1080 Keewatin St,
Thunder Bay, ON, P7B 6T7

Education & Community Engagement Internship

Status: Full time Contract (35 hours per week)

Supervisor: Assistant Director

Pay: $19/hr

Start Date: Spring 2024

End Date: 12-month from start date (contract position with possibility of extension/permanent)

Application Deadline: Open until filled

 

The Opportunity

The Thunder Bay Art Gallery offers specialized arts education and engagement programming for all ages and abilities both on and offsite, curriculum linked programming for local schoolboards, and virtual tours that are accessed regionally and beyond. To support the growth of these popular programs, the Gallery is seeking a candidate with teaching experience who is enthusiastic and interested in building the skills necessary to design meaningful and engaging arts education programming to meet the needs of diverse communities.

The Thunder Bay Art Gallery is uniquely positioned in Northern Ontario as a cultural institution with significant regional, provincial, and national profile. The Gallery has grown steadily over the last 45 years and is at a crucial stage of growth and advancement as we prepare to move into a purpose designed facility on Thunder Bay’s beautiful waterfront that will more than triple our operating and programming space.

Primary Areas of Responsibility

  1. Design & deliver tours and public outreach that allow meaningful interactions with art, including the planning of art making workshops related to exhibitions through researching artists, mediums, and intentions of exhibitions.
  2. Actively communicate with organizations throughout the region to identify trends, issues, needs and potential collaborations, building audience and cultivating new public engagement for the Gallery.
  3. Liaise with the curator and programming staff to gather information on exhibitions and speak with guest curators, makers, and artists.
  4. Collaborate on planning and facilitation of community-based activities and projects related to exhibitions and programming while connecting with people of all ages and cultural backgrounds with emotional intelligence, understanding, and sensitivity.
  5. Support the research, planning, and execution of curriculum-based tour activities and art workshops for students Grades 1-12 and provide opportunities to respond to artwork directly through observation and experiential activities.
  6. Assist in developing an annual program of art education, implemented in response to the seasonal interests/needs of the community.
  7. Coordinate and organize community art and related public events including the Annual Secondary School Art and other local interest shows in the community gallery space.
  8. Contribute to the marketing and registration process to promote programs and ensure successful registration.
  9. Assist in planning a program of adult art workshops & support the education coordinator in recruitment of artists to lead classes and workshops.

Essential Skills

  • Some technical knowledge of visual arts mediums and practices.
  • Experience in planning and delivering engaging educational programs.
  • Comfortable with the public and able to lead large tours and art making workshops for groups of different ages and abilities, adapting the approach to the art experience as required.
  • Strong oral and written communication skills for engaging with program participants, educators, and others in a clear and appropriate manner.
  • Ability to collaborate and develop relationships with other organizations and community partners.
  • Excellent organizational skills.
  • Knowledge of digital platforms used to connect with audiences and deliver programming.
  • Flexibility, work on evening and weekends, may be required.

Northern Ontario Heritage Fund Corporation:

This opportunity is proudly supported by Northern Ontario Heritage Fund Corporation and is funded through the Workforce Development Program. Eligibility requirements of the program can be found here: https://nohfc.ca/en/pages/programs/people-talent-program/workforce-development-stream

About Thunder Bay Art Gallery:

The Thunder Bay Art Gallery gratefully acknowledges that we are located on the territory of the Anishinaabe peoples of Northwestern Ontario. We work and live on the lands of the Fort William First Nation who are signatory to the Robinson-Superior Treaty of 1850.

As the public art gallery for Thunder Bay and Northern Ontario, the Thunder Bay Art Gallery exhibits, collects, and interprets art with a focus on the work of contemporary Indigenous and Northern Ontario artists. The Gallery nurtures a life-long appreciation of the visual arts by:

  • presenting exhibitions of artistic and educational value to cultivate a depth of visual arts
    experience for the public in Thunder Bay and the broader region of Northern Ontario;
  • supporting and enhancing the development of contemporary Canadian artists with an emphasis on (but not limited to) contemporary Indigenous artists and artists from Northwestern Ontario;
  • stewarding, conserving, and animating a permanent collection of art focused on the work of contemporary Indigenous artists and innovative cultural and artistic practice of Northwestern Ontario artists;
  • and, presenting public programming and outreach activities in order to build audience, increase reception, and expand understanding of the visual arts.

For over 45 years the Thunder Bay Art Gallery has steadily grown and is now the largest art museum in Northern Ontario. Today, we have more than 1600 works of art in our world renowned permanent collection and welcome more than 30,000 people through our doors each year. Every day, the Gallery provides school tours, hosts free public programs, and shares our space with community groups. We are a bustling cultural hub committed to contemporary Indigenous, local, and regional art.

Finally, we are in the process of preparing for the transition to a new purposed designed facility on Thunder Bay’s waterfront in late 2025. This new gallery will more than triple our exhibition and operating spaces. This significant addition to Ontario’s cultural infrastructure will provide $33 million in direct economic impact during construction. Once open, the Gallery’s operations will generate $2.2 million annually in direct and indirect impacts to the local and regional economy, as well as an estimated $7 million in annual visitor spending.


