The Contemporary Native Art Biennale
Request for Proposals: Indigenous Curatorial Project for the 5th edition of the Biennale
Deadline for Submissions: September 15, 2019
Project Start Date: October 1st, 2019
Contract Timeline: 8-Months (October 2019 – May 2020)
Salary: $16,000
The Contemporary Native Art Biennial, is a long-term project to recognize and support contemporary Indigenous art and artists. This recurring event, central to Montreal’s artistic scene, highlights a plurality of artistic practices that stem from Indigenous cultures across North America. The project was initiated by gallery Art Mûr in 2012, Given its success over the first 3 edition, a non-profit organization BACA (Biennale d’art contemporain autochtone) has been set up to better respond to the increasing scale and popularity of the Native Art Biennial. The 2020 edition of the Biennial will be presented in different venues throughout Montreal.
This project purpose is to promote contemporary Indigenous art within and outside the province of Quebec, utilizing Montreal /Tiohtià:ke as the central gathering place, in this way re-visiting the territory’s ancestral role for Indigenous peoples. The BACA Curator will develop and produce the thematic and curatorial content for the Biennial which includes the 5 to 10 venue exhibitions, related public programming and a curatorial body of writing to accompany the 2020 exhibition catalogue. The dates of the Biennial are April 25th – June 21st 2020. Due to the timeline of this event, applicants should be aware that much of the work will begin immediately following selection.
The selected curator will receive a $16,000 Honorarium for an eight-month contract which covers all included tasks associated with the curatorial costs and copyrights. BACA organizational team and the coordinator will provide auxiliary resources for the Biennial: artist contracts and payments, shipping, designing and printing exhibition catalogue. Proposals are evaluated on merit of project, singularity of concept, and adherence to the application guidelines. All applications submitted will be considered final and treated as such. All incomplete or duplicate applications will be immediately disqualified.
CRITERIA
To be eligible for consideration, candidates must have curated a minimum of two exhibitions and have published a minimum of two critical essays on contemporary art, be of Indigenous heritage (First Nations, Métis or Inuit), from any region in Canada/North America.
In addition, candidates must demonstrate they have the determination and talent to contribute in meaningful ways to the development of Indigenous contemporary art in Canada. Foremost, the candidate must be able to work independently and as part of a team, and have proven superior written and oral communication skills in either English or French.
SUBMISSION REQUIREMENTS
The BACA strongly encourages proposals that are conceptually innovative, that introduce new artists to the BACA audience and that deliver theoretical tools to think about contemporary Indigenous art in Canada.
Proposals must include:
1. A curatorial statement (up to 1500 words) including the description of the project and strategic justification for proposed actions.
2. A list of 15 or more Indigenous artists from North America proposed as part of the proposed actions.
3. A working schedule including an outline of communications and outreach.
4. Curriculum vitae detailing education, research and professional experience, and any other relevant information.
5. A representative selection of completed projects that convey an impression of the candidate’s distinctive approach presented as images, text, video or links to websites.
6. Contact information for two academic or professional references who are familiar with the candidate and previous work.
Note: Curators may not include their own work in the exhibition.
For more information, application resources and to submit the application materials, please contact the BACA project coordinator by email to: admin (at) baca.ca
