Curating.info

vessel is an independent art space based in Bari (Apulia, Italy) offering an internship programme, from 1 to 8 months, for two bright and enthusiastic individuals with an interest in the contemporary art scene. Participants will gain valuable and marketable experience by working alongside project curators on research projects and events to further the cause of vessel.

Involvement

Interns will be involved in organizing and cataloguing artistic and curatorial materials, conducting research relevant to current and future projects, running local errands, performing clerical and administrative duties and other duties typical of a nonprofit space.

Applicants

This internship seeks to enroll candidates with a strong background in art/culture management, economics, human development, social science, environment, and private sector development as well as other related fields.

Fluency in English and excellent computer skills are required. Prior relevant work experience, as well as knowledge of languages such as French, Spanish and Italian are advantageous.

Commitment

As a new, nonprofit organization we are currently unable to offer salary to our interns but will provide an allowance towards travel expenses where appropriate. Interns have the option of residing in vessel project headquarters for a month-to-month fee or may independently seek housing elsewhere.


Apply

To apply please send a cover letter and resume by email to selezionivessel(at)gmail.com specifying “internship” in the subject heading.

The deadline for submittal is January the 9th, 2012


www.vesselartproject.org
facebook.com/vessel.bari

Winner of the prize “Principi Attivi 2010 – Giovani Idee per una Puglia Migliore”
Supported by Apulia Region

Interaccess: Programming Coordinator
Deadline December 2

Position Type: Regular 30 hours/week, evenings and weekends as required
Salary: $26,500 - $30,000 starting salary
Years Experience: 2+

BENEFITS:

 A benefits package is available after a three-month probation period is completed. Four weeks paid vacation, in addition to statutory holidays, offered. InterAccess provides professional development opportunities.

DESCRIPTION:
InterAccess seeks a motivated arts professional to step into the role of Programming Coordinator.

InterAccess was incorporated in 1983 as a non-profit, artist-run access centre, under the name Toronto Community Videotex. Today, InterAccess is Ontario's only gallery and production facility devoted exclusively to electronic media art. From its early incarnations as a non-profit, artist-run access centre in the mid-1980s to its current role as a global participant in electronic media art curation and exhibition, InterAccess has ambitiously explored artistic practices associated with interactivity; networked and remote connection; and experimental interfacing between the physical and virtual.

InterAccess has a mandate to present new media art by local, national and international artists. Currently the program promotes experimentation with conceptual models and contexts for visual art that have allowed the program to expand beyond gallery exhibitions to include cross-disciplinary works, site-specific and Internet projects, and co-productions.

RESPONSIBILITIES:
The Programming Coordinator reports to the Executive Director, and is responsible for:

Developing and communicating a dynamic vision for the Exhibitions Program
Research, studio visits, soliciting and reviewing submissions
Identifying international artists to complement local work
Curating exhibitions and all associated programming

Writing and editing publications
(including web and media releases)
Coordinating public events and receptions, talks, tours and screenings
Installation of exhibitions; coordination with artists and exhibition partners
Assisting with grants and seeking opportunities for sponsorship

Tracking and monitoring budget components related to program expenditures
QUALIFICATIONS 


BA/BFA required, MA/MFA an asset
Understanding of contemporary art practices

Excellent written and verbal communication skills in English (Knowledge of French or a second language an asset)
Strong organizational skills
; detail oriented
Brings a high level of self-direction and initiative with strong time-management abilities
Ability to provide direction and work with a diverse staff, board and membership
High capacity to meet deadlines and work under pressure

A clear understanding of Canadian artist-run centres
Knowledge of managing publications and print projects (Graphic design experience an asset)
Experience installing a variety of art exhibitions

Experience making or presenting new media art

TECHNICAL QUALIFICATIONS:
A technician and skilled volunteers support activities. Professional development and on-site training is provided. The following would be considered assets:

Good working knowledge of web languages: HTML, CSS, and JavaScript (PHP an asset)
Experience with MySQL and FTP programs
Knowledge of common CMS systems, WordPress etc.
Knowledge of Internet Protocols, setting up local networks, setting up Internet connections for artworks
Working knowledge of common programs such as Arduino, Processing, Pure Data, and Max/MSP
Basic understanding of electronics and electronic fabrication
Advanced experience in Mac OSX and Windows (Linux an asset)
Experience with Adobe CS
Understanding of video codecs, resolutions, and projector/monitor requirements.
Knowledge of Final Cut Pro, FFMPEG (Other conversion and production programs an asset)
Experience installing and routing cabling
Basic construction and fabrication abilities
Experience working with sound and P.A. systems

SEND SUBMISSIONS TO:

“Programming Coordinator Position”
c/o Laura Berazadi, Executive Director, InterAccess
info -at- interaccess.org
Please apply no later than Friday, December 2.
Include cover letter, CV, and a writing sample.
InterAccess is committed to the principles of Employment Equity and encourages applicants to self-identify.