How to Apply

Applicants who are Deaf, have an exceptionality or disability, or who need support expressing interest or applying for this opportunity are encouraged to contact Valin Sacchetti, Administrative Coordinator at administration@theag.ca or call 807.577.6427 to allow for appropriate accommodation of your needs and to discuss alternate formats for submitting your application.

To apply for this position, please send via email to administration@theag.ca, a letter of intent, a current resume and the names of two references, under the subject line “Education & Community Engagement Internship” addressed to:

Kamila Westerback, Assistant Director

Thunder Bay Art Gallery
PO Box 10193
Thunder Bay, ON, P7B 6T7

The Thunder Bay Art Gallery is committed to employment equity and diversity and encourage applications from all qualified candidates, including women, people of any sexual orientation, gender identity, or gender expression; Indigenous peoples; visible minorities and racialized people; and people with disabilities. We thank all applicants for their interest; however, only those selected for an interview will be contacted.

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Installation Officer

Employment: Part-time, casual (varying hours per month)

Supervisor: Report Collections Manager

Application Deadline: March 1, 2024, Open until filled

Pay: $21/hour

 

The Opportunity

The Thunder Bay Art Gallery is seeking an experienced, committed, and creative individual to fill the position of Installation Officer. In this role, you will work directly with curators and artists to install the approximately 20 exhibitions presented in the Gallery per year. Whether a solo exhibition, group exhibition, or touring show, you will strive to ensure that the vision of the artists, curators, and organizing institutions is fulfilled, while meeting museum standards for artwork handling, display, and storage.

 

Primary Responsibilities

Reporting to Collections Manager:

  1. Liase with curators to identify needs regarding display of art and
  2. Prepare gallery spaces for exhibitions, including patching and painting
  3. Install and strike all exhibitions (14-20 per year).
  4. Ensure proper lighting for all
  5. Install signage, vinyl, and didactic labels for all
  6. Consult with curators, artists and collections team to develop exhibition armatures, furniture and aids.
  7. Assemble and install audio visual equipment for
  8. Rent, operate, and maintain power stacker, lifts, scaffolding, etc., as
  9. Load and unload crates and artworks into receiving areas ensuring safe and proper handling techniques are
  10. Crate and uncrate
  11. Prepare works of art for transport including both soft packing and modifying existing
  12. When necessary, pick-up and deliver works, materials, and supplies for
  13. Assist with Collections Storage solutions, including identifying customized storage systems, hanging systems, for all works including complex and unusual works of art.

 

Essential Skills

As the Installation Officer you will:

  • Have strong planning and organizational.
  • Have knowledge of computers, audio/visual equipment, power tools, and strong technical, mathematical, and problem-solving.
  • Have knowledge of museum storage, packing and transportation standards in accordance with the Canadian Conservation Institute AA.
  • General knowledge of fabrication and construction methods.
  • Have the ability to problem solve and multi-task.
  • Work well in a team environment and with minimal.
  • Have the ability to communicate effectively with a wide range of people.

 

Qualifications

  • A degree or diploma in visual, fine arts, or museum studies is an asset.
  • Relevant experience in the care, handling and installation of all types of artwork is an asset.
  • Ability to lift up to 50 lbs, work on ladders at varying heights, and safely operate power
  • Must have a valid G License and reliable

 

Thunder Bay Art Gallery and the Community

As the largest public art gallery in Northwestern Ontario, Thunder Bay Art Gallery has a mandate to exhibit and collect contemporary Indigenous art and the work of emerging and established regional artists. Each year, the Gallery hosts about 20 exhibitions, including solo and group shows, relevant touring exhibitions and exhibitions highlighting works from our permanent collection. The Gallery enriches the cultural life of Thunder Bay (population 110,000), through its programs and partnerships.


How to Apply

Submit a cover letter and resume by email to:

administration@theag.ca

Thunder Bay Art Gallery

PO Box 10193

Thunder Bay, ON, P7B 6T7

Thunder Bay Art Gallery is committed to employment equity and to fostering a positive and diverse workforce that reflects the community. We welcome applications from individuals of all backgrounds. Through our exhibition mandate, we work with Indigenous communities. We value Indigenous perspectives in the workplace and encourage Indigenous candidates to apply. We thank all applicants for their interest; however, only those selected for an interview will be contacted.

Thunder Bay Art Gallery is committed to employment equity and to fostering a positive and diverse workforce that reflects the community. We welcome applications from individuals of all backgrounds. Through our exhibition mandate, we work with Indigenous communities. We value Indigenous perspectives in the workplace and encourage Indigenous candidates to apply.

Upon request, suitable accommodations are available under the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disability Act (AODA) to applicants invited to an interview.

We thank all applicants for their interest; however, only those selected for an interview will be contacted.