WINNIPEG.- The Winnipeg Art Gallery has launched a search for a Manager of Indigenous Initiatives and an Assistant Curator of Inuit Art. The two new full-time positions are supported by the Canada Council for the Arts through a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU), under which the Council is providing $100,000 a year for three years via its Creating Knowing and Sharing, The Arts and Cultures of First Nations, Inuit and Métis Peoples program.

The initiative responds to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s Calls to Action by ensuring Indigenous representation on the management team at the WAG and within the curatorial department. In the lead-up to the opening of the Inuit Art Centre in 2020, the creation of these new roles increases Indigenous leadership and agency as the WAG continues on its Indigenization journey.

The deadline to apply for both positions is November 23, 2018, at 5:00 p.m.

Manager of Indigenous Initiatives
· Maintaining a dynamic profile in the museum, cultural, and educational sectors, this critical management position will assume a leadership role in Indigenization initiatives at the Gallery, involving the First Nations, Inuit, and Metis communities.

· The manager will work in conjunction with various departments, overseeing and expanding the WAG’s Indigenous activities and creating opportunities for Indigenous focused content. This includes generating curriculum-guided strategies integrating Indigenous knowledge into all levels of education; supporting development, fundraising, and marketing to build capacity for Indigenous programs, partnerships, and overall outreach; liaising with Indigenous and Northern government and stakeholder representatives and groups; and collaborating on exhibitions, programs, and collections development.

Assistant Curator of Inuit Art
· Working with the WAG curatorial and education teams, the Assistant Curator of Inuit Art will be responsible for the care, acquisition, research, interpretation, and exhibition of Inuit art.

· The curator will project manage exhibitions and oversee installations, supporting the Curator of Inuit Art in overseeing the physical care and exhibition of the Gallery’s Inuit art collection, the largest of its kind in the world, as well as works of art on loan.

· The curator will provide administrative support to the WAG Indigenous Advisory Circle, and assist with the Gallery’s liaison work with Indigenous and Northern stakeholders.

How to Apply

· For more information including qualifications and how to apply, visit wag.ca

· The deadline to apply for both positions is November 23, 2018, at 5:00 p.m.

The creation of these new Indigenous positions at the Winnipeg Art Gallery (WAG) is an important initiative, and one that we are proud to be a part of. As the main public arts funder, the Canada Council for the Arts has committed to honouring the perspectives, stories, aesthetics and struggles of First Nations, Inuit and Métis peoples. We are confident that this memorandum of understanding with WAG will be successful in amplifying Indigenous voices, in increasing support to Indigenous artists, and in enriching and inspiring their communities. —Simon Brault, Director and CEO, Canada Council for the Arts

This partnership with the Canada Council for the Arts (CCA) is part of an exciting phase of growth as the Winnipeg Art Gallery (WAG) gets closer to the 2020 opening of the Inuit Art Centre. The WAG thanks the CCA for its generous support. Through the establishment of these two key positions, we look forward to more Indigenous voices to help expand on the amazing work that continues at the WAG. We want to ensure all communities are well represented in the midst of the historic transformation the WAG is undergoing to build cultural understanding across the country and around the globe. —Dr. Stephen Borys, Director & CEO Winnipeg Art Gallery