If you've always dreamed of creating an exhibition, this is the perfect opportunity. The Virtual Gallery Committee is now accepting applications for Volunteer Curators. The deadline to apply is April 30, 2024.
Curating is an exciting form of creative expression that enables you to form a visual narrative using a wide breadth of voices and artwork. SAQA's Virtual Gallery Volunteer Curator Program is designed to do just that: to give YOU the opportunity to develop a story you'd like to tell and to share it with the broader community. Take this opportunity to learn the behind-the-scenes operations of exhibition development and to build skills for reaching virtual audiences. This capability is crucial right now because virtual exhibitions are here to stay.
We'll be there with you every step of the way, offering support and guidance throughout the process. But in the end, this is your story. You provide the theme and you select the art.
Application Details
The committee will review applications and will invite guest curators to produce an online exhibition. A Curator Coordinator will work with volunteer curators to oversee the overall exhibition process and to facilitate a dynamic viewing experience for website visitors. Guest curators will have the opportunity to create the visual narrative that’s presented on the website (scroll down for previous Virtual Galleries).
If your proposal is accepted, curators will work with the committee to:
- develop an exhibition concept or theme
- create an enticing call for entry
- answer questions from members
- build a compelling exhibit from the chosen images and statements submitted
- write a curator’s statement to accompany the online exhibit.
Please note that themes must be original. They cannot be related to, or derivative of, a member’s personal business ventures, such as workshops or books. If you have submitted a theme previously that was not accepted, you may resubmit the same theme again.
Volunteer Curators must maintain active membership in SAQA for the duration of the application and exhibition processes. We anticipate the process will take approximately eight months to one year, including the open months after the prospectus has been issued, during which time the volunteer curator will have minimal responsibilities. Volunteer curators will not be eligible to submit a piece for consideration or to include their own work as “curator’s art” in the exhibition.
There is no cost to submit this application, and no limit on the number of ideas you can propose. Only one exhibition proposal may be detailed with each application. A representative of the Virtual Gallery committee may reach out to you for clarification of your application. If accepted, you will be asked to provide a head shot and brief bio to accompany the call for entry. At the culmination of the jurying process, volunteer curators must also prepare a brief curator’s statement to accompany the online exhibition and augment the viewing experience.
Questions? Please contact virtualgallery@saqa.artv
** Application deadline has passed.
