Senior Curator: Exhibitions, Collections & Programs, MacLaren Art Centre

Job Opportunity:
Senior Curator: Exhibitions, Collections & Programs
MacLaren Art Centre

maclarenart.com

Location: Barrie, ON. This is an on-site position with negotiable, flexible work options.
Job Type: Full Time, Permanent
Salary: $70,000 – $80,000 + Benefit package
Application Deadline: November 12, 2023
Start Date: TBD

About

The MacLaren Art Centre (MAC) is a free public art gallery located on the traditional territory of the Anishinaabek, which include the Odawa, Ojibwe, and Pottawatomi Nations, collectively known as the Three Fires Confederacy. With over 4,000 works of contemporary and modern Canadian art in the permanent collection, the gallery serves an immediate community of approximately 300,000 people across Barrie and Simcoe County. We approach our work with a regional responsibility, responding to issues that matter in our immediate community within the broader context of the provincial and national visual art and cultural framework. We offer a variety of modern and contemporary exhibitions that focus on visual art and visual culture by Canadian artists of regional, provincial, and national significance. Our goal is to provide the community with an exciting and relevant range of art exhibitions, tours, lectures, and art programs that inspire curiosity, creativity, and interest in the visual arts.

Position Summary

Reporting to the Executive Director, the Senior Curator: Exhibitions, Collections & Programs serves as a key member of the MacLaren Art Centre’s management team working to expand the impact of the gallery by creating and sustaining an exciting and relevant exhibition program. Leading a collaborative and community-focused artistic, curatorial, education, and public art programming team, this position works with all gallery departments, relevant community organizations, and key stakeholders toward the realization of the MAC’s artistic vision and mandate. The Senior Curator will make meaningful contributions to all aspects of the MAC’s life including artistic and strategic planning, budgeting, and collaborative team building while acting as an ambassador for the MAC at all levels of public engagement.

The Senior Curator is responsible for continuing, expanding, and developing a strategic and engaging exhibition program of various scales and range of artistic practices. They are responsible to oversee all aspects of exhibition and collection planning from vision to production, as well as keeping abreast of potential partnerships and exhibition offerings from other galleries and independent curators. They will be a key contributor to the vision and objectives of the art and education program and play a key role in the delivery of an exhibition program that makes space for diverse narratives in a way that values and empowers different worldviews and forms of knowledge. This position will play a key role in the research, planning, and implementation of a de-colonizing strategy for the gallery, and work to broaden the definition of art most especially from Indigenous Peoples, Black and people of colour, Francophone, deaf and disability artists, women and 2SLGBTQ+ communities.

The Senior Curator will provide direction on all areas of collection management including the research, development, preservation, documentation, and exhibition of the permanent collection and will ensure that the collection is accessible to various publics through Gallery programs and online sources.

Minimum Formal Education

• Master’s degree in Art History, Visual Culture, Museum Studies, Curatorial Practice, or combination of relevant education and experience.

Minimum Qualifications and Skills

• Two (2) years recent and progressive experience working within a public art gallery with curatorial and collection related duties. Past experience within a mid-sized regional gallery a definite asset.
• Evidence of curatorial achievement including research and publication, exhibition planning and execution, and collections management.
• One (1) year supervisory experience.
• Demonstrated ability and experience developing and conducting independent research projects.
• An inclusive and inspiring work philosophy that values and utilizes the expertise of diverse individuals and groups (artists, teams, colleagues, other museums, stakeholders) as they achieve curatorial goals and artistic projects together.
• Experience leading, overseeing and coordinating volunteers, individuals, and teams.
• Ability to prioritize and multi-task a range of projects at different stages of development.
• Up to date knowledge of contemporary, modern, interdisciplinary, digital, and public art practices.
• Knowledge of gallery methods and techniques including technical and aesthetic dimensions of exhibition installation including planning, design, implementation, and all job-related technologies and best practices.
• Demonstrated capacity to stay up to date on relevant social and cultural trends.
• Up-to-date knowledge regarding collection management best practices and collection data base applications.
• Demonstrated oral, written, presentation and reporting communication skills and capacities.
• Track record of successful grant writing.
• Believes the visitor experience is paramount.
• Flexible and embraces change, diverse points of view, and creative problem solving.
• Adaptability, strong interpersonal skills, and a good sense of humour.
• Proficiency in Google Sketch-up.
• Successful vulnerability sector screening as required.
• A valid Ontario driver’s license, regular drivers abstract, and access to a vehicle.
• Health and Safety training as identified and required.

For the full job description and requirements visit: maclarenart.com/jobs/

How to Apply:

In one pdf document, applicants must submit a relevant CV, and Cover Letter (max – 2 pages) that describes your background, curatorial practice, and interest in the position.

Resumes and cover letters will be received via email at lisa@maclarenart.com no later than 11:59pm, November 12, 2023, Subject line: Senior Curator Position.

Screening Process:

• Shortlisted candidates will be contacted for an interview and will be required to provide the following additional information prior to confirming the interview date & time.
  ◦  Two curatorial writing samples (Exhibition text, didactic text, project grant text, etc.)
  ◦  Up to 10 installation images of at least 4 exhibitions you have curated or co-curated.
  ◦  A clear statement of your curatorial philosophy (500 words).
• Additional writing samples and/or interviews may be required.

The MacLaren Art Centre is committed to being an employer that reflects our community and fosters an inclusive workplace. We welcome and encourage candidates who are women, BIPOC, LGBTQ2S+ and people with disabilities to apply. Accommodations are available for all parts of the recruitment process. Applicants must make their needs known in advance.

Qualified internal applicants will be prioritized in the recruitment process. We thank all candidates who apply but only those selected for an interview will be contacted.

MacLaren Art Centre
37 Mulcaster Street
Barrie, ON. L4M 3M2
www.maclarenart.com

Facebook: @maclarenart
Instagram: @maclarenart
Twitter: @MacLarenArt