Art Collection Consultant

Description:

Are you passionate about supporting the on-going development of an art collection dedicated to representing artwork by visual artists in Alberta? If so, this is the job for you!

As the Art Acquisitions Consultant for the Alberta Foundation for the Arts (AFA) , you will have the opportunity to guide the purchase, donation or transfer of all visual artworks that become a permanent part of the AFA Art Collection. The AFA Art Collection was established in 1972 to preserve, collect and promote the work of Alberta visual artists. Currently it includes over 9000 artworks from diverse artists from across the province.

You will be responsible for facilitating AFA Art Collection development as the lead for art acquisition in compliance with Government of Alberta (GOA) and AFA policies and legislation providing expert oversight related to the equitable and appropriate application of guidelines and standards across all collecting practices. You will be the lead for all external competitive art acquisition procurement programs (Art Acquisition by Application, Curatorial Purchase), as well as the donation program providing consultative service through direct contact as well as written correspondence

Some key functions of this role include:

• Responsibility for ongoing development and review of acquisition program policies and processes including the development of supporting forms/templates.
• Ongoing acquisition processing, assisting program applicants with policy interpretation and supports, coordinating adjudication panel reviews and ensuring timely disbursement of purchase funds.
• Responding to prospective donors and providing expertise to the AFA Board relating to donation offers.
• Solicit and contract arts professionals, appraisers, and others through the Request for Proposals and other service procurement methods to provide specialized services for Art Collections programs.
• Chair the Acquisition Working Group meetings as set out in the Collection Development Plan to solicit advice and expertise on potential acquisitions and deaccessions.
• Supporting research and outreach initiatives related to acquisition through project-specific research; providing content for outreach initiatives; sharing expertise with internal and external stakeholders; helping to respond to public enquiries.
• Keep abreast of new developments in Alberta’s visual arts community with an eye to addressing identified gaps in the collection

Qualifications

University Degree in a related field (Fine Art, Art History, Museum Studies) plus at least 4 years of progressively responsible related experience is required. A related Master’s degree is preferred

Additional requirements:

• Awareness of best practices in collections management
• Knowledge of and/or experience with visual arts
• Experience working with grants and/or contract management
• Project management experience with a strong background in budgeting
• Well-developed written and verbal communication skills
• Class 5 Driver’s License

Assets:

• Experience related to acquisition of artwork
• Procurement expertise
• Familiarity with coordinating adjudication panels
• Experience and/or familiarity with the visual arts community in Alberta