Curator of Global Sikh Art and Culture

Royal Ontario Museum; Toronto; On-site; CAD 90,000 - 130,000; Full time

Job summary

Royal Ontario Museum in Toronto seeks a thoughtful curator for Global Sikh Art and Culture to lead programming and expand ROM’s Sikh collection in collaboration with communities, artists, and scholars.

The role focuses on presenting diverse narratives, developing galleries and exhibitions, and building partnerships across Canada and beyond in support of ROM’s strategic direction.

Qualifications

• Advanced educational attainment in South Asian art history, visual culture, material culture, anthropology, history or a closely related field.
• Strong record focusing on Sikh arts and heritage through curatorial, academic, and/or community activities.
• Ability to read and write Gurmukhi; Punjabi preferred; Urdu and/or French assets.

Responsibilities

• Curate ROM’s Sikh art and culture collection with collaboration across internal and external partners.
• Develop an inaugural gallery of Sikh art and culture and build the collection for broader public engagement.
• Develop temporary exhibitions aligned with ROM’s overall strategy emphasizing community engagement and inclusive representation.
• Engage Sikh diaspora communities in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, and globally.
• Collaborate with fundraising staff to cultivate support for exhibitions, acquisitions, and grants.
• Maintain professional affiliations with scholarly and museum organizations.

Skills

Gurmukhi literacy

Community engagement

Public programs

Education

Advanced degree in South Asian art history or related field

Job description

ROM is Canada’s largest museum of Art, Culture and Nature. Situated in the most diverse major city in the world, Toronto, in the Province of Ontario, known for pluralism, openness and global perspectives, ROM is well positioned for the future and for an even greater role on the world stage. By leveraging ROM’s strengths and capabilities and applying them in fresh and far-reaching ways, and by investing to create greater engagement through inclusion, transdisciplinary thinking, digital practices, and innovation, ROM is charting a new and bold way forward as it pursues its goal of becoming one of the world’s foremost museums. Learn more about ROM's Strategic Direction.

ROM is uniquely positioned to become a vibrant hub for Sikh Art & Culture. The South Asian community is the largest visible minority in Canada, with the largest share being the Sikh/Punjabi community, numbering some 950,000 people, almost half of whom reside in Ontario. The achievements of the Sikh community are such that April has been established as Sikh Heritage Month in Ontario.

The Position

ROM seeks a thoughtful, strategic curator, gifted in communications and alliances, with a strong background in historical and contemporary art and diasporic arts from or relating to the mid-17th-century janamsakhi tradition, the former Sikh kingdoms, and the larger Punjab region. Reporting to the Co-Chief Curator of Art and Culture, the Curator of Global Sikh Art and Culture will lead the programming and presentation of Sikh art and culture through galleries, exhibitions, and other initiatives, in line with ROM’s Strategic Direction and in collaboration with local communities, artists, and scholars, both locally and globally. Guided by ROM’s institutional vision for the broader South Asia galleries and collection, and in close collaboration with the Senior Curator of Global South Asian Art & Culture, the curator will develop and implement a strategy to build and interpret ROM’s Sikh art and culture collection. ROM offers a unique opportunity to substantially expand this collection’s holdings of historical and contemporary material, in line with museum best practices and an acquisition development plan to be developed by the curator. The curator will expand the reach of ROM scholarship and museum initiatives through publications, lectures, and research. In the context of ROM’s strategic direction toward a more global, transdisciplinary storytelling model, the Curator of Global Sikh Art & Culture will be well-versed in the current conversations regarding the role of museums in society and in relation to indigenous cultures. This curator will champion cross-cultural and cross-disciplinary perspectives to highlight the relevance of ROM’s collection of art, culture, and nature in contemporary societies.

The Global Sikh Art & Culture program, itself housed within ROM’s South Asia Initiative, will explore the varied histories and artistic contributions of Sikh and Sikh diasporic communities through connections within South Asia and with various cultures and traditions across the globe.

