What’s New

The Art Gallery of Grande Prairie, in concert with the Sargent Family Foundation, have agreed to terms on endowing the Family’s major gift as a source of support for major projects.

The donation, $1 million, was first made when the Gallery was rebuilt after the roof collapse in 2007. Now, a decade later, the donation has been secured, partially for the Gallery’s future sustainability as cash reserve, but mostly towards the Gallery’s ‘Special Projects Fund.’

Executive Director of the Gallery, Jeff Erbach, elaborates on the impact of the endowment to the community. “The fund for Special Projects, to be spent over generations, directly allows for the Gallery to undertake major exhibitions and public programs. As a free admission museum, access to these funds is critical in enabling us to enrich our community. Really incredible experiences are going to flow from this incredible gesture. We’re so grateful.”

On behalf of the Sargent Family Foundation, Sean Sargent, expresses support for the Gallery’s mission in relation to the aims of the Foundation; “The Foundation looks to make a positive social difference in our community and so we’re proud to partner with the Gallery this way.”

The first project supported by the Sargent Family Foundation will be made public in early Fall.

Image: Sean Sargent (left) and Ken Sargent (right) with artworks from the Gallery’s Permanent Collection created by Teresa Sargent.

The annual deadline for artist submissions is approaching! Follow the guidelines in the link below and submit your work by September 15th to be considered for an exhibition at the gallery!

https://aggp.ca/participate/artist-submissions/

The Art Gallery of Grande Prairie (AGGP) welcomes proposals from artists and curators in all media for exhibitions or special projects. The Gallery presents a diverse program of exhibitions, lectures and meetings with artists, and is involved in the production of curated exhibitions connected to themes developed by the gallery. Together, the programs propose a critical reflection on today’s art and culture.

Submissions to the Art Gallery of Grande Prairie should be submitted for the sole purpose of informing the curator of your work – submissions should not be directed toward a specific exhibition proposal

Marketing and Social Media Content Designer, Travelling Exhibitions

General Description
The Alberta Foundation for the Arts’ ‘Travelling Exhibitions Program’ (TREX), managed by the Gallery for the Northwest region of the province, sees the research, development and delivery of art exhibitions which travel to a diversity of venues throughout the Peace Region.  The program involves participation from roughly 20-30 venues and 90,000 – 110,000 people annually.

The Gallery is looking to contract marketing support for the program for duration of this fiscal year.

Closing date for application: August 31, 2021, 5pm MST
Contract Starting Date: Flexible, anticipated mid-September
Contract Ending Date: 30 weeks from start, anticipated end March 2022
Work Schedule: Flexible, 5 – 10 hours a week
Compensation: $25 – $30 an hour, commensurate with experience

Reporting to the Curator/Manager of Travelling Exhibitions Northwest (TREX NW), the contractor will create social media content and general marketing materials for the TREX NW program. This includes developing material suitable for Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter, as well as the Gallery’s blog, website, and newsletters. In addition to writing marketing materials, they will be responsible for taking any supporting photographs or video.

Specific Duties

• Develop and deliver a set number of social media posts per month
• Write one blog post per month
• Develop a set number of E-Newsletter posts per month
• Assist in the development of other design content (exhibition posters)
• Take photographs and video content for the development of marketing materials

Qualifications and Assets

• 2-5 years of relevant experience in marketing or communication
• As most of the content produced for this contract will be directly related to artwork, art exhibitions and the TREX NW program, the ideal candidate will have some art education (fine arts, design, art history)
• Experience working with non-profits or art organizations is an asset
• As TREX venues are spread throughout the Peace Region, the ideal candidate will have access to a vehicle, and an ability to visit the venues
• The ideal candidate will be based in Grande Prairie or the surrounding area

Required Skills

• Excellent knowledge of Adobe (InDesign, Adobe Illustrator, Photoshop)
• Experience writing social media posts
• Experience taking photographs and video for social media
• Attention to details
• Excellent communication skills
• Capacity to work independently
• Attention to deadlines and time management

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

EMAIL: info@aggp.ca

Art Gallery of Grande Prairie
c/o Curator/Manager, Travelling Exhibitions
103, 9839 – 103 Avenue
Grande Prairie, AB
T8V 6M7

Closing date for application: August 31, 2021, 5pm MST

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

We are delighted to bring you free activity kits for the community once again.

In this photo is our newest Creativity Kit, ‘GIFT’ – Inspired by Julius Poncelet Manapil’s artwork ‘Balikbayan Cloche : Umalis ka na sa Araw’ in our current exhibition ‘Tuloy, Tawid’.

General Description

One of the largest square footage art galleries in Alberta, the Art Gallery of Grande Prairie (Gallery) is a place of art preservation, inspiration and exploration. We offer free admission, tours, programs, and activities for all ages. The Gallery presents an average of seven to twelve art exhibitions per year and welcomes approximately 24,000 visitors annually.  The Alberta Foundation for the Arts’ ‘Traveling Exhibition Program’ managed by the Gallery, sees participation from approximately 23 venues and 120,000 people annually.

