Job Opportunity: Community Engagement Assistant

Position funded though the Young Canada Works

April 14, 2025 – August 17, 2025

28 hours per week- $20.00 per hour– Wednesday-Saturday, possible evening work

South Asian Visual Arts Centre is seeking a Community Engagement Assistant. Candidates are encouraged to be familiar with the Durham Region. Early career visual and media artists working in any medium, who are also interested in working in the artist-run sector, are invited to apply.

The successful applicant will work on-site at the Robert McLaughlin Gallery in Oshawa and South Asian Visual Arts Centre offices in Toronto/ hybrid assisting with various programming and administrative tasks which will help the intern gain practical skills associated with running an artist-run non-for-profit organization.

Community Engagement Assistant will provide front line service to the gallery visitors at the Robert McLaughlin Gallery where an exhibition curated by SAVAC will be hosted. Community Engagement Assistant will encourage meaningful public engagement with contemporary art through daily interaction, tours, and public programs. Community Engagement Assistant will be responsible for a number of important functions including, but not limited to, welcoming and orienting visitors in the space and exhibitions; answering visitor questions; guiding tours; enhancing the visitor experience by encouraging conversation and engagement with art and ideas; communicating visitor feedback/needs to SAVAC directors; data collection; working special events; and, other administrative tasks.

This position will be supervised by the Artistic Director and Executive Director. The Programming Assistant will work onsite at the Robert McLaughlin Gallery and the SAVAC offices at 401 Richmond St West with option to work hybrid as well.


SAVAC’s Mandate:

SAVAC (South Asian Visual Arts Centre) is a non-profit, artist-run centre in Canada dedicated to increasing the visibility of culturally diverse artists by curating and exhibiting their work, providing mentorship, facilitating professional development and creating a community for our artists. SAVAC was founded to be an organization staffed by people of colour, committed to support the work of artists of colour.

We promote self-representation by developing artistic practice that is often informed by cultural identity through a range of mediums, aesthetics, forms, and techniques. We support work that (in)directly addresses the ways histories of people of colour are represented alongside the story of ongoing colonialism on Turtle Island and post-colonial histories of the global south. These works are challenging, experimental and offer multifarious perspectives on the contemporary world.

For over 30 years, SAVAC has operated without a gallery space as an explicit, political choice. Instead, as a means of pushing diversity mandates within the Canadian arts ecology beyond the minimum, we partner with galleries, institutions and museums to integrate artists and curators of colour into the curatorial and programming practices of those institutions.


An individual will be eligible for an internship funded by the Young Canada Works in Heritage Organizations, if they:

•  Are a Canadian citizen or a permanent resident, or have refugee status in Canada.
  
  (Note: Non-Canadian students holding temporary work visas or awaiting permanent status are not eligible.)
  
•  Are legally entitled to work in Canada.
  
•  Are between 15 and 30 years of age at the start of employment.
  
•  Are registered in the YCW on-line candidate inventory.
  
• Are willing to commit to the full duration of the work assignment.
  
• Do not have another full-time job (over 30 hours a week) while employed with YCW.
  
• Have been a full-time student (as defined by your educational institution) in the semester preceding the YCW job.
  
•  Intend to return to full-time studies in the semester following the YCW job.
  
• Currently working on the completion of a Studio Art, Fine Art, Media Art, Art History, Curatorial Practice (or equivalent) degree or diploma at the undergraduate or graduate level from a college or university.
  
•  Knowledge of, and/or experience with the barriers faced by artists of colour.
  
• Excellent knowledge of contemporary art and Canadian artist-run centres.
  
•  Intermediate English is required, while other languages are considered an asset.
•  Strong written and oral communication skills with the ability to write a variety of texts, such as critical essays, promotional writing, and email correspondence.
  
• Computer skills required: Proficiency in Microsoft Office suite, social media platforms, Adobe Creative Suite, typing and researching skills. Proficiency with WordPress and Mailchimp is considered an asset but not mandatory.
  
• Intermediate researching skills with experience using online databases and library catalogues. Additional research experience with archives and museum collections is considered an asset.
  
• Ability to multitask within a fast-paced environment, autonomously as well as within a team setting.
  
• Availability to work a flexible work schedule for events, including evenings and weekends.
  
• Self-driven with excellent time management and organizational skills in order to balance self-directed work and meet deadlines.
  

Position details:

The Programming Assistant will respond to the Artistic and Executive Directors. To apply, please submit your written documents in one single PDF or Word Document that includes the following:

•  Applicant contact information (including full name, address, city, email, phone number).
  
•  Brief description of your artistic practice and current goals (250 words max).
  
• Artist CV or resume (maximum 3 pages).
  
• Cover letter outlining your relevant skills and experiences related to the qualifications required for the role; and mentioning your YCWBCH eligibility.
  
• Names and contact details for two references.
  
• Please label all files LAST NAME_FIRST NAME
  
• Completed applications can be sent to the Selections Committee at submissions@savac.net.

Please advise us of any accommodations needed to ensure you can complete the application or interview process. Please email accommodation requests to indu@savac.net.

This position is dependent on funding from the Young Canada Works in Heritage Organizations program and candidate eligibility is stipulated by Young Canada Works graduate grant guidelines. Candidates must register online through the YCW website.

Application deadline: April 21st, 2025

While we thank all applicants for their interest, only those selected for an interview will be contacted.