Position Announcement: Vettoretto Curator of North American Archaeology, Royal Ontario Museum

Position Summary

The Vettoretto Curator of North American Archaeology (Curator) will lead a collaborative approach to stewarding ROM’s North American, and especially Ontario, archaeology collection, creating exhibitions and presenting programs with Indigenous communities and for broad audiences, as well as undertaking research aligned with museum priorities. Leading the repatriation of Indigenous ancestral belongings through deep engagement with relevant communities, in close partnership with the Hatch Curator of Indigenous Art and Culture, along with the Indigenous Interpretive Planner and Indigenous Museum Educator, the position reports to the Co-Chief Curator, Art and Culture, and will be a key voice in rethinking colonial patterns of practice and centering Indigenous perspectives. An accomplished researcher, the Curator of North American Archaeology will propose and develop ground-breaking exhibitions and interpret ROM’s North American archaeology collection in collaboration with communities through inclusive, transdisciplinary thinking, digital practices, and innovation.

The Curator develops and cares for ROM’s Archaeological collection with a focus on North American cultural materials representing over 13,000 years of human history. The collection includes human remains, and continuing the appropriate return to communities is a top priority of the curatorship. The position will also collaborate with ROM’s Learning Department and Indigenous Museum Educators to develop indigenous- centered educational and outreach programming, including supporting the Ontario curriculum in First Nations, Métis, and Inuit Studies. The Curator will explore questions relevant to Canadian archaeology and throughout the contemporary world and will model inclusive interpretation of collections by a community of voices and viewpoints, acknowledging ROM as a forum rather than a sole authority.

Roles and Responsibilities

Collections, Research, and Exhibitions

• Lead the repatriation of Indigenous ancestral belongings (including human remains) through deep engagement with relevant communities, in close partnership with the Hatch Curator of Indigenous Art and Culture, responding to developments in the field and community expectations, and establishing staff repatriation strategies and priorities.
• Establish and lead a vision for the North American archaeology collection, including development of a 10-year collection development plan in alignment with ROM’s mission, vision, values, and strategic plan, and in integration with ROM’s full collection.
• Steward the North American archaeology collection, through fieldwork, study, rotation and display, care and record-keeping, provenance research, digitization, and publication.
• Build ROM’s North American archaeology collection in new directions and through active field research and scholarly endeavor.
• Develop original, scholarly research and publications relating to ROM collections, exhibitions, and related topics.
• Conduct and facilitate research on the North American archaeology collection by visiting scholars.

Exhibition and Gallery Development

• Collaborate with community stakeholders, curatorial colleagues, and interpretive staff to generate innovative visitor-centric and transdisciplinary gallery and exhibition projects.
• Participate in Master Gallery Interpretative Planning (MGIP), and work with ROM exhibition staff to continue the re-development of ROM’s Daphne Cockwell Gallery Dedicated to First Peoples Art and Culture.
• Oversee content development for gallery interventions, rotations, programs, and special exhibitions in North American Archaeology and contribute to larger cross-institutional and transdisciplinary exhibition and gallery projects.

Public Programs and Community Engagement

• Initiate onsite and virtual programs and school curriculum related to North American Archaeology in collaboration with Indigenous Museum Educators and engagement staff.
• Develop relationships with Indigenous communities to build dialogue, interpretation, and pedagogy relating to their ancestral belongings.
• Provide lectures, tours, and workshops to the general public, volunteers, professional colleagues, and museum supporters.
• Cultivate financial and other support for exhibitions, galleries, programs, symposia, acquisitions, research grants, and fellowships through association with professional organizations, foundations, collectors, and donors in collaboration with fundraising staff.
• Embrace other collections, research, exhibition, gallery development, public program, and community engagement duties as needed.

Traits and Characteristics

The Curator will be receptive to and will effectively communicate innovative ideas, methods, and opportunities in honouring the past while framing relevant contemporary societal issues. They will seek to learn and acquire new knowledge and will bring an understanding of people, values, and systems to ROM, demonstrated through respect for differences, a deep understanding of appreciative inquiry, and an ability to build consensus across differences. An enthusiastic and persuasive team member, they will develop strong relationships with colleagues, supervisors, Indigenous communities, exhibition partners, and many other stakeholders who impact, and are impacted by ROM programs. 

Other key competencies include:

• Diplomacy – The ability to effectively and tactfully handle difficult or sensitive issues, taking numerous perspectives into account, and advancing productive conversations. ROM’s work intersects with many social and cultural initiatives (Truth and Reconciliation, Repatriation, among others) that can engender trauma and challenging conversation with internal and external stakeholders. Diplomacy in all communications is needed to ensure safety and belongingness across the ROM community.
• Influencing Others and Interpersonal Skills – The dexterity to effectively communicate and personally affect others’ actions, decisions, opinions, or thinking while building rapport and relating well to various stakeholders. All ROM initiatives are a group effort; thus, advocating for one’s professional recommendations and expertise is always part of building respectful relationships across the institution.
• Resiliency – The capacity to quickly recover from challenging or adverse situations, learn, grow, and evolve in contemporary society. The art of working across a large organization engaged in dynamic work in the museum sector to guide collaboration with diverse individuals and groups of stakeholders. Embracing positive momentum while maintaining institutional objectives to drive organizational and sectoral evolution.
• Teamwork and Personal Accountability – The ability to cooperate with others to meet objectives while being answerable for personal actions. ROM is a collaborative environment where individuals must work across departments with their counterparts and be responsible for advancing a variety of initiatives.
• Time and Project Management – The acuity to prioritize and complete tasks in order to deliver desired outcomes within planned budgets and time frames, as well as being adept at working on multiple projects simultaneously and demonstrating a long-term commitment to delivering results on time and within available resources.

Qualifications

The successful candidate will have advanced studies in archaeology, social-cultural anthropology, or a closely related field, or will have the equivalent experience in curation, research, and publication with a focus on North America and in particular Canada and Ontario. Professional experience in a cultural center, museum, or related environment is an asset, as is a demonstrable track record of archaeological field practices through active engagement and collaboration with local communities. A deep understanding, education, and/or practical experience in understanding the complexities and societal pressures involved in collections and exhibitions is required. The successful candidate will have an excellent command of both spoken and written English, and a working knowledge of an Indigenous language is an asset. Prior experience leading or conducting projects with government grants is appreciated. 

Qualified applicants may have lived experience of the culture, language, and lifeways of an Indigenous community. The Curator search is part of an Indigenous Cohort Hiring initiative to realize ROM’s commitment to having Indigenous staff throughout the organization and to ensuring that Indigenous employees find a welcoming environment and a supportive community.

Compensation and Benefits

ROM offers a competitive salary and comprehensive benefits package, including a base salary estimated to be in a range between $87,664 and $146,234 (CDN), dependent on experience, with full medical and dental insurance, a total of 22 days of pro-rated paid time off, and inclusion in the ROM pension plan (via CAAT). This position is part of the ROM Curatorial Association union.

Applications and Inquiries

To submit a cover letter and resume with a summary of demonstrable accomplishments (electronic submissions preferred), please click here or visit artsconsulting.com/opensearches. For questions or general inquiries about this job opportunity, please contact:

Bruce D. Thibodeau, President
Jeff Erbach, Associate Vice President

Tel       (888) 234.4236 Ext. 201 (Dr. Thibodeau) or Ext. 241 (Mr. Erbach)

Email    ROM-CuratorNAA@ArtsConsulting.com