Gallery Manager

The Gallery Manager (GM) for the Department of Art & Design is responsible for the development, planning, organization, and related administration of an extensive program of exhibitions presented in the Fine Arts Building Gallery and other departmental and non-departmental venues. The GM acts as the Project Management Specialist by working directly with exhibiting artists, curators, and designers, individual guest exhibition curators/facilitators, and in collaboration with exhibition teams including curatorial, educational, design, marketing, or other museum/gallery professionals from a variety of disciplines, backgrounds, and institutions. The GM works with 20—30 individuals (or teams) each year. Exhibitions are managed on the basis of established policies approved by the Gallery Committee directed by the Chair, Department of Art & Design, Faculty of Arts. The GM reports to the Academic Department Manager (ADM) in Fine Arts.

The Gallery Manager supervises the Gallery/Technical Coordinator and up to 6—8 graduate students, to fulfil gallery/project objectives and facilitate the day-to-day management of public display spaces.

Students and the staff member will fulfil a range of gallery/museum professional skills as needed (e.g. curatorial assistant, registrar, preparator/installation technician, gallery attendant, special function/reception, security specialists, AV Technician specialists and assistant managers).

Academic Administrative Responsibilities:

The Gallery Manager (GM) is responsible for exhibitions in the Department of Art & Design, including exhibitions of work by professional artists/designers, staff, students and guest artists/designers. Exhibitions may be curated or facilitated by guests, students, or staff as part of their ongoing research.

The GM:

• Manages requests for exhibition proposals for adjudication by the Gallery Committee (meetings of which are chaired by the Chair of Art & Design);
• Manages, for approved exhibitions, all aspects of exhibition planning, organization, presentation, promotion in consultation with exhibiting artists, designers and/or individual exhibitions curators/facilitators (or teams) with the presentation of temporary exhibitions of art, design, visual culture and related research;
• Manages creative presentation solutions in consideration of budget, space, and time;
• Supports graduate presentation requirements for the degrees of MDes and MFA (“candidates must make a major presentation of their creative work. Such a presentation will be considered the equivalent of a master’s thesis...)";
• Promotes internationally accepted care and legal standards for Galleries and Museums by supervising the preparation of legally required administrative documentation regarding loans to Insurance and Risk Management, facilities reports to lending institutions and standards for the care, handling and display of works of art and design;
• Trains technical staff/services; consult with specialized service providers (e.g. AV technical, security, fine art conservators, etc.)

Planning and Organizational Responsibilities:

• Advises Gallery Committee and Department Chair on exhibition program planning and related projects (vets exhibition proposals, present proposals to Gallery Committee, develop and prepare master schedule of exhibitions, specific exhibition timelines, budgets and attend to related correspondence and communications, etc.);
• Advises Art & Design Chair and, as directed, manages additional Art & Design staff and student display projects outside of Department Galleries (these may range from short interval, local exhibitions to large scale national and international traveling exhibition projects);
• Reports on the Gallery operation to the ADM, Chair and Department Council, Department of Art & Design;
• Directs the implementation of long-term Department of Art & Design goals and objectives as they apply to Art & Design Galleries and display projects.

The Department of Art & Design has an established reputation for outstanding exhibitions of art, design, and visual culture. These exhibitions and related projects promote the Department of Art & Design, the Faculty of Arts, and the University of Alberta. The Gallery Manager will:

• Supervises one staff member (Gallery/Technical Coordinator) and between 6-8 graduate students at all times;
• Coordinates the presentation of approximately 16—20 exhibitions per year that may attract approximately 12,000 on- and off-campus visitors a year;
• Engages the professional assistance of approximately 20—30 exhibition curators / facilitators or teams, drawn from a variety of disciplines, backgrounds and institutions (both on and off campus);
• Actively consults and collaborates with other local, national and international galleries and museums;
• Organizes support from numerous agencies, including the Foundation for the Arts, the Canada Council, The Killiam Fund, and others;
• Manage budgets that range from $2,000 to $30,000 in collaboration with the ADM.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities:

• Undergraduate degree in art history, fine arts, and design and related experience (postsecondary education in museum studies, arts administration, or several years employment in art galleries/museums) required; Graduate degree (MFA, MDes, MA or PhD in appropriate field) strongly preferred;
• Excellent communication, interpersonal, organizational skills, project, time and resource management skills, creative problem solving and critical thinking skills;
• Excellent knowledge of teaching, research and technology integration issues and methodology in public post secondary Gallery and/or Museum settings, financial analysis and reporting skills;
• Knowledge of internationally accepted professional/legal standards and responsibilities for Galleries and Museums, legal rights of lenders of works of art and design (individual artists, designers or private collectors and public collections) and related awareness of Department's/Galleries’ legal and moral obligation to lenders of works of art and design;
• Ideally, relevant teaching experience in the field;
• Knowledge of internationally accepted standards for the care, handling and display of works of art and design (e.g. temperature, humidity and other environmental conditions, basic principles of fine art/artifact conservation and preventative care and maintenance;
• Proficiency with specialized gallery/museum tools, equipment and materials (e.g. U.V. Meter, light meter, hygrothermograph, frames, framing tools and equipment, specialized display “furniture", etc.

In accordance with the Administrative and Professional Officer Agreement , this full time continuing position offers a comprehensive benefits package found at Faculty & Staff Benefits and annual salary range of $62,475 - $104,123.

COVID-19 Vaccination: Proof of full vaccination against COVID-19 in compliance with the University’s COVID-19 Vaccination Directive. Fully Vaccinated means a status an individual achieves 14 days after having received the recommended number of doses of a COVID-19 vaccine approved by Health Canada or the World Health Organization, and requires the individual to maintain the recommended number and type of vaccine doses as updated and required by Health Canada thereafter.