Gallery Director/Curator (Deadline)
The School of Art Gallery is a vibrant hub for art, ideas, and community at the University of Manitoba. Founded in 1965 as Gallery One One One and now located at the heart of the ARTlab, the Gallery bridges research and presentation through two dynamic exhibition spaces and a significant permanent collection, including the FitzGerald Study Centre Collection. Its exhibitions, programs, and events bring local, national, and international conversations to Winnipeg—championing diverse perspectives and amplifying Indigenous voices. With a commitment to curatorial excellence, collection care, and accessibility, the Gallery is also advancing digitization to make its holdings more widely available to students, faculty, and the public. Through exhibitions, publishing, and outreach, the School of Art Gallery fosters creativity, sparks dialogue, and supports critical engagement with art, sustained by the generosity of the University, donors, funding agencies, and community partners. At the centre of this work is the Gallery Director/Curator, who leads the Gallery’s vision and operations—ensuring its programs, collections, and resources continue to grow and inspire future generations of artists,
Qualifications:
The successful candidate will hold, at minimum, a Master’s degree in Art History, Museum Studies, Curatorial Studies, Visual Arts, or another similar program, combined with substantial experience in curatorial work, catalogue publishing, grant writing, collections management, museum education, and administration within a public or university art gallery. In addition to proven senior leadership experience, organizational ability, and personnel management, the successful candidate will have strong interpersonal skills and an inspiring and effective leadership style, as well as a demonstrated ability to support the teaching of art history, curatorial studies, and studio with a collection, and to interpret historical and contemporary art to a broad audience.
The Position:
Reporting to the Director of the School of Art, the Gallery Director/Curator is administratively responsible for the overall operations of the School of Art Gallery, including activities, programming, financial management, and supervision of gallery staff. The Gallery Director/Curator is responsible for ensuring that the research and focus of exhibitions, collections, and events reflect the needs of the School of Art and align with the strategic goals of the University of Manitoba. The programming of the Gallery should make a significant contribution to the contemporary culture and the art history of Manitoba and Canada, representing its diversity, with particular attention to ensuring that Indigenous voices and cultures are represented in the Gallery's activities.
The Gallery Director/Curator is responsible for ensuring that contemporary museological standards are applied to the production of temporary exhibitions as well as to the care, management, exhibition and expansion of the School of Art’s Permanent Collection, through exhibitions, research, and collections management. The Gallery Director/Curator will ensure the ongoing progress of the digitization of the Gallery’s collection and the creation of a collections database available to the professoriate and the public.
The Gallery Director/Curator is expected to work with faculty and gallery staff to ensure that the permanent collection and temporary exhibitions are used to support the teaching of art history, curatorial studies, and studio. A core responsibility of the Gallery Director/Curator is to support teaching at the School of Art.
The responsibilities of the Gallery Director/Curator encompass research, programming, collections management, education, and administration. The Gallery Director/Curator is responsible for organizing and producing exhibitions, as well as their ancillary educational programs and events. Exhibition production includes but is not restricted to research, grant writing, administration (general production, advertising and promotion, catalogue production, installation, hiring of guest contributors), education, extension, and partnership with other Canadian cultural institutions on collaborative projects.
Collections management includes but is not restricted to the acquisition, documentation, preservation, exhibition, and interpretation of the School of Art Permanent Collection, as well as assistance with the University of Manitoba Collections – a separate entity within the University. Research in this context is understood as supporting the curatorial needs and purposes of the presentation of artworks and curatorial projects that serve the mandate of the Gallery, and as supporting the use of the Permanent Collection in the teaching of art history, curatorial studies, and studio.
Administrative responsibilities encompass the day-to-day operations of the Gallery in accordance with the standards for care and ethical conduct as determined by the Canadian museum community and the administrative policies and procedures of the School of Art and the University of Manitoba. Duties include but are not restricted to: fiscal responsibility to the School of Art and outside funders, including private donors; budgetary intake and disbursements for all Gallery transactions; hiring, training and supervising casual and part-time contract and student employees; grant writing and project-specific fundraising in conjunction with the Office of Donor Relations.
