Employment Opportunity for Full-time Curator
August 1, 2014
Organization Description and Context
For 40 years, Dancemakers has made a significant impact on the dance field through creation, presentation and support for artists. The company’s repertoire of over 100 dances by in-house and commissioned choreographers, composers and designers from Canada and abroad, has reached tens of thousands of audience members at home and on the road.
In its upcoming season, Dancemakers is launching a new creation/production model to drive our vision into the future and position the organization as a Canadian leader in contemporary dance. The Incubation/Production House (IPH) model will invite three Resident Artists (RA) to incubate and produce new works over staggered three-year terms. The Curator will lead the task of making connections between the RA creations, the field and the public we serve. Through the work of the Curator, Dancemakers will be recognized as the home for new practices in contemporary dance in Canada.
Title and Reporting Relationships
Job title: Curator
Reports to: Board of Directors
Works with: Executive Director
Reporting staff: Resident artists, company dancers, various arts professionals
Job Description
The Curator stewards and implements Dancemakers’ vision through a strong curatorial practice that links RA’s and audiences. The Curator is Dancemakers’ lead artistic position but is not a performance maker for Dancemakers.
Primary Responsibilities
- Develops a vision that successfully achieves the strategic goals of the IPH model including organizational reach and profile.
- Envisions and implements the task of making connections between the RA’s creations, the field and the public.
- Provides and develops written materials and projects that foster understanding, create greater profile and engage audiences and stakeholders.
- Works closely with the Executive Director to develop budgets, development initiatives and strategic partnerships.
- Provides multi-season programming plans in accordance with organizational objectives and within Board defined timelines.
- Maintains and expands an open and proactive dialogue with local, national and international organizations and individuals in order to meet organizational objectives.
Staff Supervisory/Management Responsibilities
- Resident Artists: one artist selected annually for a three-year term.
- Company dancers: five positions selected annually, in collaboration with the RA’s.
- Guest Artists: teachers, choreographers or other artists selected independently, or in collaboration with the RA’s, to deliver professional development activities.
- Selects participants for and leads an annual Resident Artist Advisory Committee
- Defines and delivers audience and professional engagement activities that respond to, or emerge from, the RA’s practices.
- Develops and writes creative materials for marketing the company and its projects and artists.
- Provides support for the RA’s through regular dialogue.
- Writes all appropriate sections of operating grants and collaborates closely with the Executive Director to develop funding strategies.
Financial Responsibilities
- Collaborates with the Executive Director to create project and production budgets for each RA.
- Works closely with the Executive Director to identify, steward and grow to the organization’s private and public financial partners.
External interactions
- In collaboration with the Board of Directors and Executive Director, acts as the artistic, vision and advocacy voice to all external stakeholders.
- Designs and produces outreach, audience development and educational activities and programs for Dancemakers’ publics.
- Working closely with the Executive Director, strategizes researches and facilitates touring opportunities for works by the RA’s to increase Dancemakers’ reach and profile.
Working conditions and Environment
- Working hours require flexibility depending on project needs and will include evenings and weekends.
- The curator is expected to attend festivals, markets and events that create opportunities to grow Dancemakers’ profile and reach.
- This is a full-time, one-year, renewable contract.
Knowledge and Skills Required
- A clearly articulated curatorial vision and practice in the performing arts.
- A history of demonstrable curatorial practice with focus on dance and/or the performing arts.
- A strong understanding of the Canadian and International contemporary performance communities and their prevailing discourses.
- Experience with conceiving and implementing engagement practices with a broad spectrum of individuals including but not limited to artists, non-artists, youth and diversely-defined communities.
- Excellent written and verbal communication skills that serve a number of purposes including grants, press releases, marketing, publicity and social media.
- Experience with conceiving and implementing field support activities including producing, presentation, teaching and workshop design.
- Proven success working collaboratively with various stakeholders.
- Understanding and experience of working in a changing environment.
- Minimum of 3 years’ experience working in an arts organization in a similar position is preferred, but not required.
- Advanced knowledge of Microsoft environment (Word, Excel, Outlook), video editing software preferred but not required, databases (i.e., SUMAC) and social media channels (Facebook, twitter, Instagram, etc.).
Application deadline September 3rd, 2014 at 5pm
Applications should be sent by email only to: info@dancemakers.org
To apply please send the following as separate attachments in pdf:
- CV/Resume
- Artistic/Curatorial Statement (general) - 1 pages max
- Letter of Intent (Dancemakers specific) - 2 page max
Only those selected for an interview will be contacted.