The University of Warwick

Warwick Arts Centre

Assistant Curator

Mead Gallery

£27,428 - £35,788 pa Ref: 20602-101 (Appointments are usually made on the first point of the salary range)

The Mead Gallery is located in Warwick Arts Centre, the largest presenter of contemporary arts in the Midlands. The Mead Gallery contributes to the critical presentation of recent and contemporary visual culture. You will assist with the management of a high profile gallery and the development of an international programme of exhibitions and events that engage and extend audiences. Candidates should have significant professional experience working within the context of the contemporary visual arts.

Interview date: 9 December 2011

In order to apply for this vacancy select the below link for an application form. This will re-direct you to the University of Warwick Jobs Board at Hirewire.co.uk. Select the vacancy that you wish to apply for and follow the online instructions. Please note that this will be the only accepted method of application for this post.

For more information and to apply, please visit our website.

Please tag the url in the text to the following: https://www.hirewire.co.uk/HE/1054864/THW_JobBoard.aspx

Minicom users: 024 7615 0554.

Closing date: 28 November 2011.

www.warwick.ac.uk/jobs

The University values Diversity

Bowdoin College Museum of Art seeks candidates with a specialization in the field of modern and/or contemporary art for the position of Andrew W. Mellon Post-Doctoral Curatorial Fellow. Together with the Director and curatorial staff, The Andrew W. Mellon Post-Doctoral Curatorial Fellow works to strengthen the academic role of the Museum's collections, facilitating the use of original works of art by faculty and students, and assists with public programming, exhibitions, publications, and acquisitions. The Bowdoin College Museum of Art, one of the oldest collegiate collections in the nation, recently reopened after a major renovation and expansion of its facilities. Housed in a building listed on the National Register of Historic Places, its encyclopedic collection consists of nearly 20,000 objects ranging in date from antiquity to the present. This position offers excellent benefits and a competitive salary. This is a three-year appointment.

Job Requirements
A recent Ph.D in art history with a specialization in modern and/or contemporary art is required. Applicants who will receive their Ph.D. by June 30, 2012 will also be considered. Broad knowledge of art history desired. Proven ability to work on multiple projects within a deadline-driven environment, and strong research, writing, and public speaking skills. Strong organizational and project management skills.

A minimum of one to two years working in a museum environment and demonstrated experience with object-based learning are required.

Review of applications will begin on December 5th, 2011 and will continue until the position is filled. To apply please visit https://careers.bowdoin.edu/applicants/Central?quickFind=51350 and complete an online application for the position. Paper or emailed applications will not be considered. Bowdoin College is committed to equality thorough affirmative action, and is an equal opportunity employer. We encourage inquiries from candidates who will enrich and contribute to the cultural and ethnic diversity of our College. Bowdoin College does not discriminate on the basis of age, race, creed, color, religion, marital status, gender, sexual orientation, veteran status, national origin, or disability status in employment, or in our education programs.

Emerging Curators at GAMeC
18–21 November 2011 – GAMeC, Bergamo

4th Edition
QUI. ENTER ATLAS
International Symposium of Emerging Curators
18–21 November 2011

6th Edition
Lorenzo Bonaldi Award for Art – EnterPrize
Award Ceremony
21 November 2011 – at 7 pm


Via San Tomaso, 53
24121 Bergamo
T +39 035 270272
F +39 035 236962
www.gamec.it

Under the direction of Giacinto Di Pietrantonio, the Galleria d'Arte Moderna e Contemporanea di Bergamo (GAMeC) in Italy presents the fourth edition of QUI. ENTER ATLAS. International Symposium of Emerging Curators. This four-day symposium, held from November 18–21, 2011 at GAMeC, and open to the general public, is a discussion-based event accompanying the Lorenzo Bonaldi Award for Art – EnterPrize.

