Associate Curator, Contemporary Art

Art Gallery of Ontario • Toronto, ON

63d • $89,180 - $111,456 • Onsite

About The Position

The Art Gallery of Ontario (AGO) is seeking an Associate Curator, Contemporary Art to join its Curatorial team. This role involves planning, building, and presenting the permanent collection of art after 2000, creating and organizing major exhibitions, and interpreting works of art. The incumbent will foster public understanding of art as a vital social and cultural force and collaborate with colleagues to support the AGO’s mission. This position contributes to the achievement of the AGO’s strategic goals as a leading presenter of contemporary art.

Requirements

• Graduate level education and extensive knowledge of contemporary art, with a demonstrated specialization and familiarity with key currents in the field.
• Minimum MA in Art History or similar discipline.
• Minimum of 5 years of experience of successful organization of major exhibitions and collection development including knowledge of the installation process for works of art.
• Minimum of 5 years of direct experience researching collaboratively and cross-departmentally within a comparable museum (AGO) setting from a curatorial perspective.
• Well-developed organizational, interpersonal and public relations skills.
• Demonstrated writing and research skills, including professional scholarly publication history.
• Demonstrated experience in speaking and writing about art to specialized audiences as well as across diverse audiences.
• Considerable facility with persuasion and negotiation.
• Minimum of 2 years of direct experience with curatorial administrative management.
• Demonstrated short- and long-term planning ability.
• Demonstrated commitment to teamwork to collaboratively and effectively communicate and utilize available resources; experience working successfully with team members.
• Demonstrated judgement in dealing with a variety of stakeholder groups.
• Effective comprehension and application of confidentiality and diplomacy.
• Demonstrated experience working with a variety of computer software packages, including collections management software such as The Museum System (TMS).
• Superior expertise in English proficiency.

Nice To Haves

• Knowledge of the AGO’s core collections desirable (e.g. European, Indigenous and Canadian, Modern, Contemporary, Photography, Prints and Drawings, and Global African & the Diaspora).
• Knowledge of French and/or other languages an asset.

Responsibilities

• In consultation with the Rapp Curator, plans and oversees collection installations and rotations.
• Liaises with other departments across the Gallery; manages communications with lenders and external stakeholders; works with research assistants and/or interns.
• Ensures proper care, handling and display for works of art in the permanent collection.
• Creates, organizes and executes exhibitions and publications on contemporary art and serves as curator for exhibitions hosted by the AGO.
• Collaborates with research assistants and appropriate internal departments throughout the exhibition planning and production process and participates on project teams and other pan-Gallery content planning and delivery forums.
• Coordinates hosted exhibitions; consults with originating curator, participates in production meetings, oversees installation.
• In consultation with the Rapp Curator, identifies and acquires works of art to build the permanent collection, negotiates price, conducts research and prepares reports for presentation to the Contemporary Art Curatorial Committee.
• Prepares documentation for the Canadian Cultural Property Export Review Board (CCPERB).
• Collaborates with the Rapp Curator and the Contemporary Curatorial Committee Chairperson to plan, facilitate and execute effective committee meetings.
• Engages committee members in understanding the artistic and cultural significance of acquisitions and exhibitions as well as their roles as supporters of the Gallery’s artistic mission.
• Provides expert advice both internally to Committees and externally to art collectors and the general public, as needed.
• Conducts research and publishes original work and catalogues on the permanent collection, specific themes, artists or areas of interest.
• Responds to loan requests from other institutions and assesses suitability of works of art for travel, determines insurance values and relevance of exhibition in conjunction with review of facilities of exhibiting institution.
• Promotes the AGO to local and international art communities and among the general public; interacts with scholars, collectors and critics.
• Leads AGO International Art Circle group on a domestic or international trip on average every 12-18 months and participates in AGO’s donor programs as a guest speaker.
• Builds and encourages positive relationships with the collector and donor community, art dealers and auction houses.
• Works with Rapp Curator to develop and administer allocated departmental budget.
• Manages work performance of department staff through hiring, training, scheduling, assigning projects, and monitoring work completion.
• Manages their work and that of their direct reports in accordance with department systems and procedures, applicable collective agreements, and AGO’s policies and procedures on security, administration, human resources, and department manager/supervisor responsibilities for workplace health and safety.
• Upholds the AGO’s values of respect, openness, collaboration, and accountability.
• Performs other duties and projects as assigned

Benefits

• Discounts to GoodLife Fitness.
• Free tickets to every major exhibit at AGO.
• Discounts to major attractions as a part of the Provincial/City Reciprocal Programs.
• Free admission to the AGO for friends and family, discounts at the gift shop, bistro, and Learning Centre.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Mid Level