Closing date for application:  Friday, July 23, 2021 at 5pm MST

Position start date:  Flexible, anticipated as August 23, 2021

Work Schedule:  preferrable Friday – Sunday daytime; negotiable

Hours: 19 hours per week (22 hours when adding unpaid breaks)

Compensation:

•  $15,000 – $20,000 annual salary commensurate with education / experience
• The position includes a generous health benefit plan covered by the Gallery
• Gallery paid holidays
• Development opportunities

Reporting to the Curator, Exhibitions & Collections, the Gallery Attendant (Attendant) has responsibility for some logistics, scheduling, and installation of exhibitions projects; both in gallery and traveling. They further support the Gallery’s visitor experience by working at the front reception area. They are responsible for supporting the priorities and attitudes that exemplify the values, professionalism, mission and vision of the Gallery.

The Attendant will build and sustain a positive profile for the Gallery’s exhibitions work.  They work collaboratively as part of the Exhibitions & Collections team.

Specific Duties

Exhibitions; in gallery and traveling

• Assist in the installation or de-installation of curatorial projects and exhibitions as directed by the Curator, Exhibitions & Collections.
• Develop graphic material (not graphic design) based on provided content related to exhibitions; artwork labels, signage, didactics.
• Print and mail exhibition related material with provided content; education packages, interpretive guides, exhibition pamphlets.
• Run errands related to exhibitions, which may include purchase of supplies or tools, pickup of shipping, and more, as required.

Administration

• Assist with administration of exhibition work area tasks, such as program statistics, report writing, filing and archiving.
• Assist in the coordination of travel, accommodation, and other arrangements for visiting artists, curators and educators related to projects and exhibitions in the work area.
• Complete contracts with vendors, artists, curators and other service providers and cultural workers as they relate to the work area.
• When exhibitions are not led by the Exhibitions and Collections area, assist the other work area, like Learning, with the same duties and responsibilities for exhibitions as assigned by the Curator, Exhibitions and Collections.
• Work collaboratively with other staff to implement Gallery priorities.
• Other duties as assigned by the Curator, Exhibitions & Collections or the Executive Director.

Visitor Experience (front desk)

• Work from the front reception desk and greet all visitors and offer information on exhibitions and programs.
• Answer a wide range of general questions from visitors, in person, by phone and email.
• Maintain a fundamental level of knowledge about the Art Gallery’s exhibitions and programs.
• Provide brief informal tours to visitors as required.
• Receive and forward calls to staff.
• Receive payments for registration, operating cash and issuing receipts according to Gallery policies.
• Maintain lobby/reception tidiness, keeping area organized and arrange and replenish public information and literature displays.
• Tidy and spot-clean front entrance and other public areas as required.
• Monitor exhibition areas by video surveillance.
• Perform opening and closing procedures as specified.

Qualifications

A Certificate, Diploma or Degree in Fine Arts, Art History, Curatorial or Museum Studies from an accredited education program with a specialization in a Fine Arts related discipline OR equivalent experience.

Assets

• Knowledge of art packing, crating, framing and other preparatory skills
• General knowledge of curatorial practice in an art museum setting; developing exhibitions, artist relations
• Administrative skills; templates, data entry, organizing, filing, archiving
• Computer literacy; Apple/Mac environment, Adobe Illustrator/In Design, Microsoft Office
• Working with the public and delivering a positive experience for visitors

DOWNLOAD A PDF version of this job posting

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

Curator, Exhibitions & Collections
103, 9839 – 103 Avenue
Grande Prairie, AB
T8V 6M7

EMAIL: info@aggp.ca

Closing date for application: Friday, July 23, 2021 at 5pm MST

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

Through this extraordinary time, the Art Gallery has remained closed for 6 months to support public health measures.  But now, we are excited to announce that we will be reopening with regular hours on June 29, 2021!

As part of our commitment to extraordinary experiences, we have 3 new exhibitions for our community; The Abstract Line, our Permanent Collection show featuring pieces from Ron Kostyniuk, Jim Stokes, and Robert Guest; The Talking Path, an Indigenous group show rooted in the Oral Tradition of Indigenous cultures of the Peace Region; and Tuloy, Tawid, an International Filipino group show that proposes new ways of continuing on, and crossing to a more inclusive and generous future.

As a Free Admission Gallery, we look forward to welcoming you back to our spacious, easy-to-distance, 7 gallery spaces.  With our apologies, this opening date is subject to change as per Alberta’s ‘Open For Summer’ Plan.

GALLERY HOURS

Monday: Closed
Tuesday: 10 am – 6 pm
Wednesday: 10 am – 6 pm
Thursday: 10 am – 9 pm
Friday: 10 am – 5 pm
Saturday: 10 am – 5 pm
Sunday: 1 pm – 5 pm
Holidays: Closed

July 10, 2021 – November 15, 2021

This exhibition includes our first two artworks certified by the Canadian Cultural Property Export Review Board!

This exhibition was curated by Katrina Shirley
Curatorial Assistant, Exhibitions & Collections

Featured Image: HIDE:Runningcross, Clay Ellis

This exhibition is sponsored by Servus Credit Union