For every edition of QUI. ENTER ATLAS, the symposium's discussion topics, format and participants change. This year, the symposium is titled The Billiard Effect and centres on exhibition histories in the making. Participants present their work along with case studies of influential exhibitions held from 1989 to the present, which may include anything from exhibitions or permanent collections, art biennials, and solo- or group-exhibitions, as well as discursive-oriented programming series, event-based or long-term initiatives shaped by atypical curatorial practices.

This symposium is realized by Sofía Hernández Chong Cuy, Curator for Contemporary Art at Colección Patricia Phelps de Cisneros, and Alessandro Rabottini, Curator at Large, GAMeC.

Participants of The Billiard Effect include 14 curators under the age of 35 from Europe, the Middle East, Latin America and North America; nine curators in this group were convened by the symposium organizers, and five curators were nominated by an external group of international advisors to participate as runners-up for the Bonaldi Award.

Emerging art curators working exceptionally at public institutions, non-profit spaces or independently, will share their curatorial projects, methods and research.

These are the participants of The Billiard Effect:

Marwa Arsanios, Curator and co-founder, 98 weeks Research / Project space, Beirut
Ieva Astahovska, Curator, Latvian Centre for Contemporary Art, Latvia
Yann Chateigné Tytelman, Dean of Visual Arts Department, Geneva University of Art and Design, Geneva
Vincenzo de Bellis, Co-founder and co-director, Peep-Hole, Milan
Luigi Fassi, Director, arge/kunst Galerie Museum, Bolzano
Fredi Fischli, Freelance curator, Zurich
Inti Guerrero, Independent curator, critic and researcher, Hong Kong
Loren Hansi Momodu, Curator, Tate Modern, London
Prem Krishnamurthy, Founder and director, Project Projects, New York
Sohrab Mohebbi, Critic and free-lance curator, New York
Jorge Munguía, Independent curator; co-founder of Salón and Pase Usted, Mexico City
Júlia Rebouças, Curator, Inhotim Institute, Belo Horizonte
Sarah Rifky, Curator, Townhouse Gallery of Contemporary Art, Il Cairo
Sandra Terdjman, Director, Kadist Art Foundation, Paris

QUI. ENTER ATLAS. International Symposium of Emerging Curators intends to be an occasion for professional development, through an exchange of ideas and experiences between peers and together with an audience.

For these reasons, aside from the symposium, a weblog has been especially created: The Billiard Effect Blog is an editorial project by Francesco Garutti available on the website www.enteratlas-gamec2011.com. This weblog is conceived as a conversation platform to share and cross-reference contents explored in the for The Billiard Effect.

The symposium's closing event, on Monday, November 21st, is the Award Ceremony for the sixth edition of Lorenzo Bonaldi Award for Art – EnterPrize. An award unique in its genre, it grants project support to a young curator under the age of 30. The awarded curator is invited to present an exhibition next year at GAMeC.

The five curators participating in the symposium that are considered for the Award are: Fredi Fischli, Loren Hansi Momodu, Sohrab Mohebbi, Júlia Rebouças and Inti Guerrero.

The jury's members for the Lorenzo Bonaldi Award for Art – EnterPrize are: Giacinto Di Pietrantonio, Director, GAMeC, Bergamo; Alex Farquharson, Director, Nottingham Contemporary, Nottingham; and Viktor Misiano, Editor in Chief, Moscow Art Magazine, Moscow.


For further information: www.gamec.it.


QUI. ENTER ATLAS – International Symposium of Emerging Curators
18 November – at 6 pm
19–20 November – from 10 am to 1 pm / from 2.30 to 6 pm
21 November – from 10 am to 1 pm / from 5 to 6.30 pm

Lorenzo Bonaldi Award for Art – EnterPrize
Award Ceremony
21 November – at 7 pm

Free entrance

Special contribution by Amy Fung

I went to live and work in Scotland (a nation and not a country) for six months this past year on an arts writing and curating fellowship. The food was bad, the people solid, and the best art show I saw was German. The overall experience of being on a writing/curating fellowship sounds better than it actually was; and while I do not regret my time spent in the land of lochs and moors, I would have done somethings quite differently if I could do it all again.

