Manager, Exhibitions and Collections

Kinsley Power Systems; Banff; Hybrid; CAD 59,000 - 88,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Staff housing

Professional development

Employee Assistance Program

Health care spending account

Cafeteria and restaurant discounts

Onsite fitness facility

Job summary

Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity is seeking a manager to lead Walter Phillips Gallery exhibitions and the permanent collection on campus. You will oversee exhibitions, touring projects, and related publications, working with campus stakeholders to ensure quality and compliance.

The role requires a post-secondary degree in museum management or related field and at least five years of gallery or collections experience, plus strong communication and organizational skills.

Qualifications

• Post-secondary degree in gallery-related discipline (museum management, curatorial, collections management, archival studies or related).
• Minimum 5 years’ experience in gallery or museum collections management and care.
• Good working knowledge of collections database software.
• Excellent oral and written communication skills.
• Ability to multi-task and prioritize workflow.

Responsibilities

• Support the Director in strategic planning and delivery of exhibitions, commissions, events, advising on logistics, scheduling, communications, and budgets.
• Lead the development of WPG budgets including forecasting, resource allocation, and contingency planning; responsible for budget tracking.
• Prepare, issue and archive agreements for all WPG activities and for the permanent collection; liaising with General Counsel or Contract Services as appropriate.
• Oversee processing of payments and invoices related to WPG activities and expenses.
• Develop documents and coordinate logistics for touring exhibitions organized by WPG.
• Coordinate production, scheduling and permissions clearances for catalogues and exhibition materials.
• Maintain schedules and critical paths for events and identify scheduling conflicts.
• Collaborate with on-campus stakeholders to support cross-campus program needs.
• Oversee collections management duties including tracking locations, loan administration, and digitization initiatives.

Skills

Excellent oral and written comms

Excellent planning and organizing

Multitasking and prioritization

Education

Post-secondary degree in gallery/museum field

Tools

Collections database software

Job description

Manager, Exhibitions and Collections

Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity aims to inspire everyone who attends our campus – artists, leaders, and thinkers – to unleash their creative potential.

We acknowledge, with deep respect and gratitude, our home on the side of Sacred Buffalo Guardian Mountain. In the spirit of respect and truth, we honour and acknowledge the Banff area, known as “Minhrpa” (translated in Stoney Nakoda as “the waterfalls”) and the Treaty 7 territory and oral practices of the Îyârhe Nakoda (Stoney Nakoda) – comprised of the Bearspaw, Chiniki, and Goodstoney Nations – as well as the Tsuut’ina First Nation and the Blackfoot Confederacy comprised of the Siksika, Piikani, Kainai. We acknowledge that this territory is home to the Shuswap Nations, Ktunaxa Nations, and Metis Nation of Alberta, Rockyview District 4. We acknowledge all Nations who live, work, and play, help us steward this land, and honour and celebrate this place.

The Opportunity

Banff Centre is a post-secondary learning institution with a mission to bring artists, leaders, and communities together to create, collaborate, share, envision, learn and be inspired. In this context, Walter Phillips Gallery (“WPG”) at Banff Centre supports endeavors in contemporary art through exhibitions, programs including residencies and symposia organized via the Banff International Curatorial Institute, publications, community engagement and events. WPG also serves as the steward for Banff Centre’s permanent collection, including new public commissions, and oversee the installation and display of artworks across campus.

Reporting to the Director, Walter Phillips Gallery and Collections, the Manager, Exhibitions and Collections is the administrative lead for exhibitions at WPG and other spaces on campus; and on WPG touring exhibitions; publications; and public art commissions or projects at Banff Centre. The position also oversees all aspects of collections management and administration for art works on loan for exhibitions and in Banff Centre’s permanent collection, working closely with the Coordinator, Exhibitions and Collections.

Roles and Responsibilities

Reporting to Director, WPG and Collections below are some key accountabilities:

• Support the Director in the strategic planning and delivery of exhibitions, commissions, special projects, and events, advising on logistics, scheduling, communications, and production, financial, and operational implications.
• Lead the development of WPG budgets in collaboration with the Director, including forecasting, resource allocation, and contingency planning, and responsible for budget tracking for the department.
• Prepare, issue and archive agreements for all WPG activities including exhibitions, special projects, events, commissions, and for the permanent collection, liaising with the Director, General Counsel, or Contract Services as appropriate.
• Oversee processing of necessary payments and invoices relating to WPG-related activities and operational expenses.
• Develop documents and coordinate logistics for touring exhibitions organized and circulated by WPG.
• Coordinate and oversee production, schedule, and permissions clearances where assigned for catalogues, exhibition guides, BICI publications and other exhibition related materials.
• Maintain schedules for WPG and related events; coordinate critical paths for all such activities and identify scheduling conflicts.
• Work closely with Lead Preparator and on-campus stakeholders to ensure cross-campus program needs are supported.

