The Gardiner Museum in Toronto is seeking proposals for the inaugural Gardiner Museum Curatorial Residency.

The Gardiner Museum Curatorial Residency will provide the successful applicant with a paid opportunity to conceive, research, and produce a small-scale museum exhibition and gain experience in a professional environment. The aims of the residency are: to create an opportunity for aspiring and emerging curators; to promote new approaches to the study and presentation of ceramics; and to support a new, diverse generation of curators by offering them an opportunity to communicate their ideas to a broad public.

RESIDENCY DESCRIPTION

The outcome of the Curatorial Residency will be an exhibition, which will be presented at the Museum once the Residency is complete. The exhibition should focus on clay or ceramic works, works that are primarily ceramic, or ceramic works in context with other objects or artworks. The theme should be of contemporary relevance and informed by the latest scholarship, whether the actual objects are historical or contemporary.

The Curatorial Residency has two components to achieve this goal. The first is a travel component of approximately 2-6 weeks, with financial support for the selected applicant’s travel outside of Canada to research their exhibition, including visiting other museums. This invaluable experience will enhance the exhibition, deepen its scholarship, and provide a unique opportunity for professional and personal growth.

The second component will be 3-5 months of full-time work at the Gardiner Museum. This period of the residency will focus on the research, development, writing and realization phases of the exhibition, along with participation in the regular curatorial operations of the Museum, through which the selected applicant will gain broader exposure to Museum practice.

The Curatorial Resident will also give at least one public presentation about their exhibition and contribute to the Gardiner’s digital platforms with content about their project.