Closing Date: 24 March, 11:00 pm EST
Contract, Part-time position

About the Role

The Ottawa Art Gallery (OAG), in partnership with the Ottawa Black Art Kollective (OBAK), is hiring a part-time, contracted, guest curator to plan and execute one commercial exhibition in Gallery Annexe. This opportunity is ideal for an emerging curator and intended to amplify Black and African descent curatorial voices and artistic expression within the regional visual arts community.  The OAG has created this opportunity with the intent of:

• Giving authorship to curators with lived experiences as Black or African descent;
• Supporting the professional development of those who identify as Black or African descent;
• Supporting the expansion of the curatorial and artistic community by sharing platforms and providing open access to space and resources;
• Increasing exposure and representation for community curators and artists who identify as Black or African descent;
• Support the OAG’s commitment to partnership development, collaboration, on-going engagement and shared authority with members of the BIPOC, francophone, disability-identified and 2SLGBTQ+ communities.

This contract offers mentorship opportunities in a professional gallery setting. The candidate will work directly with the following OAG staff: Senior Curator and the Commercial Curator to develop and execute the exhibition; gallery technicians to plan for installation; Learning and Engagement staff to provide content for tours and/or related programming; Development staff to identify any sponsorship opportunities; Communications and Marketing staff to develop a marketing plan and Events staff to plan the vernissage and other public events that may be required for the project.

In addition, the candidate will have the opportunity to select a mentorship, outside the OAG and OBAK, with their chosen curator or organization.

Candidates will be required to work both virtually and in person, onsite.

Curatorial Fee: $6,000.00 (part time for 7 months, paid bi-weekly, flexible hours).

Location: Candidates will be required to work both virtually and in person, onsite.

Exhibition

The contract Commercial, Community Guest Curator will plan and execute one commercial exhibition, scheduled in 2024, to be presented in Galerie Annexe. This opportunity is ideal for an emerging curator who is committed to the advancement of Black/African descent visual arts professionals and audiences. We are looking for a candidate who is friendly, diplomatic, and passionate about supporting the OAG’s commitment to situating equity, inclusion and anti-racism as a central tenet and foundational practice.

This opportunity is an ongoing, yearly contract position, which will allow the OAG to collaborate with, and to provide access and experience to emerging curators from underrepresented communities in the NCR.

Qualifications

• Post-secondary degree or equivalent in arts administration, museum studies, business or commerce; and/or holds demonstrated experience working for a commercial art gallery; and/or working with community events management;
• Knowledge and appreciation for regional arts and cultures;
• Bilingual in English and French (written and oral) would be an asset.

Responsibilities

Candidates do not require experience in all the responsibilities listed below, however, would benefit from some experience in the following tasks. Training and mentorship will be provided to support the candidate:

• Exhibition proposal writing;
• Work with the Commercial Curator to plan and execute a commercial exhibition, from start to finish, in the Galerie Annexe space;
• Manage and track the budgets related to the exhibition;
• Identify artists and artwork to be included in the exhibition;
• Manage administrative tasks related to exhibit;
• Plan exhibition layout;
• Support the installation of the exhibition;
• Write an exhibition description;
• Organize a reception for the exhibition;
• Participate in post-contract debriefing to provide feedback about your experience, in order to better develop the position moving forward.

Requirements for the Position

Skills and Competencies:

• Experience and willingness to engage with regional Black/African, Indigenous and racialized visual artists and communities;
• Project/event management experience;
• Ability to multi-task and prioritize duties as needed within a quick-paced, sales-oriented environment;
• Organized with strong time management skills;
• Strong administrator with excellent computer skills and proficient in MSOffice suite (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, etc.);
• Strong written and verbal communication skills.

How to apply

Please send a copy of your cover letter and resume to jobs@oaggao.ca to the attention of Stephanie Germano, Commercial Curator, by the closing date. Please be sure to reference the specific job you are interested in applying for in the subject line. A committee existing of OAG staff and Ottawa Black Arts Kollective (OBAK) members will review all submissions. We thank all applicants for their interest and only those selected for an interview will be contacted.

Equity

The Ottawa Art Gallery extends a commitment to equity in every aspect of the organization and recognizes that structural inequalities create significant barriers to equal opportunity employment. We strongly encourage applications from equity-seeking communities, from individuals who identify as Indigenous, Black, People of Colour, Persons with Disabilities, and 2SLGBTQQIA+ and/or persons living at intersectionalities.

Accessibility

The OAG fully supports the inclusion of persons with disabilities in all of its operations. In accordance with the requirements of the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act, 2005 (AODA) and the Ontario Human Rights Code, the OAG strives to conduct its business in a way that is accessible, inclusive and responsive to the needs of persons with disabilities.

The OAG is committed to ensuring that employment opportunities are fully accessible to job candidates and employees with disabilities. Should you require accommodation during the staffing process, please do not hesitate to contact Emma Campbell (ecampbell@oaggao.ca)

About the Ottawa Art Gallery

Join our team in supporting local and regional artists while shaping the future of visual arts and culture in Canada. Together we can tell a story of our community’s evolution through art and contribute in creating a positive vision for our city’s future. The Ottawa Art Gallery (OAG) is a premiere art gallery and cultural destination in the downtown core. It is a sustainable and innovative institution that is a positive economic contributor for the national capital region and holds a world-class collection of art.

About Galerie Annexe

Galerie Annexe is a commercial gallery, within the Ottawa Art Gallery, that strives to support, display, sell and rent artwork for regional artists. With over 100 artists represented by Galerie Annexe, our team is dedicated to providing support to the professional development of artists while contextualizing emerging and established artists within the larger structure of a municipal gallery.  

About the Ottawa Black Art Kollective (OBAK)

OBAK is a collaborative group of Black artists and patrons committed to increasing the visibility of visual artists of African descent in the National Capital Region (NCR). Our goal is to provide ongoing mentoring, networking, exhibition and professional development opportunities to our members, through OBAK peer/patron support, as well as, in partnership with other NCR artists, businesses and arts organizations. For more information about OBAK or to discuss partnership opportunities please see OBAK.ca