Curatorial Assistant (Student Work Placement, Culture Works Canada)
/Job Title:
Curatorial Assistant (Student Work Placement, Culture Works Canada)
Organization:
The Reach Gallery Museum
Deadline:
Sep. 13, 2026, or until filled
Organization Description:
Incorporated in 2008 in response to a referendum held by the City of Abbotsford, The Reach Gallery Museum is the leading arts and culture organization in the Fraser Valley. It engages a diverse annual audience of approximately 14,000 and serves a region that stretches from Langley to Hope, BC.
The Reach is situated in Stó:lō Tém:éxw, on the unceded territory of Máthxwi First Nation, and is a neighbour to Semá:th First Nation and Leq’a:mel First Nation. This location grounds our work in conciliation, and in responsibility to place, history, truth-telling, and accountability toward Stó:lō communities.
The name “The Reach” reflects both our commitment to connecting with diverse and growing communities and represents, as an acronym, our integrated arts, culture, and heritage focus. As a public art gallery, local history museum, and regional archive, The Reach creates, presents, preserves, and shares artistic and historical knowledge.
Our vision is to foster intercultural and intergenerational exchange through innovative exhibitions, programs, and initiatives that are guided by core values of accessibility, creativity, and community responsiveness. This includes a strong commitment to lowering barriers to participation through admission by donation and largely free public and educational programming.
The Reach’s exhibitions, programs, and community engagement initiatives have been recognized over the years by twelve awards, including two BC Museums Association Awards of Merit, three Heritage BC awards, one Lieutenant Governor’s Platinum Jubilee Arts and Music Award, and two Governor General’s History Awards.
Website:
Job Description:
The Reach invites applications from aspiring and/or emerging cultural professionals with an interest in the development and presentation of contemporary art exhibitions to fill the temporary, part-time position of Curatorial Assistant.
Please note that this position is subsidized by Culture Works Canada’s Student Work Placement (SWP) program and is therefore only open to candidates who meet the program’s eligibility requirements (see below).
ABOUT THE POSITION
Supervised and mentored by the Curator of Art & Visual Culture, the Curatorial Assistant will develop insight into key curatorial theories and methodologies, gain hands-on experience, and receive mentorship while supporting exhibition projects across different phases of research, development, production, and installation.
Responsibilities:
Through their involvement in multiple projects, the Curatorial Assistant will have the opportunity to gain a wide range of skills (research, interpretive planning, project management, editing, etc.) and insights, as afforded by exhibition projects with different scopes, scales, and goals.
Qualifications:
ELIGIBILITY & QUALIFICATIONS
To take part in Culture Works Canada’s SWP program, candidates must:
• be enrolled students throughout the time period of the contract
• be a Canadian citizen, a permanent resident, or someone who has been officially given refugee protection in Canada and
• be legally allowed to work in Canada
o this includes having a valid Social Insurance Number (SIN) at the start of
the position term.
Candidates who do not meet the CWC eligibility requirements can, unfortunately, not be considered for this employment opportunity.
In addition, the ideal candidate will possess some or all of the following qualifications, experience, skills, and qualities:
● Upper-year undergraduate student in the disciplines of art history, visual arts, museum studies, cultural anthropology, history, or other relevant field (advanced undergraduate students may be considered)
● Proven ability to conduct research in the field of contemporary art and/or demonstrated experience with curatorial projects (paid or volunteer);
● Familiarity with or willingness to learn art museum and gallery curatorial processes and exhibition development procedures;
● Strong organization and project management skills, with keen attention to detail;
● Excellent communications skills, including advanced written and spoken English
● Proficiency in or willingness to learn Microsoft Office (particularly working
knowledge of Excel and annotation tools in Word), file sharing (such as SharePoint or similar), project management (Monday.com or similar), calendaring/scheduling, and other digital tools
● Sound judgement in gauging when to take initiative and when to ask for guidance;
● Professional demeanour, responsiveness to feedback, collaborative spirit, and the proven ability to work respectfully and effectively with a wide range of project collaborators and interest-holders;
● Agility and willingness to problem-solve; and, last but not least,
● Positive attitude!
Candidates from groups that have been historically underrepresented in the arts and culture sector or who may have followed non-traditional paths are encouraged to apply, as long as they meet the CWC eligibility criteria.
How to Apply:
APPLICATION PROCESS
If this opportunity sounds like a good fit with your background, skills, interests, and career aspirations, we would love to hear from you!
To be considered for this position, please submit the following to Kelley Tialiou, Curator of Art & Visual Culture, by uploading the following PDF files here:
1. Arésumé/CV;
2. A cover letter outlining how this position aligns with your skills and professional
development goals; and
3. An unofficial transcript reflecting all college/university coursework completed to
date.
Remuneration:
$20/hr
