Curator, Pacific Northwest + Contemporary Indigenous Arts

Job Category

Job Profile

Job Title

Department

Compensation Range

The Compensation Range is the span between the minimum and maximum base salary for a position. The midpoint of the range is approximately halfway between the minimum and the maximum and represents an employee that possesses full job knowledge, qualifications and experience for the position. In the normal course, employees will be hired, transferred or promoted between the minimum and midpoint of the salary range for a job.

Posting End Date

Note: Applications will be accepted until 11:59 PM on the Posting End Date.

Job End Date

At UBC, we believe that attracting and sustaining a diverse workforce is key to the successful pursuit of excellence in research, innovation, and learning for all faculty, staff and students. Our commitment to employment equity helps achieve inclusion and fairness, brings rich diversity to UBC as a workplace, and creates the necessary conditions for a rewarding career.

Job Summary
This position of Curator, Pacific Northwest + Contemporary Indigenous Arts is responsible for research, documentation, curation, and development of exhibition strategies for Northwest Coast First Nations components of the Museum's collections, as well as contemporary Indigenous arts generally. The position is responsible for providing access to these collections and is expected to develop and maintain relationships with the relevant Indigenous and diverse other communities, including UBC and other interested groups and potential donors, to ensure the appropriate, respectful, and relevant management and display of the collection. The position requires responding to public and scholarly requests regarding Northwest Coast and other objects and histories; participating in the Museum's collection acquisitions process; speaking on curatorial research and publishing such work; and curating exhibitions for the Museum.

Organizational Status
This position is a member of the Curatorial and Design Department and reports to the Head of the Department. The position works in conjunction with all staff, volunteers, and students. A wide latitude of decision-making is required.

Work Performed

· Works with Indigenous and other communities of origin to ensure proper documentation of collections, carries out provenance research, and participates in repatriation/rematriation work.

· Develops exhibition strategies for Contemporary Indigenous Arts and Northwest Coast collections in the Museum's Galleries.

· Curates exhibitions, including ensuring community engagement, selecting works to be included, attending exhibition team meetings, meeting deadlines, writing exhibition text, touring the exhibition, providing training to museum guides, participating in exhibition debrief sessions, and providing files for archiving.

· Facilitates access to the NWC collections proactively and in response to provides access to the Northwest Coast collections in response to relevant requests from Indigenous communities, researchers, UBC courses and others.

· Works collaboratively with diverse communities, as well as UBC and other stakeholders, to ensure the appropriate, respectful, and relevant display of and research about the collection.

· Develops collaborative relationships with other units on campus to encourage the use of the collections in teaching, research, and community-based projects.

· Works toward towards ensuring full and updated documentation of collections for which they are responsible.

· Assists in creating digital assets of the Museum.

· Researches and writes about Northwest Coast art and culture, contemporary Indigenous art practices, and museum practice.

· Contributes to the development of MOA's collections database by correcting and adding information, and by cataloguing objects in areas of expertise.

· Develops and prepares applications to granting agencies for specific projects.

· Represents the Museum at professional meetings and conferences, and speaks to and conducts tours in areas of expertise for a range of groups.

· Responds to public and scholarly requests regarding Northwest Coast and other objects and histories.

Consequence of Error/Judgement

Error in judgment might result in difficult working relationships with artists and communities, volunteers and other staff. It could also result in loss of trust and credibility to partners in Northwest Coast Indigenous communities.

Supervision Received

The position works independently with general supervision from the Director of the Museum.

Supervision Given

The position supervises volunteers and students, visiting interns from First Nations and other cultural communities, contract artists and curators, or others contracted to perform services.

Minimum Qualifications

Master's degree in a relevant discipline. Minimum of six years of related experience, or the equivalent combination of education and experience.

- Willingness to respect diverse perspectives, including perspectives in conflict with one's own.

- Demonstrates a commitment to enhancing one's own awareness, knowledge, and skills related to equity, diversity, and inclusion.

Preferred Qualifications

- Hold an MA in Anthropology, Art History, or History, and have research and/or exhibition experience.

- A PhD would be advantageous.

- Have specialized knowledge about and experience working with Northwest Coast Indigenous collections and contemporary visual arts more generally.

- Experience working with diverse Northwest Coast Indigenous communities and individuals, and knowledge of appropriate protocols for such work conducted in relation to museums and universities.

- Commit to developing MOA's relationships with Indigenous communities.

- Demonstrated track record in research, publications, exhibitions, or appropriate curatorial outputs. - Knowledgeable about Museum policies, especially in regards to ethical collecting and repatriation/rematriation.

Skills

· Ability to communicate effectively verbally and in writing.

· Demonstrated ability to work with diverse Indigenous and other communities and individuals in relation to community-based, university, and museum protocols.

· Demonstrated ability in working with artists, communities and organizations, and other program partners.

· Excellent organizational, interpersonal, and time-management skills.

· Ability to travel and to work flexible hours when required.

· Ability to approach interactions with an awareness of sensitive issues (e.g., issues concerning museums and specific cultures).

· Ability to locate required information using a variety of methods (e.g., online information sources, manuals, expert sources).

· Ability to initiate and conduct research projects.

· Ability to think conceptually (i.e., use creative, conceptual, or inductive reasoning or thought processes to identify patterns in complex data, and identify key or underlying issues in complex situations).

· Ability to be thorough, accurate, and have a high level of attention to detail.

· Ability to gather, record, and organize information.