What’s New

The Art Gallery of Grande Prairie is honoured to share the addition of three key new staff as it continues on a path of enriching our community through art. Each of their detailed biographies follows.

Executive Director, Jeff Erbach, elaborates on the importance of these positions, sharing “these are leadership positions in our organization, and so also for culture in our region. The gallery has ambitious plans and we’re confident we can make these real with the addition of these talented women.”

The new Curator, Exhibitions and Collections is Manar Abo Touk.  Manar has worked with a wide range of artists and disciplines in a variety of settings all over the world. “My curatorial practice looks at ideas, stories, and artists that encourage diversity, artistic experimentation, and new interpretations of art in society. My role as a curator is to make a connection between art and the public and I’m very excited to continue my work at the Art Gallery of Grande Prairie and be part of this amazing team and community!”

The new Travelling Exhibition Manager/Curator is Robin Lynch. Robin, a former pre-doctoral fellow at the Smithsonian American Art Museum, is eager to join the Gallery. “I am unbelievably excited to join the already vibrant team at the gallery. I look forward to continuing the travelling exhibitions program, which provides an amazing opportunity to share stories and have conversations with a wide variety of communities and institutions.”

Lastly, the Gallery’s new Manager, Development and Administration is Brittany Kelsey. Brittany held an important role with the Philip J. Currie Dinosaur Museum, and is eager to continue to contribute to local culture. “I’m excited to build and develop the Gallery’s relationships in our community and ensure its sustainability through a diversified approach to fund development. Being part of an organization that is inclusive, supportive, and adheres to a community standard is extremely important to me. As we navigate these difficult times, I’m honoured to be a part of the future of the Gallery.”

Manar Abo Touk – Curator, Exhibitions and Collections

Manar Abo Touk is a Syrian Canadian curator specialized in international contemporary art with a focus on Canadian and Middle Eastern Art. She has an MA in Museum and Gallery Studies from Kingston University London, UK and a BA in History and Theory of Arts and Arts Administration from the University of Ottawa. Manar’s career includes work at the Canadian War Museum and Studio Sixty-Six Gallery in Ottawa, aluCine Latin Film+Media Arts Festival in Toronto and more recently as the Arts Manager and Curator at Al Riwaq Art Space in Bahrain. She is Fluent in English and Arabic.

Robin Lynch – Travelling Exhibitions Manager / Curator

Robin Lynch is an art historian, educator, curator, a Ph.D. Candidate in Art History at McGill University, and a former pre-doctoral fellow at the Smithsonian American Art Museum. Since 2015, she has co-directed a curatorial research group based out of Singapore that brings together international scholars and artists to examine the relationships between art, economics, and infrastructure. She has an MA in Curatorial Studies from Bard College, NY, and has been involved nationally and internationally in the cultural sector for over 8 years with institutions such as the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts, Montreal; the National Gallery of Canada, Ottawa; the Rennie Museum, Vancouver; Henie Onstad Kunstsenter, Norway; and the Hessel Museum of Art, NY; amongst others.

Brittany Kelsey – Manager, Development and Administration

Living most of my adult life in Grande Prairie and making it my family’s home, I’ve grown to care about our community and our cultural sector. I’ve been an active, lead volunteer on a range of events, which has included the KMSC Law charity golf tournament, the 2018 Alberta Summer Games and the 2019 Men’s and Master Men’s Canadian National Fast Pitch Championships.  Prior to joining the Gallery, I served in a wide range of duties at the Philip J. Currie Dinosaur Museum, which included leading and coordinating community outreach, communications and events.

We have launched our Summer Art Camps! Offered in a professional gallery setting, this year, students will display their artwork in The Curve: Community Art Installation. To keep children safe, we will be limiting our camps to 6 children per camp to maintain the proper amount of social distancing. View the Summer Art Camp Handout to see the steps we are taking this summer to keep everyone safe.

Week-long camps for 6 – 12 year olds.
$95 Non-Members / $75 Members
To register: call (780) 532 – 8111 or email jamie-lee@aggp.ca

Camp 1 – FULL!
Nature’s Patterns: Painting
July 27 – 31
Daily 1pm – 3:30pm

Students will learn a variety of painting and drawing techniques inspired by our natural environment.

Camp 2 – FULL!
Exploring Materials: Mixed Media
August 10 – 14
Daily 1pm – 3:30pm

Students will explore a variety of exciting mediums inspired by The Curve and nature.

Camp 3 – FULL!
Forms & Textures : Sculpture
August 17 – 21
Daily 1pm – 3:30pm

With a unique focus on sculptural forms and space, students will create contemporary 3-dimensional art.

SUMMER ART CAMPS are sponsored by:

One of the largest square footage art galleries in Alberta, the Art Gallery of Grande Prairie is a place of art preservation, inspiration and exploration. We offer free admission, tours, programs, and activities for all ages. The Art Gallery presents an average of twelve art exhibitions per year and welcomes over 25,000 visitors annually.  The program managed in this position, the Alberta Foundation for the Arts’ ‘Traveling Exhibition Program’, curates and manages mobile exhibitions which sees participation from approximately 20-30 venues and 150,000 – 175,000 people annually.

Closing date for application:  Friday, June 26, 2020 at 5pm MST

Position start date: Flexible to suitable candidate

Work Schedule: Monday to Friday, 10am to 6pm
(some weeknights and weekends required)

Hours: 35 hours per week

Wage:  $40,000 – $52,000 commensurate with experience

*The position includes a generous health benefit plan covered entirely by the Gallery

Reporting to the Curator, Exhibitions and Collections, the Associate Curator has responsibility for the Gallery’s delivery of the Alberta Foundation for the Arts’ ‘Travelling Exhibition Program’ (TREX) for region 1 (Peace Region and Northeastern BC). They will also support the research and curation of exhibitions as part of the Gallery’s annual calendar. They are responsible for supporting the priorities and attitudes that exemplify the values, professionalism, mission and vision of the Gallery.

