Job Description

Crown Agency: Art Gallery of Nova Scotia Location: HALIFAX Type of Employment: Temporary Union Status: NSGEU - NSPG Closing Date: 15-Dec-23 (Applications are accepted until 11:59 PM Atlantic Time)

About Us

Since 1908, the Gallery has been a gateway for the visual arts in Atlantic Canada by engaging The AGNS is an inclusive public gathering place that connects people with art to inspire new ways of thinking. AGNS seeks to present the most vital and engaging contemporary art from around the world. We embrace tradition and the past by applying a contemporary viewpoint that addresses relevant issues and challenges perspectives. Fundamentally, we are connecting people both with and through art. In addition to our physical facilities in Halifax and Yarmouth, we also have provincial outreach strategies and programs that reach people across Nova Scotia and beyond.

We believe that art is a vital link to health and wellness, enhancing quality of life. Connecting people with art allows them to engage creatively, it can reduce isolation and foster a sense of belonging. The Gallery offers, in its many diverse iterations, opportunities for the expression of many perspectives, stories, and lived experiences. We invite collective engagement, interaction, and dialogue; examination, reflection, and the disentanglement of historical and contemporary narratives. Through our work, the AGNS challenges individuals to take risks, re-imagine, and make changes for a more equitable and just world.
Please note, due to legislative changes, as of January 1, 2023, Art Gallery of Nova Scotia (AGNS) employees are no longer Civil Servants and are instead direct employees of the AGNS.

About Our Opportunity

As a Collections Assistant with the Art Gallery of Nova Scotia, you will play a key role in supporting collections and registration activities at the Gallery. Working with a dynamic team, you will assist with acquisition and rights activities, updating and maintaining the collections database (ARGUS), and related cataloguing activities. In collaboration with the preparation team, you will also provide collections support for exhibitions and assist in the care, movement, and housing of the AGNS\xe2\x80\x99s permanent collection.

Primary Accountabilities

Under the supervision of the Laufer Curator of Collections, you will assist with registration and collection activities. This includes:

• Assisting with developing, revising, and updating standard collection forms.
• Assisting with the implementation of a new request management system through the ARGUS collections database.
• Supporting the implementation of the new collections barcode system.
• Cataloguing storage and display materials (crates and display cases).
• Managing, with oversight, correspondence related to acquisitions and rights management.
• Documenting works acquired on permanent or temporary basis for research, exhibition, or acquisition, including digital object photography.
• Inputting data and accessing information using the ARGUS collections database system.
• Assisting with the movement of artworks and collection storage maintenance.

Qualifications and Experience

To be successful in this role, you will have a Bachelor\xe2\x80\x99s degree and 1 year related experience or an equivalent combination of education and experience.

In addition to the above, you are dependable and can work both independently and collaboratively. You possess a flexible attitude, a willingness to ask questions, and the ability to quickly adapt to changes in information and priorities.

You are proficient using Microsoft Office programs (Word, Outlook, Excel, Power Point, Teams) and have exceptional organizational and communication skills (written and verbal). Working knowledge regarding the care and handling of artwork and cataloguing methodology is expected.

Assets Considered for this role include:

• Working knowledge of digital SLR photography.
• Familiarity with collections database systems, particularly ARGUS.
• Prior experience in museum/gallery collections or registration positions.
• Working knowledge of Adobe programs (Acrobat, Photoshop).
• A valid drivers license.

We will assess the above qualifications and competencies using one or more of the following tools: written examination, standardized tests, oral presentations, interview(s), and reference checks.

Equivalency

Applicants relying on education and experience equivalencies must demonstrate such equivalencies in their application.

Additional Information

This position may include prolonged spans of sitting, standing, walking, and lifting more than 22 kg

Benefits

Based on the employment status and Union agreement, the Government of Nova Scotia offers its employees a wide range of benefits such as Health, Dental, Life Insurance, Pension, General Illness (Short and Long Term), Vacation and Employee and Family Assistance Programs. Click here to learn more about our various benefits offering and eligibility criteria.

What We Offer

• Career development where you have access to career guidance, tools, resources, and ongoing training for every stage of your career
• Engaging workplace: our employees feel valued, respected, connected, and tuned in, we have forward-thinking policies and strategies
• Department specific flexible working schedules

Pay Grade: PR 06 Salary Range: $1,915.37 - $2,348.72 Bi-Weekly
Our goal is to be a diverse workforce that is representative, at all job levels, of the citizens of Nova Scotia. The Art Gallery of Nova Scotia has an Employment Equity Policy, and we welcome applications from Indigenous People, African Nova Scotians and Other Racially Visible Persons, Persons with Disabilities and Women in occupations or positions where they are under-represented. If you are a member of one of these equity groups, you are encouraged to self-identify on your electronic application. This is a bargaining unit position initially restricted to current Art Gallery of Nova Scotia employees represented by the Nova Scotia Government Employees Union (NSGEU). Failure to apply correctly means that your application will not be given first consideration as a bargaining unit applicant and will only be included if external applications are pursued. External applicants and current casual employees will only be considered if there are no qualified Art Gallery of Nova Scotia bargaining unit candidates. PLEASE NOTE: Candidates will not be considered for an interview if applications are incomplete or are missing information. Offer of employment is conditional upon the completion of all applicable background checks and confirmation of credentials, the results of which must be satisfactory to the employer. We thank all applicants for the interest, however, only those selected for an interview will be contacted. All questions and concerns may be directed to Competitions@novascotia.ca.