Looking backwards and from across the pond, the bright shining light of Framework stands out as a beacon. Devised by Glasgow-based independent curator Kirsteen Macdonald the first five Framework events came as a response to the perceived lack of international resources and networks for Scotland-based curators. While both independent and emerging curators were encouraged to apply, the majority of participants consisted primarily of emerging curators who were looking more for a sounding board to vent their frustrations. I can only hypothesize that the more established curators refused to apply or excused themselves as too busy to participate, but as a platform for networking with international guests within the scope of your national peers, I walked away with a sense that those curators in more stable positions needed to feel they were not on the same level as everyone else, or that they were also not interested in engaging with these guests out of some sort of inferiority complex.

On the other hand, an easy critique can and should be made at the definition of "international" only demarcating UK and Berlin-based writers and curators like Jan Verwoert and Maria Fusco. But let's go back to the beginning of this text where I am giving a first impression of Scotland and consequently Scotland's art scene.

Coming from Canada, I was and remain blown away by the sheer scale difference of Scotland's wee geography. With only a 45 minute train journey between Glasgow and Edinburgh, and only a three hour train between the central belt and the North East town where I was based, geography does not play a convincing factor in the vastly different attitudes and the general lack of internal dialogue. The town of Huntly where I was working and living could have stood as a microcosm of Scotland as a whole: a wee picturesque place, embedded with traditions and class structures, tolerating and attempting to build a lively and surprising contemporary art scene – producing works that rarely anyone local actually pays attention to unless a ceilidh is on the bill. The common practice is to look south and out for success and inspiration, often bringing people in for their ideas -- but at the end of my six months, I do wonder if the people of Huntly, and by extension the people of Scotland, actually care that an ongoing privileging of foreign value perspectives and systems is being placed onto their sovereignty-seeking selves?

With a population of 5 million, there are actually four sizable art schools in Scotland, and a significant proportion of alumni from The Gordon Schools in Huntly go on to attend these national art schools. I attended (in some variation) all the graduate or undergraduate exhibitions for Glasgow School of Art, Edinburgh College of Art, Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art and Design, and Gray's School of Art. Mentorship on the production side is visible and lineage is respected, but of the four schools, only one showed any depth in the relatively new field of curatorial studies and arts writing. This is a problem, especially if the solution has been importing in thought rather than focusing on the local production of critical thinking. This may be a watershed moment as now under Creative Scotland's new "talent" pool, artists of all disciplines will be geared to how they fare for international consumption. Like its fine drams and rich shortbreads, goods that few born and bred Scots actually show much interest in, Scottish artists may soon be on the same ship out.

This is not a problem unique to Scotland, but Framework has magnified a contentious issue that it believes (self-consciously so) to be its own. It's true that the void of support and understanding about curatorial work is staggering, especially by its practitioners. Most curators in the field either grab onto the title or are bestowed with it, but few actually fit the definition with confidence. During Framework's finale, in lamenting on her disparate curatorial roles for an upcoming exhibition in London, a curator was asked point-blank: "What do you think a curator actually does?" and her response was only a pause and a stutter.

For the record: curating as a practice for all extensive purposes of this text translates as researching, producing, and presenting a unified and ideally critical/social/philosophical context for a single work or group of works that questions or addresses a facet of history for present-day musing. Under this definition, most curatorial work today is in fact a straight forward commissioning gig, or fund-driven project management, which has confused the role of the curator as someone with power. Most emerging curators who attended Framework were not really curators, but hustlers trying to get ahead in this profession. This assumed curatorial power is directly associated with funds rather than knowledge or ability. This is when curators simply become "gate-keepers", but note even how one-sided this argument stands. The desire to get beyond the guarded threshold takes on celestial proportions of seeking permission and desiring acceptance, which unfortunately, reveals just how elusive and unrealistic the standards of success sit in this cultural profession that is skewered by an inflated art market and where the Hirsts and Obrists make up all of 1% of the art world.

Curators have always been specialists of specific strands of knowledge, but now, according to British Art Show curators Tom Morton and Lisa le Feuvre (who were also guest facilitators for Framework), everyone can be a specialist of the everyday! The sentiment is idealistic and so it is admirable, but the execution requires some logic and an infinite breadth of knowledge that reflects the multifaceted experience of our everyday. The historical definition of a curator has progressed, and rightly so, but the integrity of curating has yet to catch up. I am not arguing for a return or even a favouring of traditions, but I do strongly question the use of this language if the meaning has so drastically shifted. In Fusco's words, we should take the time and energy to "re-caress the art object" -- be it through words or actions.