Collections Management Responsibilities

• Oversee collections management duties undertaken by the Coordinator, Exhibitions and Collections in the areas of: tracking locations for permanent collection in collections management software; organizing transport related to exhibitions as well as for incoming and outgoing works on loan from permanent collection; coordination with external institutions requesting to loan artworks from the permanent collection including drafting loan agreements; implementing all aspects of registration, insurance, customs, packing, inspection, ongoing monitoring and condition reporting of loaned artworks and permanent collection works in accordance with WPG protocol.
• In consultation with the Director, establish plan and operationalize digitization initiatives as they relate to media art preservation for permanent collection; and digitization of permanent collection.

Human Resource Management, Team Building and Interdivisional Cooperation

• Foster an internal culture that maintains the highest standards for customer service, excellence of staff, participant and guest experience, and fiscal, operational, and organizational integrity.
• Enable the staff to function as a high performing team at all times, maintaining open communication, clear objectives and priorities, and a culture of positive behavioral intent that is consistent and in alignment with Banff Centre values and is welcoming and inclusive, supporting a diverse workforce.
• Provide day to day leadership, direction and supervision to direct reports effectively allocating assignments across the team. (Oversee workload and scheduling).
• Maintain effective working relationships with team members, internal partners, customers, the union and other stakeholders.
• Ensure employee time reporting and overtime is recorded accurately in the time keeping system meeting as per established payroll deadlines is executed as it relates to the Collective agreement and Terms of Employment Governing Management and Program, Supervisory and Professional (PSP) Employees.

Inclusion, Diversity, Equity and Access

• Supports the development and implementation of strategies to promote inclusion, diversity, equity, and access across Banff Centre
• Supports assessments of workplace accessibility for employees, differently abled participants and guests
• Ensures work environment is welcoming and progressive for members of diverse and Indigenous Communities.

Other

• Fulfill other duties as required by the Director within the parameters of the responsibilities of the position

Qualifications and Educational Requirements

• Post-secondary degree in discipline appropriate to galleries, e.g., museum management, curatorial, collections management, archival studies and conservation or a combination of related training and experience.
• Minimum 5 year’s experience in gallery or museum collections management care, documentation and preventative conservation practices and standards.
• Good working knowledge of collections database software.
• Understanding of and respect for operational protocols of a public art gallery.
• Art handling skills.
• Knowledge of legislated health & safety practices.
• Knowledge of related reporting practices and related digital practices.
• Excellent oral and written communication skills.
• Excellent planning and organization, with a keen attention to detail.
• Ability to multi-task and to prioritize workflow.
• Ability to exercise sound judgement in working both independently with minimal supervision and collaboratively with staff, community. Respects diversity and promotes equity and inclusion in the workplace.
• Experience developing priorities and timelines for major tasks associated with the position.
• Self-directed and exercises initiative in the management, assessment and care of exhibitions and collections.
• Familiar with Canadian Museum Standards for collections documentation and management, intellectual property rights including digital licensing and rights management, and museum preservation standards for various objects including digital content.
• Current knowledge of legal matters pertaining to public collecting, exhibition rights, Copyright, intellectual property, and other related contractual arrangements.

Employment Terms and Benefits

• In accordance with the terms of employment governing Management/PSP employees, this is a salaried, fulltime position, subject to a 6-month probationary period.
• The salary range for this position is $59, 495 - $88,346 based on experience.
• The successful candidate will enjoy twenty paid vacation days and four personal days annually, extended medical and dental benefits, and participation in an employer-matched pension plan.
• Benefits of working at Banff Centre are:
  • Transitional staff housing options (based on availability)
  • Professional development
  • Employee Assistance Program
  • Health care spending account
  • Staff cafeteria and restaurant discounts
  • Onsite fitness facility at a discounted rate – first month free for new staff!