Director, Collections & Curatorial

Opportunity Overview

Glenbow, located in Calgary, is undergoing a transformative period as it reimagines the role of museums in the community. This arts and culture museum is dedicated to making art accessible to all, with a strong commitment to community engagement and reconciliation.

The Director, Collections & Curatorial role requires a creative and collaborative leader experienced in managing museum collections and curatorial projects. The candidate must bring a multidisciplinary approach to enlivening art and artifacts from diverse cultural histories. They should be motivated by the museum’s curatorial vision and ready to work with colleagues, artists, and communities to strengthen relationships across Glenbow’s collections.

This role demands sensitivity to the ethics of working with Indigenous collections and involves contributing to discussions on delivering nationally significant museum programs in an era of reconciliation. The Director will engage with Indigenous curators and communities on collection strategies and curatorial work.

Key Responsibilities

Curatorial Management

• Oversee curatorial department policies, budgets, and exhibition planning.
• Develop original exhibition concepts and supervise curatorial processes.
• Lead discussions on the evolution of the museum’s collections to meet its curatorial vision.
• Collaborate on strategies that advance decolonization in curatorial work.
• Support the development of content for exhibitions, publications, and digital platforms.

Collections Care & Management

• Manage collections care staff, policies, and budgets.
• Develop strategies for acquisitions, deaccessioning, repatriation, and conservation.
• Ensure collections management aligns with professional museum standards.
• Oversee accessible collection records management and research.

Leadership & Communication

• Collaborate with board members, donors, collectors, artists, and other stakeholders.
• Manage and mentor a high-performing curatorial team.
• Network and act as an ambassador for Glenbow at various events and engagements.
• Foster a culture of diversity, equity, and inclusion.

Qualifications & Experience

• 8-10 years of curatorial and museum collection management experience.
• Experience working with Indigenous communities and curating meaningful exhibitions.
• Proven track record in developing exhibition programs that increase audience engagement.
• Expertise in at least one major area of the museum’s collection.
• Strong management, organizational, and communication skills.

Benefits

• Flexible work environment with hybrid options.
• Health and wellness benefits for employees and their families.
• RRSP matching up to 5% of contributions.