Job Title: Curator, Contemporary
Institution / Organization: Canadian Clay & Glass Gallery
Closing Date: August 28, 2009
E-Mail: [email protected]
Web link to Institution http://www.canadianclayandglass.ca

The Canadian Clay & Glass Gallery is looking for a Curator who will invest in the mission and mandate of the Gallery and support the Gallery with artistic vision and leadership. The Curator will possess a deep, engaged knowledge of and curiosity about the critical issues related to contemporary art and craft. The Curator will also serve as a strong advocate for the Gallery in local, national and international communities. CCGG’s curator will implement and bring to full fruition existing planned programming for a period of three years. Concurrent with this activity the curator will conceptualize, design and implement future exhibition programs that build
upon the Gallery’s successful history.

The Curator will:
Plan, design and install exhibitions of contemporary art and co-ordinate related programmes; research and co-ordinate production of related print and promotional materials.
Provide strong artistic leadership to assist the Director in establishing policy and priority related to long-range goals and the solicitation of outside funding from government, foundation, and private sources.
Maintain the Gallery’s permanent collection and oversee the strategic growth of the collection with a focus on acquiring works of national significance.
Possess strong writing skills and be responsible for catalogues essays and grants.
Possess strong verbal communication skills for the delivery of exhibition orientation lectures to education support staff, other staff members and volunteers.
Work closely and collaboratively with the Director of Education to: supervise and administer the Contemporary Gallery Context and Docent programmes.
Participate in and/or organize symposia related to contemporary art and fine craft and serve as a positive presence in the Canadian art scene.

Build strong liaisons and partnerships with other regional, national and international galleries.

Develop programming with senior, mid-career and emerging artists.

The ideal candidate will have:
• A Masters or Ph.D. in art history (contemporary art/fine craft preferred), studio art or related discipline
• Evidence of significant curatorial achievement (research, publication, exhibitions, and collections management) with minimum of seven years of professional experience
• Knowledge of museum standards and collections management practices
• Excellent skills in project management, written and oral presentations, staff and volunteer supervision
* Demonstrated success in grant writing

Mission: The Canadian Clay & Glass Gallery fosters interaction among artworks, artists and community. Our exhibitions challenge ideas and perceptions of the definitions of art, craft and design today, as well as concepts of ethnicity and contemporary culture providing meaningful and enriching cultural experiences for a diverse audience and opportunities for the development of philanthropy.

This full time position and offers a benefits package.
Applications must include: CV, curatorial philosophy and salary expectations

Review of applications will begin August 28, 2009.
The position will remain open until a suitable candidate is found.

Houston Center for Contemporary Craft
Deadline: October 1, 2009

An exhibition of historic and contemporary tea infusers and strainers, curated by Tom Muir. The exhibit will be shown from January 16 – March 21, 2010 at the Houston Center for Contemporary Craft.

eXtreme Tea will be on display during the 2010 SNAG Conference, “Going to Extremes,” Houston, TX, March 10-13, 2010

Introduction:
If you’ve used a teabag, you’ve used the least attractive, and most common, form of contemporary tea infuser. A tea infuser is simply a device that holds loose tea leaves for brewing in a pot or cup. But this simple, useful object has a history of extraordinary artistic elaboration, in common with all tea implements. Today, as tea is a popular beverage around the globe, the tea infuser presents an exciting challenge for contemporary artists in many media.

The contrasts between tradition and contemporary possibilities for the tea infuser are extreme indeed – even more so is the inventiveness that takes this simple function to imaginative extremes!

High craft and low craft are contrastingly represented in tea infusers, which can be made of metal, glass, ceramic, fiber and plastic – and combinations of mixed media. The functional solution that artists have found to the problem of steeping tea have varied widely and wildly – from figural, thematic depictions and literary references to visual and functional puns and engineering tours de forces.

With possibilities for multiple use in the contemporary context, tea infusers provide unlimited possibilities for artists! Besides the popularity of tea itself, new forms of contemporary tea infusers will also share in the world-wide status of teapots as culturally significant artforms.

To have work considered for the exhibition, please send high-quality digital images and information to:
Tom Muir
Fine Arts Center
Bowling Green State University
Bowling Green, OH 43402
or [email protected]