Curator

Apply

ASSIGNMENTS AND RESPONSIBILITIES

Reporting to the Head of Exhibitions and Education, and under the authority and in close collaboration with the Director and Chief Curator, the holder of this position participates in conceiving and implementing the Museum’s exhibition program. He or she  researches, designs, costs and produces exhibitions. He or she coordinates the presentation of travelling exhibitions at the Museum. He or she determines the content for exhibition catalogues and writes essays for them as well as other documents related to these exhibitions. He or she establishes and develops relationships with the art sector. He or she maintains relations with other visual arts or academic institutions and promotes the Museum’s activities.

The Museum’s exhibition and acquisition program

  • Participates in formulation of the Museum’s exhibition and acquisition program in order to fulfil the institution’s primary mandate.
  • Evaluates the historical and aesthetic scope of each exhibition project and the exhibition’s contribution to advancement of knowledge on developments in contemporary art.
  • Participates in analysis of acquisitions and the development of the collection.
  • Identifies the most pertinent local, national, and international art practices, as well as the objects resulting from them and the discourses underlying them.
  • Collaborates with colleagues in order to respond to the institution’s mandate and strategic plan.
  • Identifies and defines the Museum’s priorities in the context of Montréal and Québec with regard to Québec, Canadian, and international art activity.
  • Establishes and develops relations with the art sector.
  • Represents the institution with professional associations and participates in their various committees.

Temporary and collection exhibitions

  • Designs and produces temporary exhibitions and, occasionally, exhibitions from the collection in order to ensure regular and original programming at the Museum.
  • Analyzes, defines, and proposes subjects and content for exhibitions.
  • Selects artists and artworks.
  • Plans the production schedule for the exhibitions for which he or she is responsible.
  • Establishes and manages the exhibition budget.
  • Formulates the gallery plans and follow up with the internal and external teams concerned.
  • Formulates the content of publications and coordinates with the Head of Publications.
  • Contributes to formulation of public programs.
  • Supervises, if applicable, the work of a research assistant.
  • Prepares and follows up on requests for loans of artworks for the temporary exhibitions.
  • Prepares the contracts related to the exhibition for approval.
  • Transmits the orientations of the exhibition concept to the personnel concerned in other Museum departments.
  • Ensures that the exhibition is mounted in compliance with its plan.
  • Writes grant applications for exhibitions that include information from other departments and follows up on them.

Hosting travelling exhibitions at the Museum

  • Coordinates the presentation of travelling exhibitions at the Museum and ensures that they are presented appropriately.
  • Takes charge of all steps in production of an exhibition as outlined above.
  • Provides liaison and follows up with the lending institution and the artist(s) if applicable.
  • Adapts and/or approves the translation, if applicable, of presentation texts for the exhibition and the publication that accompanies it, as well as translation of artwork identification labels.
  • Hosts, if applicable, representatives of the lending institution or any other person related to the exhibition and works in cooperation with that person.
  • Interprets the terms of the contract for appropriate production of the exhibition.
  • Writes a report and submits it to the lending institution.

Exhibition catalogues

  • Defines and prepares the content of exhibition catalogues and contributes to production so that the theoretical and didactic content complies with the exhibition concept.
  • Writes one or more texts for the publication.
  • Invites authors to contribute to the catalogue, if applicable.
  • Compiles biobibliographies or supervises this activity, if applicable.
  • Writes the list of works and the texts on the acknowledgments, credits, and other pages.
  • Assembles and submits to the Head of Publications, according to the schedule, all documents composing the publication.
  • Collaborates with the Head of Publications on all production stages of the publication.

Promotion

  • Ensures that the Museum’s various activities are promoted in order to provide local and international outreach
  • Contributes to the Museum’s Magazine.
  • Gives speeches and responds to media requests.
  • Represents the institution at events and sits on juries.
  • Attends and occasionally participates in the Museum’s promotional activities.

Performs all other tasks designated by the Director and Chief Curator or the Head of Exhibitions and Education.

REQUIREMENTS

To be eligible, the candidate must:

  • Hold a bachelor’s degree in art history or the equivalent.
  • Master’s degree or PhD in art history an asset.
  • Have at least eight (8) years of pertinent experience as a contemporary art curator or any equivalent employment that enabled him or her to learn the methods and techniques used by curators and to understand the Montréal, Québec, Canadian, and international cultural sectors.
  • Have relevant achievements to his or her credit.
  • In-depth knowledge of contemporary art, the art sector, and museology on the Québec, Canadian, and international levels.
  • Excellent knowledge of modern and classical art.
  • Knowledge of the numerous and fast-moving developments in contemporary museology.
  • Knowledge of the major theoretical streams of human sciences that have impacts on contemporary art and its analysis.
  • Knowledge of the works in the Museum’s collection, knowledge of trends and developments in contemporary art.
  • Excellent mastery of written and spoken French and very good knowledge of written and spoken English.
  • Ability to write for a wide range of readers.
  • Knowledge of the different vehicles for art.
  • Knowledge of the art system and the art market.
  • Be a good communicator, have published in-depth articles, and be capable of popularizing theoretical knowledge.
  • Demonstrate a spirit of cooperation in order to forge solid relationships of trust at all levels, both internal and external.
  • Demonstrate a sense of organization, be capable of long-term planning, respecting his or her plan, and have the capacity to work under pressure.
  • Be creative, bring innovation to his or her work, enjoy conducting research, and be able to synthesize that research.
  • Demonstrate diplomacy, have good interpersonal skills, and be able to work on a team.

SALARY

According to the salary scale in force

  • From $44,598 to $84,174, according to experience (new salary scale to be in force on February 18th 2020)

Send your curriculum vitae by February 23th 2020:

Department of Human Resources
Musée d’art contemporain de Montréal
185 St. Catherine Street West
Montréal, Québec  H2X 3X5
By fax: (514) 847-6934
By email: [email protected]

Only those whose applications are accepted will be contacted.

The Musée d’art contemporain de Montréal applies a program of employment equity and invites women, Indigenous people, visible minorities, ethnic minorities, and individuals with handicaps to apply.