Based on final presentations given by Framework participants, it became frighteningly clear the presupposed value of calling yourself a curator has been accumulating steadily for the last three decades, but in an economic reality, the precarious state of the curator is doubly duped as the false assumption of power is a reflection of needing to have an expanded practice: that one also needs to organize, administrate, market, and fundraise independent projects in order to be a legitimate arts professional. The hyphenated artist/curator/designer/administrator works in an "expanded practice," a term Macdonald came up with that nobody seemed to question. Working in an expanded practice also became the subject matter for the workshop by Ellen Blumenstein, which was rescheduled due to exhaustion and so became the finale of this first set of Framework events. The end revealed the beginning as an expanded practice revealed itself in an unfolding of collective illness and exhaustion. Soldiering on in a burnt out state of being appeared to be the bane and survival tactic of maintaining an independent practice, and it was a glimpse of a grim future I did not want for myself.

This shroud of taking on curatorial power in an art world where the market value holds all the cards could be seen as a positive turn towards creative and intellectual value. However, like the smoke and mirrors of an absorbing and twisting Nabokov narrative we may not realize we have been spun a yarn of self-convinced fables of social grandeur that in the light of day comes off as a perverse and slightly sad fantasy. There are independent curators like Macdonald and Blumenstein who are doing good work and who are also trying to lay the foundation that they themselves need to stand on, but the more weight you put onto these foundations the faster the whole lot sinks. As a series, Framework quenched the void by facilitating intimate and thought-provoking discussions with a mixture of established practitioners, but the main critique here is that a dialogue must go two ways. I question the small group of curatorial professionals who did not bother applying, and the peers and participants who never spoke -- two seemingly different groups who in their own ways still chose to stay isolated without realizing that this dialogue exists in flux, and in their control to change.

Mix in exhaustion due to perpetual precarity, survival by hyphenation, the rise of internship exploitation, and assuming power where ever and when ever one can get it, the conclusion I come to is that being an independent curator is a fantasy profession both sought after and grossly misunderstood, and that maybe just sounds better than it will ever be. Life goes on, and so must the work, and it is only my hope that round two of Framework this winter will continue this conversation.

The Institution

M HKA is the internationally orientated contemporary art museum of the Flemish Community in Belgium. The museum exhibits, collects, researches and mediates contemporary art in its own facilities, which include the arthouse Cinema Zuid, and in dynamic collaboration with partners in and outside Flanders, such as the European L'Internationale network, which also comprises MACBA in Barcelona, Moderna Galerija in Ljubljana and Van Abbemuseum in Eindhoven as well as the Július Koller Society in Bratislava and the KwieKulik Archive in Warsaw. M HKA is one of the European institutions behind the art journal Afterall, which is edited in London. M HKA's approach to art is experimental and research-orientated, which is not least reflected in the ongoing in-house development of the Ensemble Bank, a new digital tool for research, documentation and mediation. M HKA is an open house for artists and for the general public, with a comprehensive programme of educational activities and public events.


The Job

M HKA is looking for a full-time curator for the Presentation Department. The curator will report to the Head of Department and work alongside two full-time curators and in close collaboration with colleagues who are responsible for production, documentation, communication, mediation and the collection. M HKA is a medium-sized museum with a flat hierarchy and a collaborative, result-orientated working culture. The curatorial work includes coordinating temporary exhibitions, publications and public events, research and documentation within the Ensemble Bank, with publications and public events and developing and realising collaborations both in Flanders and internationally. The job is an excellent opportunity for an experienced younger professional to contribute to the development of a future-orientated public institution and to gain a broad range of specialised skills and in-depth insights in the field of contemporary art.


