Call for Curator 2018-2020

PS² is looking for an experienced, passionate and imaginative curator to manage and develop our  Freelands Artist Programme in consultation with the Artistic Director. The Curator will work directly with emerging Northern Irish artists and cultural producers to develop and deliver the Freelands Artist Programme for PS² in close contact with the selected artists. The Freelands Artist programme supports emerging artists based in Northern Ireland with the aim to develop and retain talent and improve the wider cultural infrastructure and ambition of the region. The programme complements PS² fundamental ambition, to support new and experimental art, finding fresh approaches of participation and social inclusion. Further information about the position and requirements are below or download here.

Curator (part time) for PS²’s Freelands Artist Programme

• Job Title: Curator (part time)
  
• Employer: Paragon Studios Ltd (PS²), 69 Royal Avenue, Belfast
•  Reports to: Artistic Director
  
• Responsible for: PS²’s Freelands Artist Programme
  
• Contract: 2 year, fixed-term, expected end date September 2020
•  Hours of work: 2 days (15 hours), requires flexibility on days worked
•  Salary: £11.400 [equivalent of £28.500 pro rata]
  
• Start date: September 2018 with 3 months’ probation
•  Location PS², Spencer House, 69 Royal Avenue, Belfast

About us

PS² started in 1993 as a self-organised artist- and studio collective in Belfast. In 2004, a small ground floor shop in the studio building was used as a project space for invited artists. The project space quickly became an attractive platform for local and trans-local artists to experiment and create new and site specific work, open to the public. Funded by the Arts Council and other sources, PS² soon established an annual arts programme of around 20-25 projects with mainly emerging artists and cultural producers.
Chosen from proposals, invitations, recommendations, open calls and chance encounters, PS² works on average with 40-70 artists a year, in the project space and with longer term projects at outside locations in community contexts.
PS² has a clear artistic vision see and curiosity working with artists whose work is experimental, original, risk-taking and of social relevance.
PS² is a vital springboard for the development of artists’ careers within the arts ecosystem of Northern Ireland and a feeder to larger organisations. PS² projects assist many artists being rewarded with individual funding, residencies, travel awards and /or employment in the arts sector. With innovative project formats of open calls, we specifically target artists and cultural producers, who might otherwise remain undetected.

The Role

PS² wishes to recruit an experienced, passionate and imaginative curator to manage and develop our Freelands Artist Programme. This new initiative by the Freelands Foundation supports emerging artists through four organisations based in each of the UK’s four regions (G39, Cardiff; Site Gallery, Sheffield; Talbot Rice Gallery, Edinburgh and PS², Belfast). Over a 5 year period each organisation will work with a total of 20 artists, each for two years. In addition to a bursary, the individual artists will be provided with various opportunities, including an end of cohort exhibition in London. The curator will manage and develop PS²’s Freelands Artist Programme between September 2018-2020. They will be the main contact for the project artists, offering support and developing the programme alongside the Artistic Director.
The Curator will have a public facing role, providing curatorial insight into the programme, both in written and oral form. This post is based in Belfast, but applicants must be able to travel outside of Northern Ireland to meet the demands of the role as required.

Duties and Responsibilities 

The following gives an indication of the main duties and responsibilities of the post. These may change over time. The post holder will be required to work flexibly and carry out any other work that is reasonably required.

• The Curator reports to the artistic director and will be responsible for the following
•  Assist with selection for PS²’ Freelands Artist Programme artists
  
•  Develop progression/mentoring programme for selected artists
  
•  Develop and manage PS²’s Freelands Artist programme Work closely with the project artists
  
• Assist their progress and shape the profile and impact of the PS²’ Freelands Artist Programme
•  Establish and maintain partnerships and collaborations to local community groups, neighbourhoods, arts/ community arts organisations, festivals and art fairs
•  Curate art projects/exhibitions in PS²’s project space/other venues/galleries/ or at community contexts/ outside locations
  
•  Organise research travel/mentoring programme for project artists
•  Manage given budgets and submit regularly reports
  
•  Responsibility for all administration related to PS²’s Freelands Artist Programme
•  Maintain and update PS² website/social media
  
•  Attend meetings with funders and other sectorial bodies when appropriate
•  Maintain a professional relationship to PS²’s studio artists
•  Advocate and push for an increased Visual Arts Economy in Northern Ireland
  
•  Identify and assist with further fundraising
•  Liaise with gallery programme artists
  
• Invigilate project space during working hours
  

Essential Criteria

• Educated to degree level or equivalent
•  Minimum of 2 years proven track record of working/leading curatorial projects and commissioning new work
•  Profound knowledge, understanding and curiosity of the contemporary arts scene, arts-economy and culture in Northern Ireland
•  Knowledge of contemporary curatorial practices, with a strong interest in participatory art
•  Good understanding of PS²’s past projects and its role in the visual arts ecology of Northern Ireland
•  Share PS²’s ethos and broad understanding of culture and art, both in terms of media forms, tactics of engagement and formats of display and dissemination
•  Experience in administering budgets and reporting
•  Excellent communications skills, both written and verbal and experience of using a range of mediums to ensure effective communication
•  Ability to successfully build and maintain professional working relationships with artists and stakeholders both internally and externally, and on a local and international level.

Desirable Criteria

• Experience of working directly with artists, supporting them in the development of their research or the creation of new work
•  Confident working independently and also in a small team collaboratively with peers, organisations and communities
  
• Experience in working in small scale arts organisation
•  A proven track record of fundraising
•  Strong curatorial vision combined with sharp strategic planning communication skills and commitment
  
•  Personal insight and contacts to emerging artists and creatives working North of Ireland Initiate and manage innovative art projects in collaboration with artists
•  Experience of advocacy for the arts ecology in Northern Ireland Queries
  
  

If you have any queries regarding the role please contact pssquared@btconnect.com or phone 07733457772.

Application Procedure

Your application should include

1. Application form
   
2.  A current CV (maximum 2 A4 pages)
   

Please send your application only as PDF (limit: 3MB) to: pssquared@btconnect.com
Unfortunately, applications that do not follow this format cannot be considered. Shortlisted applicants must be available for interview on Friday 31 August 2018.
PS² is committed to equal opportunities in recruitment and employment.

Application Deadline

 Friday, 24 August 2018, 5pm

Application Form

PS² curator (part-time) for Freelands Artist Programme
Please complete all sections and email as PDF to pssquared@btconnect.com
Deadline:  Friday, 24 August 2018, 5pm

Download Application Form here.

Name

Email

Telephone

Address

Statement                                                             

Why do you want the curator position? (max 500 words)

Education                                                                                                 

Qualifications

Institution

Dates from/to

Experience                                                                       

Work experience relevant to the post, including volunteering

Dates from/to

Essential Criteria

Please outline how your skills, experience and eligibility meets the Essential Criteria as listed in the Job Description (max. 500 words)

Desirable Criteria

Please outline how your skills, experience and eligibility meets the Desirable Criteria as listed in the Job Description (max. 500 words)

Please give details of two references (at least one professional)                            

Reference 1

Reference 2