGG) is a professional public art gallery that serves as the anchor arts institution for the Guelph community, engaging the public as well as partners such as the University of Guelph, the City of Guelph, and the Upper Grand District School Board through an ambitious and dynamic mandate. With a collection of over 10,000 works, ranging from historical to contemporary, the AGG's artistic program features work by leading visual artists locally, nationally, and internationally, facilitating collaboration and participation in ways that foster and proliferate the exchange of art and ideas. Throughout its work, the Art Gallery of Guelph aims to nurture creative excellence, strengthen community, inform public discourse, and contribute to positive social change.

**Duties and Responsibilities**

Under the general direction of the Executive Director and in partnership with the gallery team members, the Curator of Contemporary Art is involved in all aspects of artistic programming, overseeing AGG’s active exhibition schedule, collection development, and artistic and interpretive programming for the AGG as well as occasional offsite initiatives. The Curator plays a key role in the aspirations of the Art Gallery of Guelph as a dynamic creative catalyst and steward of our important collections, enhancing the gallery’s profile in Canada and internationally through exhibitions, acquisitions, scholarship, and public engagement that reaches and involves a diverse public.

The responsibilities of this position proactively advance the Art Gallery of Guelph and the University of Guelph’s commitment to community and collaboration, as well as creativity and innovation. The position also supports the gallery’s role in education, research, and experiential learning.
- Planning and implementing annual exhibition, publication, and art acquisition programs with the Director
- Liaising with artists regarding the development and implementation of exhibitions, exhibition installation, and publication schedules, as well as public, educational, and promotional programming.
- Engaging and developing community and institutional partners in the development and circulation of exhibitions to support access and impact.
- Ensuring the high quality of AGG content and the integrity of writing by editing and proofing all copy for internal and external promotion and publication, working with artists, writers, photographers, graphic designers, and printing houses; managing budgets; and overseeing catalogue production.
- Developing relationships with donors regarding proposed art donations and receiving gifts of art on behalf of the AGG and the University of Guelph collections.
- Writing content and sourcing images for the website related to exhibitions, as well as generating content for press releases and stories related to the artistic program.
- Preparing and presenting research material to the public, training staff on the concept, development, and educational content of new exhibitions, and leading educational tours for groups of all ages.

**Requirements**:

- Undergraduate Degree in Art History or Fine Arts; Master of Arts (art history) or Master of Fine Arts (studio) degree is preferred, or an equivalent combination of post-secondary education and work experience in the museum field.
- Four (4) years of working experience in public art museums.
- Proven competency in scholarly and critical writing skills. Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
- A current working knowledge of contemporary and historical Canadian art, Indigenous art, as well as international art. Excellent research skills.
- Knowledge of the artworks in the Art Gallery of Guelph and University of Guelph art collections (comprising over 10,000 artworks representing over three centuries of Indigenous, Canadian, and international art).
- Knowledge of: (1) Canadian Cultural Property Export Review Board regulations and procedures (for donations of art); (2) art appraisal regulations in accordance with Revenue Canada; (3) museum database software (for archiving in a cultural institution); (4) international standards for cataloguing art (CHIN: Cultural Heritage Information Network); and (5) Canadian copyright regulations.

**This appointment is regularly performed on-campus.**

Employee Type: Regular
Position Number: 10909743
Classification: P&M FT- Band 04
Professional/Managerial Salary Bands

Posting Date: 09/13/2024
Closing Date: 10/07/2024