Sarick Curator of Jewish Art and Culture

Royal Ontario Museum; Toronto; On-site; CAD 78,000 - 160,000; Full time

Job summary

A major cultural institution in Canada seeks a Sarick Curator of Jewish Art & Culture. The role involves leading Jewish art exhibitions and collaborating with community stakeholders. Ideal candidates have a Ph.D. in Jewish art history and strong curatorial experience. This position is critical to expanding the museum's Jewish art collection and engaging broader audiences through inclusive programs.

Benefits

Full benefit coverage including medical and dental plans

30 hours of coaching from experts

Union membership with ROM Curatorial Association

Qualifications

• A strong record focusing on Jewish arts and heritage.
• Experience developing and implementing programs and exhibitions.
• A demonstrated connection to the Jewish community and its contemporary issues.

Responsibilities

• Lead the programming and presentation of Jewish art and culture.
• Expand the reach of scholarship through publications and lectures.
• Develop temporary exhibition ideas aligned with ROM’s strategy.

Skills

Strong communication skills

Curatorial experience

Knowledge of Jewish art and culture

Ability to read and write in Hebrew

Public engagement

Education

Ph.D in Jewish art history or related field

Job description

WHO WE ARE

ROM is Canada’s largest museum of Art, Culture and Nature.

The Royal Ontario Museum (ROM) is a cultural institution that showcases art, culture, and nature from around the world and across the ages. Among the top 10 cultural institutions in North America and Canada’s largest and most comprehensive museum, ROM has a world‑class collection of 18 million artworks, cultural objects and natural history specimens, featured in 40 gallery and exhibition spaces. ROM’s mission is to transform lives by helping people to understand the past, make sense of the present, and come together to shape a shared future. The museum is known globally for expanding the boundaries of knowledge and presenting that knowledge in new and innovative ways within the intersecting worlds of art, culture and nature.

ROM’s extensive exhibition schedule and public programs attract approximately 190,000 students and 1.3 million visitors or more in a typical year.

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, 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 to become one of the world’s foremost museums.

Learn more about ROM’s Strategic Direction.

WHO WE NEED

ROM seeks a thoughtful, strategic curator, gifted at communications and alliances, with a strong background in historical material culture, contemporary arts, and diasporic arts from or relating to Jewish art & culture. Reporting to the Co‑chief Curator of Art and Culture, the Sarick Curator of Jewish Art & Culture will lead the programming and presentation of Jewish art and culture through galleries, exhibitions, and other initiatives following ROM’s Strategic direction and in collaboration with local communities, artists, and scholars locally and globally. Guided by ROM’s institutional vision for the broader galleries and collection, the Sarick curator will develop and implement a strategy to build and interpret ROM’s Jewish art and culture collection. ROM offers a unique opportunity to continue to expand this collection’s holdings of historical and contemporary material in line with museum best practices and an acquisition development plan that the Sarick curator will develop. The Jewish Art & Culture program will examine the rich histories, traditions, and artistic achievements of Jewish communities, and explore connections across Europe, Israel, Asia, the Middle East, and beyond.

The Sarick 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 Sarick Curator of Jewish Art & Culture will be well‑versed in the current conversations regarding the role of museums in society and in relation to Indigenous and global 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 primary activity for the successful candidate will be to galvanize the expanding collection in support of developing an ambitious program of Jewish art and culture across ROM. The incumbent will play a critical role as part of a ROM collaborative team to conceive and develop a future Jewish Art and Culture gallery, in consultation with Jewish communities locally and globally. The Sarick Curator of Jewish Art & Culture will develop temporary exhibition ideas in alignment with ROM’s overall exhibition strategy, which features community engagement, inclusive representation, narrative‑building based on shared authority, and transdisciplinarity. This position will also work closely with communities to enrich public understanding and awareness of Holocaust histories through collaborative initiatives, exhibitions, and programs. ROM is committed to rebalancing narratives by sharing non‑dominant cultural perspectives. Resulting exhibitions will be developed to travel to other museums, including to communities with large Jewish 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 Jewish art & culture globally. Applicants specializing in Jewish art history, Judaica, history, religious and cultural studies, Holocaust studies, archaeology, or contemporary art, and who have a commitment to new methodologies and ways of thinking are encouraged to apply.

