Head of Gallery - VCUarts Qatar temporary appointment withan 18-month term faculty contract - Virginia CommonwealthUniversity
Job details
Headof Gallery (temporary appointment with an 18month termfaculty contract) Virginia CommonwealthUniversity School of the Arts in Qatar Position: Head of GalleryProgram: Office of Research andDevelopment Location: DohaQatar Position Begins: Summer/Fall2024 Consideration Process: Those whowish to express interest in this opportunity are invited to submittheir materials for best consideration by Friday May 24 2024.Materials will be considered as they are received and until a Headof Gallery is identified. Additional instructions for considerationare provided below. TheOpportunity: VCUarts Qatar is excitedto announce an opportunity for a Head of Gallery that will supportand promote the Schools vision and mission through impactfulexhibitions speakers and relevant public programs. This opportunityis a temporary 18month term faculty appointment that will developand implement a curatorial vision to guide an ambitious exhibitionand speaker program and elevate the intellectual contributions ofthe VCUarts Qatar Gallery in local regional and global discourse.The Head of Gallery will be a dynamic professional with a prominentcuratorial voice and vision with significant handson experience inall aspects of curation exhibition design and associatedactivities. The Head of Gallery willhave curatorial experience working across disciplines in art designand art history. This position will provide leadership and visionfor the VCUarts Qatar Gallery teach or coteach undergraduate orgraduatelevel courses and engage in creative practice and/orscholarly research that speaks to their own areas of interest. Withan emphasis on showcasing work from emerging and establishedartists and designers the Gallery facilitates widerangingactivities and public programs at VCUarts Qatar including theCrossing Boundaries Lecture and Workshop Series Wavelength LectureSeries Project Spaces exhibitions the Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA)and Master of Fine Arts (MFA) exhibitions while partnering with theHamad Bin Khalifa Symposium on Islamic Art and the Tasmeem Dohaconference. It is expected that a competitiveinternational search will be conducted during theacademic year withthe goal of identifying a permanent Head of Gallery to start inlate 2025/early 2026. The temporary Head of Gallery will beeligible to apply for the permanent opportunity when it isannounced. There are generousbenefits associated with the temporary 18month temporaryappointment: Competitiveinternational salary Tax protection for U.S.Taxpayers 30% Offshore supplement Medical Insurance (100% employer funded premium andemployer cost shared options available) Fullyfurnished villa or apartment including wireless internet Annual travel allowance to home of record (to include aspouse and dependents relocated to Qatar) Monthly transportation allowance Educationalreimbursement for up to 4 dependent children enrolled in anaccredited K12 program InternationalProfessional Development and Research Opportunities VCUarts Qatar: VCUarts Qatar is the international branch campus ofVirginia Commonwealth Universitys School of the Arts (VCUarts).Located in Richmond Virginia VCUarts (confidential is the toprankedpublic art school in the U.S. VCUarts Qatar was established in 1998through a partnership with the Qatar Foundation and offers studentsthe opportunity to earn a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in fashiondesign graphic design interior design and painting &printmaking; a Bachelor of Arts degree in art history; and a Masterof Fine Arts degree in design. It is currently in the process ofestablishing a BFA in Kinetic Imaging program. Located in Doha thecapital city of Qatar VCUarts Qatar is fully accredited by theNational Association of Schools of Art & Design theSouthern Association of Colleges and Schools and the Council forInterior Design Accreditation. The current student body representsa diverse range of nationalities with students coming from 34countries. VCUarts Qatar is dedicatedto global outreach and education and provides students with anenvironment for crosscultural exchange that fosters inquirydiscovery and innovation. Examples of this mission are the twosignificant international conferences hosted by VCUarts Qatarthebiennial design conference Tasmeem and the biennial Hamad binKhalifa Symposium on Islamic Art. VCUarts Qatar attracts globallyrecognized designers artists and scholars while fosteringpartnerships within the region and beyond that enhance theeducational economic and cultural vitality of Qatar. Havingestablished itself as a center of excellence for education andresearch VCUarts Qatar has substantial involvement with theinfluential art and design world of the Middle East and is acatalyst for the growth and development of these fields in theregion. VCUarts Qatar has over 120 fulltime faculty and staff and astudent body of over 300 students. VCUarts Qatar was the firstcampus established in Education City a unique 2500acre multiversitycampus. VCUarts Qatar was joined by Georgetown Universitys Schoolof Foreign Service CarnegieMellon University Texas A&MUniversity Weill Cornell Medical College Northwestern Universityand HEC Paris. Qatar with English as thestandard second language is a progressive country in the ArabianGulf and remains one of the healthiest economies in the Gulfregion. Doha offers all the conveniences found in a contemporaryand cosmopolitan city while honoring a rich tradition that isevident in the old markets and the citys Islamic Arab architecture.AlWakrah Stadium a venue for the 2022 FIFA World Cup designed bythe defunct deconstructivist architect Zaha Hadid was inauguratedin 2021. The National Museum of Qatar designed by Jean Nouvelopened in March 2019 while the Museum of Islamic Art designed byI.M.Pei opened in November 2008 and the Arab Museum of Modern Art(Mathaf) opened in 2010. The U.S. Embassy considers Qatar among thesafest countries in the world for Americans. VCUarts: Ranked by US News & World Report as a topfive arts anddesign school VCUarts (arts.vcu.edu) includes over 3000undergraduate and graduate students with nationally recognizedprograms in design visual and performing arts and has an annualbudget of $38 million and an endowment of more than $13.5 million.Students are taught by over 175 fulltime teaching and researchfaculty members and the school is supported by over 70 staffmembers that assist in daily processes. The School includes twocampuses; one in Richmond and one in Doha Qatar. The Richmondcampus is located on the universitys 75acre Monroe Park campussituated in the citys historic Fan District. Ultimately the work ofthe School of the Arts extends globally with partnershipsthroughout the world and across fields as diverse as the humanitieshealth care and business. MajorResponsibilities: Provides leadership and curatorial vision to guide the Galleryprogramming focused on contemporary art design and