Detailed Description of Responsibilities
Programming
Exhibition development includes research, studio visits, selection of work, thesis development, loan agreements and contracts, grant applications and fundraising, promotion, extension development, catalogue writing and publication, installation, and reception planning.
The Gallery Director/Curator will:
• develop annual exhibition schedules
• develop ancillary events to augment the exhibition schedules (receptions, artist’s talks, education/extension programs)
• curate exhibitions of historical and contemporary art with an emphasis on Manitoban and Canadian art
• develop exhibitions using the Permanent Collection
• work with faculty in the School of Art and other units in producing short-term exhibitions in the smaller adjoining Gallery to support teaching
• develop exhibitions with other galleries via collaborative arrangements
• develop exhibitions as in-house independent projects
• select exhibitions borrowing capacity from other Canadian institutions and from annual submissions to the Gallery
• work with University faculties or groups as appropriate to present guest exhibitions and programming
• engage in outreach activities in cooperation with the School of Art and the larger community
• work with the MFA program to develop and present the students’ thesis exhibitions
Administration
The Gallery Director/Curator will:
• manage and direct the day-to-day operations of the Gallery
• develop strategic planning in coordination with the School of Art Director
• provide support and collaborate with relevant School Council committees
• collaborate with various University departments on behalf of the Gallery
• build connections to the Canadian arts community (galleries, funding bodies, arts organizations, media)
• develop and implement publicity and promotional materials
• work with staff to ensure the Gallery web page is updated
• purchase supplies for operations and installations
• undertake software training for Gallery operations
• develop contracts with artists, galleries, lenders, etc.
• oversee renovations and other physical plant requirements for galleries and storage/workshop spaces
Financial Management
The Gallery Director/Curator will:
• manage annual Gallery program and grant budgets
• submit annual reports and budget requests
• apply to arts funding agencies (Canada Council, Manitoba Arts Council, Winnipeg Arts Council, Tri-Council, etc.)
• apply for UM and School of Art funding opportunities (Endowment Fund, President’s Office, UM Student Union, etc.)
• engage in fundraising with Donor Relations
• manage Gallery endowments
Collection Management
The Gallery Director/Curator will:
• implement and update the Acquisitions Policy in collaboration with the Director and Acquisitions Committee
• oversee acquisition of new works for the Gallery collection
• maintain collection records
• create an online collections database and digitize the collection
• oversee the Art Rental Program (promotion, contracts, installation)
• manage storage of the collection
• arrange conservation treatments, framing, and presentation needs
• ensure collection access for researchers and curators
• coordinate Acquisitions Committee meetings and acquisitions reviews
• coordinate appraisals, donations, and charitable tax benefits through Donor Relations and the Cultural Property Export Review Board
Student Life
The Gallery Director/Curator will:
• ensure Gallery programming includes student participation opportunities
• develop innovative student learning programs
• support teaching and research at the School of Art through the Permanent Collection
Application Process:
• Submit a letter of interest and CV.
• Three letters of reference should be sent directly by referees.
• Canadian citizens and permanent residents should indicate status in their cover letter or CV.
• Review of applications begins September 19, 2025, and continues until filled.
• Send materials to Sarah Rout at [email protected].
About the University of Manitoba:
The UM is a leading research and teaching institution, with a strong commitment to Indigenous perspectives, equity, diversity, and inclusion. Recognized as one of Manitoba’s Top Employers and Canada’s Best Diversity Employers, UM offers world-class facilities, employee benefits, and a dynamic community.
About Winnipeg and Manitoba:
Winnipeg is a multicultural city with 766,000 residents, rich in culture, festivals, galleries, and museums. Manitoba offers diverse landscapes, from lakes and parks to prairie skies, inspiring communities and creative life.
Equity Statement:
UM is committed to equity, diversity, and inclusion in hiring, with priority for Canadian citizens and permanent residents. Accommodations are available during recruitment by contacting [email protected].
School of Art
313 ARTlab
Winnipeg, Manitoba
Canada R3T 2N2
Ph. (204) 474-9367
Fax (204) 474-7605