Director / Curator of the AGYU
The AGYU is located at one of Canada’s most multi-cultural universities situated in the vibrant Greater Toronto Area. The Gallery is a steward of great art and acts as a community hub attracting internal and external members alike. The AGYU also provides opportunities for collaboration with York’s School of Art, Media, Performance and Design as well as other faculties on campus.
Exhibitions take place in the main gallery, a state-of-the-art, climate controlled, fully-wired, 3000 square foot gallery space opened in 2006; in the three vitrines located in the colonnade along the front entrance of the gallery; on school buses and alternative sites; and at other art institutions, galleries, and community spaces reflecting the commitment to community engagement for which York is known. Discussions are also underway for expansion.
In addition to the exhibition of York’s art collections, the AGYU partners with local, national, and international artists in commissioning new work and purpose-built exhibition design. Current artists criss-cross the Americas: from the USA with Postcommodity to Brazil with Bárbara Wagner & Benjamin de Búrca, and to Mexico with Betsabeé Romero.
The AGYU is also known for its research and stage actions that intentionally inhabit the civic spaces that surround the gallery, opening the GTA to new kinds of possibilities for movement and agency, not to mention diasporic performativity. In this context, the AGYU serves a pedagogical role with the individuals and groups engaged in the activities of the gallery. Hundreds of classes are conducted in the gallery, and the “gallery” goes out to departments across the University, inflecting curricula with contemporary art. Today, the AGYU is considered a leader in experiential learning at York. Ultimately, the AGYU aspires to showcase the potential of what art galleries can be in universities – a place that brings people together while increasing accessibility to art.
Now, we are seeking a new Director / Curator who will identify and lead new strategic opportunities and continue to highlight and increase public access to the AGYU.
Reporting to the Provost & Vice-President Academic, the Director/Curator of the Art Gallery of York University is responsible for the artistic vision of the Gallery, including policies relating to collections, acquisitions and donations, managing the Gallery’s operations and budgets, and, in consultation with the AGYU Advisory Board, developing, organizing and promoting an exhibition program and ancillary events consistent with the mandate of the AGYU. As Director/Curator, you will not only provide artistic direction, you will oversee the management, care, development, dissemination and maintenance of the permanent collection as well as all new acquisitions to further enhance the AGYU’s reputation. As the chief ambassador for the gallery locally, nationally, and internationally, maintain and build upon the gallery’s public image and its relationships with the university, gallery members, artists, donors, patrons, partners, stakeholders, and the general public.
As the ideal candidate, you bring significant experience in the management and curatorial work of a public museum or art gallery. Your relevant graduate degree and sound budgetary and business management skills are paired with your ability to develop and implement a strategic vision and innovative programs to showcase AGYU’s collections and exhibits. You are well versed in standard and current museological procedures, practices and techniques, have well developed critical and aesthetic discrimination, and possess the ability to develop appropriate exhibition installations. You will also be expected to lead plans for the expansion of the physical space. The ability to build partnerships and collaborations and the capacity to lead and communicate within an academic environment and the museum and art communities is a must. Practical art school training and experience teaching art history, museology or curatorial practice would be considered an asset.
York University is an Affirmative Action (AA) employer and strongly values diversity, including gender and sexual diversity, within its community. The Affirmative Action Program can be found at http://yorku.ca/acadjobs or by calling the AA office at 416-736-5713. The University welcomes applications from all qualified individuals, including individuals within the University’s employment equity categories of women, persons with disabilities, members of visible minorities and aboriginal persons, individuals of diverse gender and sexual orientation and all groups protected by the Human Rights Code. York University is committed to employment equity and diversity and a positive and supportive environment.
In accordance with the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA), accommodation will be provided throughout the recruitment process to applicants with disabilities.
If you’re interested in this opportunity, contact Katherine Frank at kfrank@kbrs.ca or Janet Rose at jrose@kbrs.ca or by calling 1-866-822-6022, or submit your application online at: www.kbrs.ca/Career/12923