 Exhibition Curation and Circulation:

• Circulate a minimum of six exhibitions for the TREX program per year.
• Curate, prepare and circulate a minimum of three new exhibitions per year; one of these exhibitions must be solely comprised of artwork from the Alberta Foundation for the Art’s (AFA) collection. All artworks included in all TREX exhibitions must be by Albertan artists.
• Work with the Gallery team to manage the scheduling and safe shipping of all TREX material to venues.
• Ensure proper insurance for all artworks included in TREX exhibitions.
• Ensure incremental payment of artist fees are paid, aiming towards the CARFAC fee schedule levels.
• Work alongside the Gallery team to provide technical and qualitative advice to all Venues as required.
• Ensure an “Exhibition Fee” is charged to all Venues participating in the TREX Program.
• Manage all contracts, agreements and third parties required to deliver the TREX program.
• Research, develop and curate several exhibitions for the Art Gallery of Grande Prairie annually.
• Support the Curator and Exhibitions and Collections team as required.

Education

• Oversee with Gallery staff one or more of the following to accompany all new TREX exhibitions: educational packages, lesson plans, pamphlets and catalogues, curatorial/artist statements and didactic panels and labels.
• Where budget allows, organize visiting artists program in conjunction with selected exhibitions; artists would be contracted to conduct workshops and lectures pertinent to the exhibition and audience.

Marketing

• Promote the TREX Program in the Region(s) selected by planning and enacting a five-year promotional program in print and/or electronic media, radio and/or television.
• Maintain up-to-date and relevant electronic and print interpretive/educational materials and a website for the TREX Program.
• Locate and encourage new Venues to participate in the TREX Program, especially those outside of Edmonton and Calgary.

Reporting

• Provide progress and information reports on the TREX Program activities in the Region to the AFA as required.
• Participate in an annual teleconference Travelling Exhibition Program Management mid-year committee meeting.
• Participate in the annual in-person Travelling Exhibition Program Management committee meeting on or before April 1 of each year.
• Participate, as required, in Gallery ‘Curatorial Meetings’.

Budget

• Manage a yearly budget allotment and ensure all artist fees, visiting artists and invoices are paid.

Qualifications

• A Degree in Fine Arts, Art History, Curatorial or Museum Studies, OR equivalent education and experience, from an accredited education program with a specialization in a Fine Arts related discipline.
• Five years of recent progressively responsible experience in an art gallery or art museum, with demonstrated success in originating art exhibits, including all facets of research, production, publication, and budget development and control. Knowledge of art packing, crating, framing and other preparatory skills is considered an asset.
• Knowledge of funding agencies / organizations and experience in writing grant applications.

Please send a cover letter and CV, and any inquiries, to:

Executive Director, Jeff Erbach
103, 9839 – 103 Avenue
Grande Prairie, AB
T8V 6M7

info@aggp.ca

Closing date for application: Friday, June 26, 5pm (MST)

We thank all who may apply, and only those who are short-listed will be contacted for an interview.

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Having been closed since March 14, 2020, we opened our doors this past Tuesday, June 2nd.  This week has been a good opportunity for us to implement robust new health and safety procedures following provincial guidelines. We’re also currently accepting submissions to the new community art installation, The Curve.

The Curve opens June 9, and we invite you all to experience these thoughtful and extraordinary works from our community.  The installation will grow over time as new pieces keep coming to us and we encourage you to revisit often.

The second floor of the gallery, including the Carlstrom Family Green Space, will remain closed.  Following provincial guidelines on maximum occupancy for a small space like the Carlstrom Family Green Space, and the nature of it as a communal maker-space, this room will remain closed until restrictions are lifted. We will be opening the second level gallery spaces to an exciting new exhibition, 50 Years of Collecting, on July 2, 2020.

We’re open our regular hours and look forward to seeing you again.

During this challenging time, it’s important that the community rally around a spirit of collaboration and resource sharing. Committed to these values, the Art Gallery of Grande Prairie and nine10 proudly announce the renewal of nine10’s support for the Gallery as their ‘Creative Partner.’

In this role, nine10 provides graphic design services to the Gallery and supports a range of creative projects online, like the Gallery’s widely successful ‘Art at Home’ project.

Executive Director of the Gallery, Jeff Erbach, explains that the partnership is special to the region, “we feel this is a leading practice model in our community, where a public institution like ours partners with a private business on the basis of shared community values, creativity, innovation and that entrepreneurial spirit so famed in Grande Prairie. The services nine10 provide us are critical in our success for how we can position our artistic endeavours.”

According to Ryan Blais, nine10 Partner and Director of Business Development, “supporting community has always been a focus for nine10, however, the relationship with the Art Gallery has been a special and strategic partnership. It allows our agency to showcase our community support AND creative expertise at the same time. In order to do great work with our community partners, we need passionate involvement and focus. We have that in spades with Jeff and his team. The ‘Art at Home’ project is just one example of how we can help add polish and digital functionality to a very timely arts initiative.”

nine10 have served as the ‘Creative Partner’ for the Art Gallery of Grande Prairie since 2018. The Gallery provides nine10 a range of benefits, which includes access to work in their Collection for display, and in exchange receives financial and in kind contributions of nine10’s professional services.