The curatorial team operates within a vibrant and rewarding environment stewarding and developing the National Gallery’s relationships with art and artists.
The National Gallery’s collection of Australian Art is one of the most significant in Australia. The primary focus of the Assistant Curator, Australian Art role is to assist the Head of Australian Art and Senior Curator, Australian Art in the preparation of acquisition projects, exhibitions and publications related to collection and wider artistic program. This includes assisting in developing interpretation material for display on site, online and on tour.
Additionally, the role will:
* Bring specialist expertise to the department
* Coordinate and assist in the development of exhibitions and other projects, including publications
* Build and manage relationships with internal and external stakeholders, often involving complex matters
* Perform administrative tasks that enable the effective operation of the curatorial team
* Represent the department and the National Gallery internally and externally
The Assistant Curator, Australian Art works collaboratively with peers, colleagues and through national and international networks to foster and grow the value of and reputation of the collection.
This position requires someone who has curatorial experience. It involves a substantial level of cataloguing and documentation, primary and secondary research, the ability to meet agreed operational and strategic targets and to establish and maintain strong and meaningful, internal and external relationships.
This position of Assistant Curator, in Australian Art is a non-ongoing full-time role with the Australian Art team.
The key duties of the position include:
In accordance with the APS 5 work level standards, you will:
Leadership Functions
* Reflect and foster a culture that promotes the National Gallery’s values, equity and positive diversity outcomes
* Contribute to decision-making and planning for the department
* Contribute to a culture of innovation to help drive organisational improvement
* Contribute to the day-to-day activities of the team
* Manage scheduling, prioritisation, coordination and allocation of work to self
* Collaborate, participate and contribute to the team’s work plans.
Business Functions
* Provide advice; coordinate and assume responsibility for projects and workflows
* Support the implementation of programs, policy, legislation, systems and/or processes, and initiate the development of new systems, procedures, policies and/or practices related to the department’s work, as required
* Manage workflows to balance competing priorities to meet required outcomes
* Maintain strong internal and external relationships with our sector and community
* Exemplify a healthy and safe working environment, including contributing to a culturally safe working environment, modelling and promoting ethical behaviour and practices, professionalism and integrity
* Provide input to operational business planning
* Model and promote a healthy and safe working environment, modelling and promoting ethical behaviour and practices consistent with the APS Code of Conduct.
Specialist Functions
* Use the collection management system (KE EMu) to create and update catalogue records and to assist with the administration of collection presentations and exhibitions
* Conduct preliminary research using a range of archival and secondary sources in the preparation of catalogue records, interpretive material, provenance data, and artist biographies
* Assist the Registration and Conservation Departments with the safe movement of the collection for the purposes of documentation and digitisation and the safe housing of the collection
* Assist in the preparation of correspondence and other administrative tasks
* Liaise with internal and external stakeholders, including artists, curatorial colleagues, researchers and the public
* Coordinate workflows and prepare movement requests
* Ensure that work health and safety guidelines and practices are implemented and observed
* work productively as part of a team including coordinating activities for the Australian Art department.
Eligibility
Citizenship – To be eligible for employment with the Gallery, you must be an Australian citizen.
Police Check – to be eligible for this role you must complete a police check.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION - Qualifications, Certifications and Registrations
Role specific mandatory qualifications /certification and/or registrations include:
* Relevant qualifications in art history and experience in an Art Gallery/Museum environment.
* Professional certification and/or membership of relevant professional associations is desirable.
Notes
HOW TO APPLY
To apply for this role please go to the National Gallery's Careers portal.
You should provide a tailored CV (maximum of three pages) along with a statement of no more than two pages that outlines your skills, capabilities and experience, against the information above.
In your statement response you should keep in mind the capabilities and behaviours required to be successful for this role, as identified in the information above. Try not to duplicate information that can be found in your CV but do highlight any specific examples or achievements that demonstrate your ability to perform the role.
An order of merit or merit pool, may be established from this selection process and may be used to fill future identical vacancies over the next 18 months. Selection may be based on application and referee reports only. If you do not wish to be added to an order of merit, please notify us in your application.
Getting to know the National Gallery of Australia
The National Gallery is one of Australia’s leading visual arts institutions. The National Gallery is based in Canberra and is a vital part of the Australian cultural landscape. Our Purpose is to collect, preserve, promote and share the national collection of art. The Vision of the National Gallery is to be the international reference point for art in Australia, inspiring all people to explore, experience and learn. Our Values include Boldness, Integrity, Respect, and Excellence.