Content Writer & Editor, Western Front

Installation photo of Robert Kleyn, Miss July (1979). Courtesy of the artist and Western Front.

Content Writer & Editor
Western Front, Vancouver

Term: Fixed-term contract, 16 months
Hours: 35 hours per week, possibility for flexible work arrangements
Wage: $25 per hour
Benefits: Health and dental benefits, 4-weeks vacation
Application Deadline: May 20, 2022, 4:00 p.m. PDT
Interviews: Week of May 30, 2022
Start Date: mid-June

Western Front is one of Canada’s leading artist-run centres located on the unceded, ancestral, and occupied, traditional lands of the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Skwxwú7mesh (Squamish), and səl̓ílwətaʔɬ (Tsleil-Waututh) Nations of the Coast Salish peoples in Vancouver, Canada. Founded in 1973, Western Front delivers a multidisciplinary program that supports artists to produce and present work, and to foster public exchange at a local, national, and international level. We do this through new work commissions, exhibitions, performances, concerts, publishing, residencies, and workshops. Western Front also preserves and provides access to an ever-growing archive that documents the organization’s history of artistic programming and production of media artworks.

Job Description

Western Front has recently undertaken a major multi-year archival database and website development project. With developer Whirl-i-gig, we have created a custom and open-source CollectiveAccess build to improve our archive’s administrative, digital preservation, and descriptive needs, and to provide public access to these holdings on our organizational website. Concurrently, Western Front is also in the process of digitizing the entirety of its analogue tape holdings.

The Content Writer & Editor is a fixed-term position that will report to Western Front’s Executive Director and work alongside our Archivists and graphic designer, to provide editorial oversight and manage the publication of archival records on Western Front’s website. The impact of this position is paramount for Western Front in providing increased accessibility and researchability, and administrative functionality, preservation, and institutional memory of our archives.

Responsibilities

Research and write descriptions of artworks and events, and artist biographies, for online publication.
Liaise with artists and their representatives to seek permission for images, audio, and content releases, and fact-check and obtain approval for descriptions and artist biographies before publication.
Manage the editorial selection of images, video, and audio to accompany archive records online in collaboration with Western Front’s graphic designer.
Proofread all material for accuracy and to ensure it adheres to Western Front’s standards and style guide.
Oversee content updates to the Archives section of Western Front’s website.
Manage the internal transfer of the artistic program records to the archives, as per Western Front’s Records Management Policy.
Create social media content to promote the project and enhance access to our archives.
Create, oversee or proofread accessibility initiatives such as closed captioning, transcriptions, and content notices.

The ideal candidate will possess

Experience, education or training in publishing, art history, or curation.
A passion for the arts and a genuine interest in the multidisciplinary work presented by Western Front, including excellent knowledge of contemporary art, media art, performance, music, and literary practices.
Proven experience writing, copy editing, and proofreading for online publication.
Demonstrated success in effectively meeting publication timelines.
Attention to detail and comfortable working with data and repetitive screen-related tasks.
Demonstrated commitment to working collegially and collaboratively to build respectful and trusting relationships with a diverse group of staff, community members, and stakeholders.
Ability to work independently with minimal supervision and to carry out independent research.
Proven facility with Mac OS, Google Suite, Microsoft Office, Adobe CS, and/or CollectiveAccess an asset.

How to Apply

Please submit a brief cover letter, curriculum vitae, and the name and contact details of three references to info@westernfront.ca with the subject “Content Writer & Editor” by Friday, May 20, 2022 at 4 p.m. PDT.

We thank all applicants, and advise that only applicants shortlisted for an interview will be contacted.

Employment Equity

Western Front actively supports equity, diversity, and inclusion. We believe that diversity strengthens and enriches us, and are committed to helping to make the arts and cultural sector a more diverse and equitable place. We encourage, among others, Indigenous people, people from racialized communities, women, people with disabilities, and people of diverse sexual orientations and gender identities to apply. If you wish to self-identify please do so in your cover letter.

All qualified candidates are welcome to apply, however Canadian citizens, permanent residents, and those who hold a Canadian work permit will be given priority.

Accessibility

Western Front is partially accessible. We are currently conducting feasibility planning to improve the accessibility of our beloved but challenging heritage building. If you have specific questions relating to accessibility, please email: info@westernfront.ca

For more information about Western Front and its artistic program visit:
westernfront.ca
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