Gardiner Museum Curatorial Residency
Deadline: February 13 2026, 5:00 pm EST
Residency Duration: Approximately 20 weeks (April to October 2026)
Location: Gardiner Museum, Toronto (mostly on site)
Residency Budget: $45,000 CAD
Curatorial Resident Stipend: $25,000 CAD
Exhibition Budget: $20,000 CAD
Exhibition Opening: January / February 2027 (TBC)
The Gardiner Museum in Toronto is seeking proposals for the annual Gardiner Museum Curatorial Residency.
The Gardiner Museum Curatorial Residency is made possible through the generous support of the Rebanks Family.
About the Gardiner Museum
The Gardiner Museum welcomes and inspires audiences of diverse backgrounds, abilities, and experiences through the rich history and storytelling power of clay. The Museum stewards and animates an internationally significant collection of ceramics while centering hands-on learning and making, engaging in important cultural conversations through gallery programming and collaborative partnerships, advancing Indigenous self-determination and building human connections that create space for reflection and dialogue.
The Gardiner Museum Curatorial Residency
The Gardiner Museum Curatorial Residency provides a paid opportunity to conceive, research, and produce a small-scale museum exhibition and gain experience in a professional environment. The residency supports a new and diverse generation of aspiring and emerging curators, promotes new approaches to the study and presentation of ceramics, and encourages innovative research on the Gardiner’s permanent collection in an international context. The Curatorial Residency is an annual program launched in 2022.
Residency Description
- Approximately 20 weeks in duration
- Main outcome is an exhibition presented at the Museum
- Exhibition focuses on clay or ceramic works, or ceramic works in context with other objects or artworks
- Theme should be of contemporary relevance and informed by current scholarship
- Exhibition should draw from or directly relate to the Gardiner’s permanent collection
Two components of the residency:
- Travel component (typically 2–4 weeks) with financial support for research outside of Canada
- Full-time work at the Gardiner Museum (typically 16–18 weeks) focused on research, development, writing, and realization of the exhibition, along with participation in regular curatorial operations
The Curatorial Resident will give at least one public presentation and contribute to the Gardiner’s digital platforms. The position requires the Resident to work mostly on site.
Budget
- Total Residency budget: $45,000 CAD
- Curatorial Resident stipend: $25,000 CAD
- Recommended allocation: $18,000 CAD for time spent in Toronto and $7,000 CAD for travel
- Additional $20,000 CAD for exhibition expenses, managed by the Gardiner Museum
Who Can Apply
The Curatorial Residency is open to Canadian citizens or permanent residents enrolled in or recently graduated from a master’s program in museum studies, curatorial studies, or art history; doctoral candidates or recent graduates; and those pursuing independent or community-based curatorial work at the early stages of their career. Applicants may live outside of Canada. Demonstrated commitment to presenting visual arts in exhibition contexts is required; specific experience with ceramics is not necessary.
How to Apply
Applicants must submit the following as a single digital PDF:
- Cover letter (one page)
- CV (up to four pages)
- Exhibition proposal including concept, research plan, travel description (maximum 2,000 words), work schedule (one page), and general budget (one page)
- Signed Agreement to Propose and Consent Form
Complete submissions must be received by 5 pm EST on February 13, 2026. The selected applicant will be notified by early March 2026.
Submit proposals and questions to: curatorial@gardinermuseum.com
Project Schedule
- February 13 2026: Proposals due by 5 pm EST
- Early March 2026: Successful applicant notified
- April 2026 – October 2026: 20-week residency
- January / February 2027 (TBC): Exhibition opening
