FREELANCE OPPORTUNITY: Early Career Curator

LOCATION: Home working and office in Edinburgh

RESPONSIBLE TO: Curator / Executive Director

Art in Healthcare

The Organisation

Art in Healthcare is a charitable company limited by guarantee with a company registration number of SC278142 and Scottish Charity registration number of SC036222. Our vision is ‘Art for every healthcare setting in Scotland’, and our mission is to use visual art to improve health and wellbeing. We value putting the person at the centre of their own health and wellbeing, humanising healthcare environments and emphasising the positive impact of the visual arts. 

Our vision is ‘Art for every healthcare setting in Scotland’, and our mission is to use visual art to improve health and wellbeing. We value putting the person at the centre of their own health and wellbeing, humanising healthcare environments and emphasising the positive impact of the visual arts. 

Our strategic goals are:

1. To use visual art to improve and humanise the healthcare environment. 

2. To promote health improvement due to engagement with visual art for individuals and communities. 

3. To foster and sustain productive relationships with key partners in the NHS, community health sector, arts sector and wider community.

4. To build the capacity of the organisation in order to increase the scale and scope of its positive impact.

The Opportunity

Art in Healthcare is a value-led charity that is run by a small staff team and a Board of Directors. Our collection has over 1,600 artworks and is a wide-ranging yet quintessentially Scottish collection spanning from the 1960s to the present day, and includes artists such as John Bellany, Elizabeth Blackadder, Victoria Crowe, Kate Downie, Ian Hamilton Finlay, Eduardo Paolozzi and Barbara Rae. In addition, and thanks to its fundraising efforts, Art in Healthcare has always supported young and emerging artists by purchasing works from Scottish art colleges, the Royal Scottish Academy and Visual Arts Scotland through the Art in Healthcare Purchase Prize.

As we emerge from the restrictions associated with COVID we recognise that our previous model of individual healthcare professionals selecting artworks for wards and communal areas may not be appropriate at present, given the pressures on staff time. We are therefore looking to curate a series of exhibitions that can be selected by healthcare settings. We would like to work with two early-career curators to develop four such exhibitions. You will have the freedom to curate from the full collection and we encourage you to develop an exhibition of your choice. You will be supported by Art in Healthcare’s Curator. 

We are looking for ideas and fresh perspectives. We encourage applicants from all backgrounds and communities, and we are committed to having a team that is made up of diverse skills, experiences and abilities. 

Skills and Experience

Essential:

• Aged 16+ and based in Scotland with a demonstrable interest in visual art

• Ideas, energy and enthusiasm that you want to share with others

• Enthusiasm to learn new skills and a commitment to own professional development

• Friendly and approachable manner

• Collaborative approach

Desirable:

• An understanding of the impact that art can have in healthcare settings

• Experience of the healthcare sector in Scotland

Key Responsibilities:

• Research the Art in Healthcare collection and identify strands for potential development

• Present your ideas to the Curator, and other early career curator, and then develop two strands / exhibition of artwork [6-18 works]

• Develop associated interpretation and ideas for marketing

Terms and Conditions

The opportunity is offered as a freelance contract. We anticipate that the successful candidate will join us in April or May 2022. The days can be worked flexibly, to suit the needs of the successful candidate and the organisation. 

We are able to offer a fee of £1050.00 for 5-6 days of activity. This is offered as a freelance rate, and you will be responsible for your tax and national insurance contributions.

To Apply

To apply please send a covering letter, short video or voice recording explaining why this opportunity interests you to recruitment@artinhealthcare.org.uk. Please remember to include your contact details, allowing us to get back to you. The closing date for applications is Monday 21 March 2022 at 1pm. Interviews will take place in early April 2022.