Curating.info

Job Title: Curator, Contemporary

Institution / Organization: Canadian Clay & Glass Gallery

Closing Date: August 28, 2009


The Canadian Clay & Glass Gallery is looking for a Curator who will invest in the mission and mandate of the Gallery and support the Gallery with artistic vision and leadership. The Curator will possess a deep, engaged knowledge of and curiosity about the critical issues related to contemporary art and craft. The Curator will also serve as a strong advocate for the Gallery in local, national and international communities.

CCGG’s curator will implement and bring to full fruition existing planned programming for a period of three years. Concurrent with this activity the curator will conceptualize, design and implement future exhibition programs that build upon the Gallery’s successful history.

The Curator will:

- Plan, design and install exhibitions of contemporary art and co-ordinate related programmes; research and co-ordinate production of related print and promotional materials.
- Provide strong artistic leadership to assist the Director in establishing policy and priority related to long-range goals and the solicitation of outside funding from government, foundation, and private sources.
- Maintain the Gallery’s permanent collection and oversee the strategic growth of the collection with a focus on acquiring works of national significance
- Possess strong writing skills and be responsible for catalogues essays and grants.
- Possess strong verbal communication skills for the delivery of exhibition orientation lectures to education support staff, other staff members and volunteers.
- Work closely and collaboratively with the Director of Education to: supervise and administer the Contemporary Gallery Context and Docent programmes.
- Participate in and/or organize symposia related to contemporary art and fine craft and serve as a positive presence in the Canadian art scene.
- Build strong liaisons and partnerships with other regional, national and international galleries.
- Develop programming with senior, mid-career and emerging artists.

The ideal candidate will have:

- A Masters or Ph.D. in art history (contemporary art/fine craft preferred), studio art or related discipline 

- Evidence of significant curatorial achievement (research, publication, exhibitions, and collections management)
with minimum of seven years of professional experience
- Knowledge of museum standards and collections management practices
- Excellent skills in project management, written and oral presentations, staff and volunteer supervision
- Demonstrated success in grant writing

Mission: The Canadian Clay & Glass Gallery fosters interaction among artworks, artists and community. Our exhibitions challenge ideas and perceptions of the definitions of art, craft and design today, as well as concepts of ethnicity and contemporary culture providing meaningful and enriching cultural experiences for a diverse audience and opportunities for the development of philanthropy.

This full time position and offers a benefits package.
Applications must include: CV, curatorial philosophy and salary expectations

Send to:
Director
Canadian Clay & Glass Gallery
25 Caroline Street North
Waterloo, ON
N2L 2Y5
Canada

Or email to: info -at- canadianclayandglass.ca

Review of applications will begin August 28, 2009.
The position will remain open until a suitable candidate is found.

Welcome to the September edition of Pick 'N Mix, my monthly annotated list of curating-related things:

- Map Magazine is a terrific Scottish magazine on contemporary art, and by subscribing to their RSS feed I have discovered a couple of brief notes of interest to curators posted to its website recently: a story and a few quotes from two Spanish curators, Javier Marroquí and David Arlandis, who developed an exhibition during the Edinburgh Art Festival, and another short piece from Daniel Birnbaum, discussing curating 2 Turin Triennial and the 53rd Venice Bienniale.

- Speaking of magazines, one has the feeling that a service like Mygazines won't last long, given its function: it's a massive unofficial repository of magazines, including some pretty major titles. Of course I first browsed the Art and Culture section, which I am sorry to tell you is quite thin. However, pop terms like "curator" into the search box, and see what hidden gems come up from deep within the pages of magazines that don't specialise in art (and chuckle at some of the silly things that come up, too).

- Of special attention to French speakers: a new curatorial association has begun in France. Check out CEA!

- And a quick note for UK residents that once again, the deadline for the Crafts Council Spark Plug Curator awards is approaching fast - get your applications in by September 26.

Tales of the Unexpected: the Future of Curating Contemporary Crafts
Thursday 8th November, mima (Middlesbrough Institute of Modern Art) 9.45am-4.30pm

Organised by the Crafts Council and MA Curating Contemporary Design, Kingston University (in partnership with the Design Museum), Tales of the Unexpected is a conference that will explore the challenges of curating contemporary craft through a series of exciting and innovative case studies. Examples of best practice have been drawn from fine art, architecture, design, fashion and craft to explore and provide a platform for discussing future strategies for approaching curating contemporary craft. The themes for the day are:

- Craft and the Visual Arts: Pushing Boundaries
- Curating Craft in Public Spaces
- Curating Outside the Vitrine: New Approaches
- Curating Craft as Performance

Continue reading "Curating Craft: Conferences at mima"

The Crafts Council UK is delighted to announce the launch of a new Award scheme for curators.

The Award:
This annual Award scheme will enable successful applicants to each receive a £5,000 Award (inclusive). The Spark Plug Curator Award scheme aims to provide each year a minimum of four selected curators the opportunity to develop an ambitious and innovative exhibition project.

Award Objectives:
- To enable the development of curatorially robust and innovative projects through front end research and development.
- To provide leverage for funding applications.
- Increase the number of challenging and pioneering craft based exhibitions available nationally and regionally.
- Drive the debate into the role of craft in the 21st century.

Criteria:
The Crafts Council Spark Plug Curator Awards are aimed at curators to enable the research and development of a proposed exhibition idea or concept. Each Spark Plug Curator Award consists of a fixed fund from the Crafts Council of £5,000 (inclusive) and lasts for the fixed period of 12 months of research activity, during which time the awardees are required to research and develop an original exhibition project. The application must outline an ambitious and inventive exhibition proposal which engages with contemporary craft. Projects that engage with the following themes are encouraged:

- Interdisciplinary & New contexts; craft in the 21st century; for example: fashion, architecture, design, visual arts.
- Internationalism
- Globalism & Identity

The proposal can be for an exhibition or curatorial event inside or outside the gallery space. Proposals for projects that address the content of the exhibition, concept and staging of the exhibition in imaginative, creative and original ways are welcomed.

Who can apply?
Applicants must be domiciled in the UK. The project proposed must take place in the UK, although the idea may be realised as a virtual or web-based activity. Applicants must have a minimum of three years of proven curatorial experience, either as part of an institution or as a freelance curator. Partnership projects are welcomed.

Closing date for applications: 20th October 2007

For further information, please visit the Crafts Council website.