HOW YOU WILL MAKE AN IMPACT

Exhibitions and Collections

• Within the context of the Judaica collections and suite of galleries, steward the Jewish art and culture collection, including growth, study, rotation and display, care and record‑keeping, provenance research, digitizing and publication.
• Curate ROM’s Jewish 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 future Jewish Art and Culture Gallery as part of ROM’s Museum‑wide gallery planning.
• Establish a 10‑year Jewish art and culture collection 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 Jewish partners and museum leadership in stewarding collaborations that may lead to restitution of objects if needed, in accordance with ethical and field standards.

Public Programs and Outreach

• Work collaboratively with museum educators and engagement staff to initiate programs and school curriculum related to Jewish art and culture and with community stakeholders to ensure programming is accessible and aligned with issues relevant to broad, contemporary audiences, including Jewish and non‑Jewish communities.
• Work with interpretation and education colleagues, propose, prepare and give public programs, lectures, tours, and workshops to the general public, professional colleagues, volunteers, local cultural organizations, and other groups.
• Engage the many Jewish communities in the Greater Toronto Area, Ontario, Canada, Israel, and other parts of the world, including business and cultural communities.

Research and Publications

• Perform scholarly research in the field of expertise, through academic endeavours, grant‑fund projects, 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 nationally, in Israel and in other parts of the world.

Fundraising

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

WHAT YOU BRING

Education & Experience:

• A Ph.D in Jewish art history, visual culture, material culture, anthropology, history or a closely related field with a specialization in some aspect of Jewish art and culture, or the equivalent in relevant experience, exhibitions and/or publications.
• A strong record focusing on Jewish arts and heritage through curatorial, academic, and/or community activities.
• An ability to read and write in Hebrew is required.
• Embodied connection to the Jewish community and a demonstrated knowledge and sensitivity to contemporary histories, issues, and concerns of the community.
• A strong background of work within a museum environment, knowledge of peer institutions, and experience developing and implementing programs and exhibitions, and working with internal and external stakeholders; experience working with issues of provenance is an asset.
• A track record of working successfully with community partners and navigating difficult conversations around contemporary politics and differing points of view is a plus.
• A record of peer‑reviewed publications is an asset. There is an opportunity for cross‑appointment to the University of Toronto.

Personal Characteristics

• Intellectually curious with an appetite to engage in a wide array of topics.
• Ambitious for the institution and its efforts to develop strong networks in the local community and with established international scholars and institutions.
• Responsive to the ideas of others; a strong communicator and a door‑opener, proactively seeking partnerships, networks and input from community members.
• Able to prioritize competing demands within a large, multi‑layered, and active museum.
• Comfortable sharing authority with diverse stakeholders.
• Enjoys working as part of a strong and integrated team to build new experiences for ROM’s visitors.
• Aspirational to build high‑calibre programs, but patient and flexible, able to set incremental goals.
• Sensitive to cultural heritage and aware of the complex societal pressures present in this work.

ROM curators

• Facilitate research on the collection by outside/visiting scholars and develop one’s own program of original, scholarly research, usually relating to ROM collections and exhibitions.
• Work with the ROM Library to build resources on the study of Jewish art and culture.
• Participate in fulfilling the learning mission of the museum and may engage in university teaching or supervision of interns and students at the museum.

SALARY & TERMS OF EMPLOYMENT

• Salary range is $78,000- $160,000 CAD, in accordance with the union collective agreement and based on years of experience.
• ROM is open to considering a range of candidates from Associate Curator to Senior Curator, consistent with the candidate’s experience and the museum's strategic goals — the salary increases according to rank and experience, with the range governed by the Collective Agreement.
• Successful candidates will also receive 30 hours of coaching from MPD Culture Consultants during the first 6 months of their appointment.
• Full benefit coverage includes medical and dental plans, life insurance, long‑term disability, and a pension.
• This is a unionized position, and the Curator will be a member of the ROM Curatorial Association (ROMCA).

HOW TO APPLY

For inquiries or to submit an application, please contact Menon Dwarka at [e-mail] or 647‑719‑9624.

Applicants are encouraged to apply electronically by submitting a single PDF file containing the following documents:

1. A cover letter expressing interest in the position, including brief examples of past experience in exhibitions, programs, and collections, as well as proposed research areas and projects.
2. A curriculum vitae.
3. Names and contact information for three references.