Collections and Curatorial Assistant Status: Full-time Summer Student Employment (35 hours per week) Supervisors: Collections Manager and Curator Pay: $18.50/hr Start Date: June 1, 2026 End Date: August 21, 2026 Application Deadline: April 24, 2026

The specific duties and responsibilities of the intern will include:

- Safe and appropriate handling of artworks as per Museum Standards.
- Use and enhance any previous collections preservation knowledge and gain new knowledge on care of collections.
- Documentation of artwork, including digital photography, condition reporting, fact-checking, creating, and updating information in electronic and hard copy files.
- Inventory, assess and re-house artworks in Collections Storage.
- Proofread and correct database records for any typographic errors and data entry inconsistencies.
- Assist with installing and dismantling exhibitions of Permanent Collection works.
- Organize and maintain paper-based object and artist files.
- Conduct traditional and online research of artists held in the Permanent Collection as well as those represented in upcoming exhibitions.
- Support for research, writing, and drafting of exhibition-related materials.
- Provide administrative support to the Curatorial department as required.
- If time permits, correspond with artists and artist estates on copyright clearance requests.

Qualifications :

- A good working knowledge of the visual arts with regards to history, contemporary arts practices, and art making techniques, including an interest in contemporary Indigenous art and material culture.
- Strong written and oral communication skills.
- Comfort with Microsoft Office Suite,



Google Docs and Google Drive.
- Experience with digital photography.
- A strong attention to detail and organizational ability as well as time management skills.
- The ability to work well collaboratively as part of a team as well as independently on a range of different ongoing projects.

About Thunder Bay Art Gallery : The Thunder Bay Art Gallery gratefully acknowledges that we are located on the territory of the Anishinaabe peoples of Northwestern Ontario. We work and live on the lands of the Fort William First Nation who are signatory to the Robinson-Superior Treaty of 1850. As the public art gallery for Thunder Bay and Northern Ontario, the Thunder Bay Art Gallery exhibits, collects, and interprets art with a focus on the work of contemporary Indigenous and Northern Ontario artists. The Gallery nurtures a life-long appreciation of the visual arts by:

- presenting exhibitions of artistic and educational value to cultivate a depth of visual arts

experience for the public in Thunder Bay and the broader region of Northern Ontario;

- supporting and enhancing the development of contemporary Canadian artists with an emphasis on (but not limited to) contemporary Indigenous artists and artists from Northwestern Ontario;
- stewarding,



conserving, and animating a permanent collection of art focused on the work of contemporary Indigenous artists and innovative cultural and artistic practice of Northwestern Ontario artists;
- and, presenting public programming and outreach activities in order to build audience, increase reception, and expand understanding of the visual arts.

For over 45 years the Thunder Bay Art Gallery has steadily grown and is now the largest art museum in Northern Ontario. Today, we have more than 1600 works of art in our world renowned permanent collection and welcome more than 30,000 people through our doors each year. Every day, the Gallery provides school tours, hosts free public programs, and shares our space with community groups. We are a bustling cultural hub committed to contemporary Indigenous, local, and regional art. Finally, we are in the process of preparing for the transition to a current purposed designed facility on Thunder Bay’s waterfront in late 2025. This new gallery will more than triple our exhibition and operating spaces. This significant addition to Ontario’s cultural infrastructure will provide $33 million in direct economic impact during construction. Once open, the Gallery’s operations will generate $2.2 million annually in direct and indirect impacts to the local and regional economy, as well as an estimated $7 million in annual visitor spending.

How to Apply

David Spies, Administrative Coordinator Thunder Bay Art Gallery PO Box 10193 Thunder Bay, ON, P7B 6T7

Pay: $18.50 per hour

Work Location: In person

📌 Collections and Curatorial Assistant (Thunder Bay)
🏢 Thunder Bay Art Gallery
📍 Thunder Bay