The Candidate

M HKA is seeking to employ a pragmatic organiser and team worker with a proven intellectual track record, excellent knowledge of contemporary art and the contemporary art world and a commitment to work in the public realm and for the general public. M HKA's new colleague has an academic degree in a relevant field, excellent analytic and writing skills and a commitment to clear and meaningful communicative discourse. She or he is able to perform both intellectual and administrative tasks in a structured yet flexible manner, and understands the specifics of working with and for artists and the general public. Candidates shall be able to convince M HKA of their commitment and ability to learn Dutch, shall be based in Antwerp or its immediate surroundings and shall show interest in the local situation. M HKA offers a varied, stimulating job in a high-profile professional environment, a contract of indefinite duration and standard remuneration on the basis of capacity and experience, with extra-legal benefits.


More Information

Are you interested, or do you know anyone who might be interested? If you think you are the person M HKA is looking for, please send us your cover letter along with your CV before 23 November 2011. M HKA will invite four or five candidates for an interview on 7 December. For more information, see www.mhka.be or contact Museum Director Bart De Baere (bart.debaere(at)muhka.be). Applications shall be sent to sabine.herrygers(at)muhka.be or to M HKA, Leuvenstraat 32, BE-2000 Antwerp, Belgium, att. Sabine Herrygers.

Fellowship update!
The deadline has passed, and we have numerous terrific applications for the inaugural Curating.info Fellowship. We will announce the first Fellow in December.

We're at the mid-point of the online fundraising campaign and still have a way to go towards our goal. A show of support now from the Curating.info community will make the difference in momentum that will spur others to contribute. If you have not already donated, please do so by clicking "Fuel this Project" here. Every little bit helps, and you get cool rewards too!

Spread the word about the campaign by sharing the link to the crowdfunding page on your Facebook Wall, sharing it on Google + and LinkedIn, and Tweeting about it. We've produced sample text for Facebook posts and Tweets below.
Please help us reach our fundraising goal!

Sample Tweet:
I support the inaugural Curating.info Fellowship! Show your support for this new opportunity for curators at RocketHub: http://bit.ly/oWV2G0

Sample Facebook post:
Support this great idea! The Curating.info Fellowship provides a career-changing opportunity for a curator to conduct research and produce an exhibition at the CCA in Glasgow. Contribute to their crowdfunding campaign to ensure this is a success http://rockethub.com/projects/2505-curating-info-fellowship

You can also add the above texts to Google +, and on LinkedIn.
Thanks for your support!

The Harry Ransom Center seeks a curator to provide leadership and vision for an internationally renowned photography collection with strengths in the history of photography, photojournalism, documentary photography, Texana, and literary iconography.

The Ransom Center is a special collections library and museum at the University of Texas at Austin with over 37 million literary manuscripts, one million rare books, over 5 million photographs, and 100,000 works of art.

Salary: Minimum $75,000 depending on credentials.

Responsibilities: Serve as department head and supervise Research Curator in Photography, Associate Curator of Photography, and Associate Curator of Art, in addition to several support staff; work in association with the Academic Curator of Photography. Plan and prepare major exhibitions devoted to photographic materials, placing them in the context of other Ransom Center collections. Engage with scholars and support research and instruction in the photography collections. Responsible for overall direction of acquisition in photography; build relationships with collection donors, photographers, and dealers.

Benefits: Standard state benefits package including annual vacation and sick leave, paid holidays, and health insurance options. Eligible for Optional Retirement Program (TIAA-CREF and other options). Deferred compensation and supplemental tax-sheltered annuity programs also available. Significant professional travel funding.

Required Qualifications: Master’s degree in a field related to the collection. A minimum of five years experience in museums or special collections libraries. Experience curating photographic materials. At least five years supervisory experience.

Preferred Qualifications: Ph.D. in a field related to the collection. Ten or more years experience in museums or special collections libraries. Distinguished record of publications, preferably in the history of photography. Experience curating major exhibitions on photography, creating exhibition catalogs, and exhibition-related public programming. Knowledge of the trade in photographic materials. Extensive experience with development and donor relations. Experience with public relations and marketing of photographic collections.

Application procedure: Go to https://utdirect.utexas.edu/apps/hr/jobs/nlogon/111026010606

Applicants must complete the online job application and submit a letter of interest, a current resume, and contact information for three references to: Dr. Richard W. Oram, Associate Director & Librarian, Harry Ransom Center, University of Texas at Austin, PO Box 7219, Austin, TX 78713-7219, roram(at)mail.utexas.edu.

Review of applications begins January 23, 2012 and will continue until position is filled. Security sensitive; conviction verification. EEO/AA.