Gallery 44 Centre for Contemporary Photography
Call for Community Board Members

Application Deadline: August 1, 2021
Start Date: October 1, 2021
Term: 3 years, with option to renew for a second term
Hour Commitment: Approximately 8 hours per month

Gallery 44 is seeking to fill three community Board positions this fall. Community Board members will collaborate with Board members elected from the G44 Membership, and together offer strategic oversight and contribute to various executive and programming committees.

In keeping with our forthcoming 2022-26 Strategic Plan, Gallery 44 Board members will work with the Executive Director and staff to steward the following key objectives:

• strengthen our organizational identity,
• improve operations and infrastructure,
• mitigate the long-term impact of the pandemic on artists,
• build on existing strengths and community connections to embed equity and diversity in membership and beyond,
• increase access to our programs while exploring new avenues for outreach.

With this first-ever Open Call for Community Board members, we welcome applications from all candidates who will help us meet our organizational needs and are interested in contributing to the long-term sustainability of our evolving community.

Gallery 44 Centre for Contemporary Photography is a charitable, non-profit, artist-run centre committed to supporting multi-faceted approaches to photography and lens-based media. Founded in 1979 to establish a supportive environment for the development of artistic practice, Gallery 44’s mandate is to provide a context for meaningful reflection and dialogue on contemporary photography.

Gallery 44 is committed to programs that reflect the continuously changing definition of photography by presenting a wide range of practices that engage timely and critical explorations of the medium. Through exhibitions, public engagement, education programs and production facilities our objective is to explore the artistic, cultural, historic, social and political implications of the image in our ever-expanding visual world. Find out more at gallery44.org/about.

Board Member Core Responsibilities

Serving as a Board member is demanding and rewarding—it requires engagement in the decision-making processes concerning programming, operations, funding and outreach. The Board of Directors meets approximately every four to six weeks, and each member is expected to serve on at least one committee and to assist by offering input, helping to implement decisions, and ensuring good communication between Gallery 44’s members, Board and staff.

Board Responsibilities

• To work for the good of the organization at all times
• To represent the interests of Gallery 44 both inside and outside the Gallery by attending events, speaking with members and taking action on behalf of the organization
• Assist in implementing short and long-term strategic visioning for the organization
• Review and approve organizational and governance policies and procedures
• Take legal and financial responsibility for the organization
• Direct and assist the staff through the Executive Director
• Attend approximately eight Board meetings annually (approximately every six weeks).
• Serve on additional committees and act as a Board liaison for a committee

Board Composition

The Board is composed of eleven members as follows:

• 7 Board Members elected from among Gallery 44’s membership.
• 4 Community Board Members nominated for election by the Board of Directors. These individuals are recruited from outside the membership using a transparent process to align with strategic plans, community outreach objectives, budgets and responsibilities with the competencies of the Board.

Organizational Needs

The Board has determined that at this time we want to prioritize the representation of particular artistic and cultural communities, and develop expertise in certain areas to ensure the Board functions to best serve the organization and our greater community. As such, we are seeking candidates that will help us meet the following representational and competency objectives:

• Build our administrative capacities by increasing Board members with Human Resources training, or working knowledge of progressive Human Resources practices within non-profit organizations.
• Build our financial capacity by increasing Board members with knowledge of ethical and sustainable fundraising practices, particularly in the private sector, including individual donors and corporate donors and sponsors.
• Focussing on the above mentioned skill-sets, increase representation of Black, Indigenous and POC-identified, as well as LGBTQ2S+ artists and artists with disabilities, on our Board of Directors*

*Gallery 44 is committed to equity and anti-racism in all aspects of its operations. Our commitment to equity in leadership is one step in a series of organizational initiatives that acknowledge and address the systemic exclusion of these groups from the Canadian art world and workforce, both currently and historically.

How to Apply

Send a CV and cover letter outlining your interest in Gallery 44 and how you can contribute to building a sustainable, equitable and connected artist-run centre to submissions@gallery44.org.

Applications will be reviewed by an ad hoc recruitment committee of the Board, and candidates may be contacted for a meeting to discuss their experience in relation to initiatives set out in G44’s Strategic Plan, 2022-26.

For any questions contact Alana Traficante, Executive Director: alana@gallery44.org.