MADA Gallery 2027 Curator-in-Residence
Application deadline: 20 August 2026
MADA Gallery is a contemporary art space located at Monash University, Caulfield Campus, in the Faculty of Art, Design and Architecture. In addition to examination exhibitions by PhD candidates, MADA Gallery hosts a programme of exhibitions by artists, curators, designers, architects, and other creative practitioners.
Curator-in-Residence Program
Applications are now open for a year-long curator-in-residence programme in which you will have the opportunity to deliver two curated exhibitions. The application process is open to anyone. The gallery welcomes applications from Australian and international practitioners, including those from Monash academic and professional staff, current students, and alumni.
As a gallery space located within a tertiary school, MADA Gallery welcomes proposals that are speculative, propositional, and experimental. We are especially interested in proposals that engage students, connect to the most urgent issues and ideas of our time, or think provocatively and critically about the relationship between exhibition-making, teaching, and research. Proposals should consider how the programme might connect to the departments within our faculty (art, design and architecture). We will also look favourably on proposals that connect with the key priorities of the University, including Climate Change, Geopolitical Security, and Wellness; and/or the Faculty of Art, Design and Architecture research areas.
As the successful applicant will be invited to facilitate two exhibition outcomes across the year, proposals should address the individual elements of each proposed exhibit and how the two exhibitions combine to build upon one another to form a cohesive exhibition program. Please note, that while the program is structured as two curated exhibitions, there is scope for alternative proposals, subject to resourcing and scheduling.
Exhibition Program
The successful applicant will be granted two exhibitions during the year. While dates can be negotiated, some requirements will be to coincide with key campus activities, such as Open Day in August. The duration of each exhibition is a minimum of three weeks. Please note: while the program is structured as two curated exhibitions, there is scope for alternative proposals, subject to resourcing and scheduling.
The total annual exhibition budget is $18,000, plus a curator fee of $6,000 (plus superannuation). Applicants have discretion on how to divide these resources across the program. We encourage applicants to consider additional funding through grant applications or other fundraising, and support can be provided with this process.
The applicant has the option to request the loan of works from the Monash University Collection of Art (managed by MUMA).
The Budget must cover the following expenses:
- Artist fees
- Artwork loan fees
- Transport of artwork
- Any publication costs or specific signage for the exhibition (posters/lettering, etc.)
- Contingency
MADA Gallery will provide:
- Installation support (1-2 days per exhibition plus advice and consultation from the Gallery Manager in the lead-up to the exhibitions)
- Equipment including projectors, speakers, media players, screens
- Gallery Assistants who can provide administrative assistance
- Digital invitations and social media
- Line listings in Art Almanac and Art Gallery Guide
- Professional documentation of the exhibition
- Event opening costs, including catering and wait staff
For more details about the open call and the application process, please visit the link below.
Image credits: A Diachronic Wind, Curated by Tim Riley Walsh, photography by Christian Capurro via Monash Website
