Assistant Curator, Indigenous Art

Date Posted: 08/23/2024
Req ID: 39428
Faculty/Division: UofT Scarborough
Department: UTSC:Doris McCarthy Gallery
Campus: University of Toronto Scarborough (UTSC)
Position Number: 00055860

Description:

About us:

The University of Toronto Scarborough (UTSC) is a place of energy, enthusiasm and passion. Our commitment to inclusive excellence attracts the brightest learners, scholars and employees from around the globe. Our success has been made possible by the opportunity given to us by our Indigenous hosts to operate on their territory, and we cherish our continuing partnerships with these communities. The University of Toronto Scarborough is an exciting campus with unlimited potential. Join us on our journey.

This search aligns with the University’s commitment to strategically and proactively promote diversity among our community members (Statement on Equity, Diversity & Excellence). Recognizing that Black, Indigenous, and other Racialized communities have experienced inequities that have developed historically and are ongoing, we strongly welcome and encourage candidates from those communities to apply.


Your opportunity:

The Doris McCarthy Gallery (DMG) is a professional public art gallery within the University of Toronto Scarborough that advances artistic innovation, critical thinking, and cultural exchange through engagement with contemporary art. The Gallery initiates and facilitates education, research, and experiential learning.

DMG engages with the University of Toronto community and the wider public of Scarborough and the eastern Greater Toronto Area through its exhibitions and related programming that includes residencies and mentorship opportunities. The Gallery is growing and making accessible its collection for the purposes of research, teaching, and exhibition, while contributing toward a more just and equitable world.

The Department of Sociology at the University of Toronto Scarborough consists of award-winning faculty who combine active and productive research programs with teaching innovation and excellence. Many of the faculty’s expertise extend well beyond Canada to cover all regions of the globe. Sociology programs focus on teaching the core skills of critical thinking, research methods and analysis, and excellence in writing. Both the Gallery and the Department are engaged in land and culture-based learning. In Spring 2025, UTSC will open Indigenous House, an integral part of our academic mission, and located in the heart of our campus.

Working in collaboration with the DMG team and the Department of Sociology, this unique position will create, promote, and facilitate gallery and classroom programming that is informed by Indigenous ways of knowing. DMG exhibitions, permanent collection, and the Department of Sociology’s pedagogical and curriculum innovations will frame the central activities of this position. This includes the ongoing expansion of experiential learning opportunities, as well as the building of relationships within the campus community and beyond.


Your responsibilities will include:

• Facilitating educational workshops and seminars
• Advising on best practices and strategies for effective course design
• Creating and editing support documentation
• Liaising with internal and external service providers
• Drafting presentation materials
• Tracking and monitoring outreach activities associated with gallery programming
• Curating exhibitions and gallery installations
• Delivering presentations to promote programs, opportunities and/or initiative

Essential Qualifications:

• Bachelor's Degree or acceptable combination of equivalent experience.
• Minimum two (2) years recent and related experience with Indigenous contemporary art and culture. Some instructional/curriculum design and/or developing resources to promote Indigenous knowledge translation or anti-colonial approaches to teaching and learning, with some experience in community building and facilitation.
• Demonstrated knowledge of the art industry (i.e. Canada Council for the Arts, Ontario Arts Council, Toronto Arts Council, Toronto Arts Foundation).
• Experience working within diverse Indigenous communities with knowledge of Indigenous worldviews and values.
• Must be knowledgeable of cultural protocols to appropriately engage and foster respectful, reciprocal, ongoing relationships with Elders, Knowledge Keepers, and Indigenous communities.
• The incumbent must have a passion for supporting instructors of diverse backgrounds across the humanities, social science and science disciplines; sensitivity to the professional development challenges and support needs of educators at all career stages and all levels of experience in working with anti-colonial practices.
• Must demonstrate strong personal initiative; tact and good judgment and the ability to successfully meet deadlines.
• Excellent oral and written communication skills with excellent facilitation and presentation skills are required.
• Strong consultative decision-making skills; strong organizational skills; proven project management skills; and an ability to work independently and as part of a team.
• Must have strong computer skills, including a high degree of functionality in the use of all Microsoft Office applications.
• Must show evidence of a commitment to equity, diversity, inclusion, and the promotion of a respectful and collegial learning and working environment

Assets (Nonessential):

• Technical certifications in Adobe and Microsoft considered an asset
• Preference will be given to candidates who self-identify as Indigenous. Recognizing that there are a variety of terms that potential candidates may use to self-identify, the University uses the term “Indigenous” in this search, which forms part of the U of T Responses to Canada’s Truth and Reconciliation Commission, to encompass the people of Turtle Island, including those who identify as First nations, Metis, Inuk (Inuit), Alaska Native, Native American, and Native Hawaiian people.

To be successful in this role you will be:

• Adaptable
• Communicator
• Motivated self-learner
• Multi-tasker
• Team player
• Thoughtful

Note: 

• This is a TERM position for the duration of 2 years.
• A full job description is available upon request from the UTSC HR Office.
• This role is currently eligible for a hybrid work arrangement, pursuant to University policies and guidelines, including but not limited to the University of Toronto's Alternative Work Arrangements Guideline.

Closing Date: 09/20/2024, 11:59PM ET
Employee Group: USW 
Appointment Type: Budget - Term 
Schedule: Full-Time
Pay Scale Group & Hiring Zone:  
USW Pay Band 10 -- $70,844. with an annual step progression to a maximum of $90,595. Pay scale and job class assignment is subject to determination pursuant to the Job Evaluation/Pay Equity Maintenance Protocol. 
Job Category: Arts & Culture

Lived Experience Statement
Candidates who are members of Indigenous, Black, racialized and 2SLGBTQ+ communities, persons with disabilities, and other equity deserving groups are encouraged to apply, and their lived experience shall be taken into consideration as applicable to the posted position.