If you are an artist with experience organizing events, the Art Gallery of Bancroft wants to speak to you.
Leilah Ward on the Curatorial Committee says they want people to act as volunteer curators, who will work to create the schedule for the 2022 season, set up contracts, coordinate their December Juried Show and other administrative tasks. Due to various reasons, Ward is now the only person on the committee. She says it’s important to have a few extra people to help out, as it is good to have other people to bounce ideas off of. While previous experience in curating shows or gallery work is ideal, it is not essential. Above all, she is looking for people who have organized shows before, and have a love and understanding of art. No resume or artwork examples are needed, just the applicant, their inspirations, and their ideas. In addition, she wants artists who can bring other artists along with them to show their work at the Gallery.
For the Gallery itself, the pandemic has meant they’ve had to get creative. Currently, they are showing a virtual art gallery on their website as well as having shows curated on their Instagram page. They hope to have an artist do a showing for National Indigenous History Month, but that is subject to what happens with the pandemic.
The Art Gallery of Bancroft is entirely volunteer-run and has no government funding. However, they make ends meet through sponsorships, donations, and make a portion of money from the sales. Ward says they have a large reach, with some artists coming all the way from Toronto. They also get a number of people to contact them to set up viewings. The gallery hosts a multitude of different mediums, like paintings, statues, and mixed media.
Those who wish to apply to become a volunteer curator, or if you want to submit art to be shown, you can email a request to [email protected]