Calgary Arts Development Authority is our city’s designated arts development authority. We provide grant investments to hundreds of arts organizations, individual artists, and groups. We value relationships, generosity, reciprocity, plain language, and curiosity.
We believe the arts have the power to build our city. Through the arts development strategy, “Living a Creative Life,” our vision is a creative, connected, prosperous Calgary where every resident has the opportunity to live a creative life. We foster a sustainable and resilient arts sector, and support arts-led city building.
We have been newly appointed by city council as the future operator for Calgary’s public art program.
We are recruiting for a full-time public art director to join our team. This role is a new position added to the leadership team, which comprises the president and CEO; the director, communications and engagement; and the director, community investment and impact.
Reporting to the CEO, the public art director will provide creative and executive leadership of the year-round schedule of commissioning, programming, and community engagement as an integrated practice.
This role includes the management of the public art program, long-range planning of the program’s initiatives and contracts, and direction of the public art team. The role also includes leading Calgary Arts Development’s work in activating the existing collection through programming and education opportunities. This is done with attention to reputation management and risk management for the program and the organization.
For this position, we are looking for a visionary leader who is passionate about the Calgary arts community, public art, and enjoys working with people.
The Role
- Reporting to the CEO, the public art director will provide creative and executive leadership of the year-round schedule of commissioning, programming, and community engagement as an integrated practice.
- While Calgary Arts Development has begun the work of creating a renewed vision for public art in Calgary, the director will further develop the vision to be shared with Calgarians and reflected through both the commissioning and acquisition of new work. The director is also responsible for ensuring the programming of the existing collection.
- This role includes the management of the public art program, long-range planning of the program’s initiatives and contracts, and direction of the public art team. The role also includes leading Calgary Arts Development’s work in activating the existing collection through programming and education opportunities. This is done with attention to reputation management and risk management for the program and the organization.
- The public art director is responsible for the successful delivery of a program implemented by a team of full-time staff and contractors, which includes a public art manager and a curatorial manager. The director will also ultimately be responsible for oversight of all contractors managed by their staff and engaged in program delivery, which will include artists and their fabrication and construction teams, and may include specialist consultants to support the requirements of particular projects.
- This position leads reporting and accountability check-ins with The City of Calgary at key junctions and works closely with relevant staff at The City during the pilot period.
- A function of this role includes the development of partnership and fundraising strategies and securing contributions for individual projects and broader cross-disciplinary initiatives as appropriate.
- The successful candidate is committed to embedding the values of equity, diversity, inclusion, and accessibility in all relationships and processes related to public art. This includes Truth and Reconciliation and right relations with First Nations, Métis, and Inuit communities within Treaty 7 territory, in part realized through the activation of the White Goose Flying Report, a local adaptation of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s report with calls to action that can be influenced locally. The director will be responsible for acknowledging the history of this land in the processes and work they develop.
Accountabilities
This is a new position at Calgary Arts Development, and as such we recognize that accountabilities may shift as the program is developed.
As a member of the senior leadership team, the public art director:
- Shapes and oversees delivery of the program vision, strategy, and annual institutional priorities.
- Develops strategies, and plans across all program areas, including commissions, programming, engagement, communications, education, and fundraising.
- Leads strategy meetings to set program goals and priorities, in line with Calgary Arts Development’s vision, mission, and values.
- Ensures the delivery of the program responds to the calls to action from the Truth and Reconciliation
- Commission and the White Goose Flying Report.
- Ensures the delivery of programs and related projects meet a high standard of excellence and are delivered on time and on budget.
- Leads reporting and accountability related to the public art contract with The City of Calgary at key junctions.
- Has a seat on The City of Calgary inter-departmental arts and culture committee and ensures processes are in place for a two-way conversation between The City of Calgary and Calgary Arts Development.
- Ensures that the public art project work plan aligns with the overall program budget and is supported by sponsors and stakeholders.
- Negotiates with other relevant parties including stakeholders, consultants, and artists on project development and realization.
- Leads the development of effective partnerships with the local, national, and international visual arts communities.
- Oversees the content and planning of the program calendar; programming decisions, including partnerships, co-productions, and commissions, as well as developing appropriate programs and strategies for the dissemination of information and documentation for exhibitions and related programs. This includes programming related to the existing collection.
- Develops and monitors related program budgets including the capital expenditures and public art operations budget on an annual and multi-year basis to ensure Calgary Arts Development remains a good steward of public funds and that fiscal goals are met.
- Develops fundraising strategies and secures contributions for individual projects, broader cross-disciplinary initiatives when appropriate.
- Develops, establishes, and maintains partnerships as needed, to ensure that projects are realized under the best possible conditions.
- Ensures Calgary Arts Development liaises regularly with The City of Calgary regarding care and conservation efforts for the public art collection.
- Supports communications and marketing of projects to ensure a strategic approach to disseminating program content; ensure that staff across the programmatic areas generate and contribute content on a timely and regular basis. Acts as media spokesperson for the public art program.
Deadline for applications is July 26, 2021.