arthistory; Provides oversight of the daytodayoperational management of wideranging art and design galleryactivities; Develop and teach courses ontopics relevant to areas of expertise with a willingness to teachcourses across the academic departments. Courses may be taught atthe undergraduate and/or graduate level; Serves as a managing editor for the Gallery website; Supports and enriches the educational research andoutreach aspirations of VCUarts Qatar working collaboratively withschool and departmental leaders faculty staff and other relevantstakeholders; Works collaboratively withinterdepartmental staff vendors and clients coordinating dailyactivities and facilitating the timely completion ofprojects. Collaborates with the GalleryCommittee to initiate develop coordinate and provide leadership oninternal and external exhibitions and guest lectures thatconsistently attain standards of international excellence inalignment with the strategic goals of VCUarts Qatar and theUniversity. Collaborates with colleagues onthe VCU Home Campus such as VCUarts Anderson Gallery and theInstitute of Contemporary Arts. Buildscollaborations with community and cultural organizations andengages a wide audience that includes students faculty localresidents and visitors throughout the world; Supervises the Exhibitions and Lectures Assistant who supportsdaytoday operations; Performs other duties asassigned by the supervisor or needed within the general dutiestypically associated with this position. Qualifications: MA MFA or equivalent in Art/Design HistoryArt/Design Criticism Museum Studies or related academicdisciplines; Minimum of five (5) years ofcuratorial experience in a Gallery museum nonprofit or highereducation in a supervisory/management role with progressiveresponsibility for designing and carrying out a full range ofprograms or projects; Experience overseeingand ensuring standards of excellence in museum and curatorialprinciples exhibition design practices and procedures and anunderstanding and sensitivity to professional ethics related toworking with designers artists and speakers; Demonstrated creativity and innovation in developing andimplementing all stages of an exhibition including basicconversations of works of arts exhibition design registrarsprocedures the accession process installation and a basicunderstanding of legal procedures of import/export logistic andhospitality for artists agreements for securing loans andrepatriation issues; Broad working knowledgeof art/design history of all periods and specialized knowledge incontemporary art/design familiarity and knowledge of nonWesternart/design is a benefit; Strong writingskills for historical and critical analysis of art and design withthe ability to write for both scholarly and generalaudiences; Experience writing and directingall promotional and academic materials such as exhibition catalogsin support of exhibitions and speakers; Experience coordinating guest speakers and presenting speakers toan audience; Independent strong projectmanagement skills and excellent organizational skills with theability to organize resources budget management establishpriorities and manage deadlines; Excellentability to work effectively with a diverse group of administratorsfaculty staff students artists and suppliers and develop andmaintain favorable external and internal partnerships with thevarious constituencies of VCUarts Qatar VCU Richmond and localcreative industries; Experience withinternational project collaboration and working with academiccommunity cultural and educational institutions in an inclusive andculturally sensitive manner; Demonstratedexperience working in and fostering a diverse faculty staff andstudent environment or commitment to do so as a staff member atVCUarts Qatar; Must possess excellent verbaland written English language proficiency; Established research agenda and a clear potential for externalfunding as well as a potential for a scholarship or creativeexpression to complement and expand existing expertise in thedepartment/unit. Consideration Process and Instructions: Virginia Commonwealth University is committed toorganizational diversity equity and inclusion an environment whereall can thrive in their pursuit of excellence. Those who wish to express interest in this opportunity arerequested to submit a Statement of Contributions to DiversityEquity and Inclusion (typically between 150300 words) providingyour career aspirations and contributions toward promotingdiversity equity and inclusion. Through this statement you canshare how your lived experiences and academic and professionalactivities will impact your contribution to VCUs mission ofpromoting equity and inclusion. Note: Examplesinclude working with others to further the goals of equity andinclusion; leading in any capacity that tangibly promotes anenvironment where diversity is welcomed fostered and celebrated;creative activity research and scholarship that promotes equity andparity; teaching and mentoring students and/or engaging withfaculty and/or staff from traditionally underrepresented groups tocreate a positive and successful organizational experience. Foradditional guidance on writing a Statement of Contributions toDiversity Equity and Inclusion: confidential To expressyour interest in being considered for this opportunity pleasesubmit following documents online via the VCU JobsWebsite: Cover Letter (addressinterest and qualifications for the opportunity; include discussionof research agenda teaching and service activities); Curriculum Vitae; Reflectiveteaching statement (include approaches and philosophies; evidenceof effective teaching; and potential courses in area ofspecialization) Portfolio of visual work thatdemonstrates curatorial experience; (2)Writing samples that demonstrate your communication skills andability to write for scholarly and general audiences; List of three professional references including nameswith titles and contact information. (References will notbe checked prior to candidates approval). Only electronic materials submitted via the VCU JobsWebsite will be accepted. For best consideration please submitmaterials by Friday May 24 2024. Materials will be considered asthey are received and until a temporary Head of Gallery isidentified. Virginia CommonwealthUniversity is committed to providing accessible and equitableliving learning and working environments free from discriminationand harassment based on race color religion national or ethnicoriginage sex (including pregnancy) political affiliation veteranstatus genetic information sexual orientation gender identitygender expression or disability. PositionType: Teaching & Research FacultyFull time equivalent: 100%Tenure: Open Rank:Open Months: 12Department: Qatar Campus VCUarts Salary: Commensurate withexperience. Generous international benefits This is an expression of interest process that will result in atemporary waiver appointment.This job hasbeen sourced from an external job board.More jobson
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