ROM’s collection of Sikh art and culture is currently modest in size but of noteworthy quality. It ranges from historical paintings and other works on paper, arms and armour, and photographs to textiles and contemporary art. The curator will be a specialist in the field but also interested in broader issues and questions related to Sikh art and culture that are relevant to diasporic Canada and the contemporary world. Curatorial knowledge should extend widely regarding historical periods and media, and emphasize ways in which Sikh arts have drawn from and transcended existing practices to develop unique forms of cultural expression

The primary activity for the successful candidate will be to galvanize the growing collection to support the development of an ambitious program of Sikh art and culture across ROM. Anchor activities will include developing an inaugural gallery of Sikh art and culture in collaboration with Interpretive staff; building an increasingly significant collection of Sikh art and culture, and from these foundations developing a public engagement framework of educational programs and activities for visitors and learners of a variety of ages and backgrounds – both Sikh and non-Sikh – featuring Sikh art and culture. The Curator of Global Sikh Art & Culture will also develop temporary exhibition ideas aligned with ROM’s overall exhibition strategy, which features community engagement, inclusive representation, narrative-building grounded in shared authority, and transdisciplinarity. ROM is committed to rebalancing narratives by sharing non-dominant cultural perspectives. Resulting exhibitions will be developed to travel to other museums, including communities with large Sikh diasporic populations.

ROM is open to considering a range of candidates from an Associate Curator level to Senior Curator, consistent with the candidate’s experience and the strategic goals of the Museum. ROM welcomes candidates who are passionate about the study and interpretation of Sikh art & culture from the wider Punjab region, which spans both present-day India and Pakistan and diasporic areas globally. Applicants specializing in the historical aspects of Sikh art history or cultural studies, such as painting, iconography, and religious material culture, and who are committed to new methodologies and ways of thinking, are encouraged to apply.

Duties & Responsibilities

Exhibitions and Collections

• Within the context of the Global South Asia collections and suite of galleries, steward the Sikh art and culture collection, including growth, study, rotation and display, care and record-keeping, provenance research, digitizing and publication.
• Curate ROM’s Sikh art and culture collection with a commitment to collaboration, including with external community stakeholders and with internal curatorial colleagues and interpretive staff, to generate important visitor-centric and transdisciplinary exhibitions.
• As part of an integrated team of ROM curators and staff, develop innovative and relevant interpretive approaches for the Sikh Art and Culture Gallery as a part of ROM’s museum-wide gallery planning.
  • In alignment with the vision articulated by the Senior Curator of Global South Asian Art & Culture, develop integrated themes and narratives that situate Sikh art & culture within the broader South Asian context.
• Establish a 10-year Sikh art & culturecollection development plan in alignment with ROM’s mission, vision, and strategic planning.
• Enhance the existing collection and provide new opportunities for interpretation and public engagement through strategic acquisitions and loans.
• Work with Sikh partners and museum leadership to steward collaborations that may lead to the repatriation or restitution of objects, if needed, in accordance with ethical standards.

Public Programs and Outreach

• Work collaboratively with museum educators and engagement staff to initiate programs and school curriculum related to Sikhart and culture and with community stakeholders to ensure programming is accessible and aligned with issues relevant to broad, contemporary audiences, including Sikh and non-Sikh communities.
• Work with interpretation and education colleagues; propose, prepare, and deliver public programs, lectures, tours, and workshops for the general public, professional colleagues, volunteers, local cultural organizations, and other groups.
• Engage the many Sikh diaspora communities in the Greater Toronto Area, Ontario, Canada, and globally, including business and cultural communities.

Fundraising

• In collaboration with fundraising staff, actively cultivate support for exhibitions, galleries, programs, symposia, acquisitions, research grants, and fellowships through associations with cultural and professional organizations, foundations, and patrons at the local, national, and international levels.

Research and Publications

• Maintain professional affiliations in scholarly and museum curatorial organizations, professional societies, and relevant committees.
• Strengthen connections with colleagues from the University of Toronto and other academic institutions in the Greater Toronto Area.
• Explore, maintain, and promote relationships with museums and other cultural organizations, both nationally and internationally.

Education & Experience

• Advanced educational attainment in South Asian art history, visual culture, material culture, anthropology, history or a closely related field with a specialization in some aspect of Sikh or Punjabi art and culture, or the equivalent in relevant experience, exhibitions and/or publications.
• A strong record focusing on the Sikh arts and heritage through curatorial, academic, and/or community activities.
• An ability to read and write Gurmukhi is required. Competency with a modern South Asian language is desired; Punjabi is preferred. Urdu and/or French would be assets.
• Embodied connection to the Sikh/Punjabi community and a demonstrated knowledge and sensitivity to contemporary histories, issues, and concerns of the community.
• A strong background in a museum environment, knowledge of peer institutions, and experience developing and