Consultant Curator, Art Exhibition

Contract

This is a International Consultant contract. More about International Consultant contracts.

Background

UN Women, grounded in the vision of equality enshrined in the Charter of the United Nations, works for the elimination of discrimination against women and girls; the empowerment of women; and the achievement of equality between women and men as partners and beneficiaries of development, human rights, humanitarian action and peace and security.

In 2021, initiated by the UN Women Multi-Country Office – Caribbean, UN Women launched a global programme for Afro-descendant women. In fulfillment of this multi-year programme, UN Women MCO Caribbean and UNESCO are collaborating to also celebrate the UN Decade Dedicated to People of African Descent (2015 -2024) by promoting the recognition, justice and development of Afro-descendant women and youth. The South-South and Triangular Solutions to End Gender and Race based discrimination (The Afro-Descendant Women’s Resilience Project) will prioritise:

• Recognition by engaging artists, journalists and global influencers, to highlight the work of Afro-descendant women across the diaspora and Afro-descendant women’s role in sustainable development and healthy gender norms;
• Justice by strengthening the capacity and increasing accountability among the private sector, states, civil society and the UN to promote and track progress on gender and racial equality; and
• Development and Resilience through enhanced economic empowerment and resilience of woman-and youth owned MSMEs, especially those in the cultural and creative industries, across the diaspora and Africa through strengthened networks and opportunities for employability and entrepreneurship and community resilience.

As a follow up, UN Women MCO Caribbean is hosting a second high profile in person Exhibition of Black Women’s art in New York. Through this initiative, UN Women seeks to give visibility to and raise funds for this critical programming. Globally recognised and emerging Black women artists will be invited to partner through making available for sale, bespoke or existing works that speak to Black women’s experience within the nexus of race and gender. Through this consultancy, UN Women is seeking to engage a consultant curator for the exhibition.

Duties and Responsibilities

Under the overall supervision of the UN Women MCO - Caribbean Representative, and day to day supervision by the Communications Analyst, Barbados, the consultant will be contracted to curate the art exhibition featuring black women, supporting the priorities of the overall project. The Exhibition is planned for October 2022 in New York.

The consultant is expected to deliver the following results:

• In collaboration with UN Women, determine a title or theme for the exhibition.
• Conduct research and draw on existing knowledge base to develop a list of Black women/ women artists of African descent whose works would be suitable for the exhibition and sale both from content and potential price point of the artists’ works.
• In addition to formal outreach to artists, conduct one-on-one outreach to artists within personal network to encourage and secure participation at the highest level.
• In collaboration with UN Women, curate the final selection 20 - 30 works to be exhibited and sold in October 2022.
• Draw on internal network of patrons of the arts to support a public relations campaign (by a separately hired PR entity) that will draw buyers potentially capable of achieving the sale’s monetary goal of USD 2 million (net).
• Develop and establish partnerships to reduce costs and maximize financial and other outcomes (for example e.g., with a gallery and a publishing house).
• Oversee and guide the production of the exhibition catalogue.
• Support and advise UN Women’s outreach to secure a celebrity host committee.
• Provide guidance and advice to UN Women as needed on matters related to the planning and successful execution of the exhibition, discussion series and sale (examples: on the artists’ contractual arrangements and technical (artworld-directed) content for invitations, announcements, talking points for UN Women staff).
• Explore options for Exhibition to travel to other cities and countries e.g. LA, D.C, Jamaica, Barbados and South Africa.
• Connect with artists and process all shipment of artwork by liaising with UN Women and ensuring proper delivery of pieces to be sold.
• Complete report (no more than 5 -10 pages) outlining lessons learned and proposal for long term strategy.

The consultant will work under the overall supervision of the UN Women MCO-Caribbean Representative, with direct reporting to the day-to-day supervision by the UN Women MCO Caribbean Communications Analyst based in Barbados.

Competencies

Core Values:

• Respect for Diversity;
• Integrity;
• Professionalism.

Core Competencies:

• Awareness and Sensitivity Regarding Gender Issues;
• Accountability;
• Creative Problem Solving;
• Effective Communication;
• Inclusive Collaboration;
• Stakeholder Engagement;
• Leading by Example.

Please visit this link for more information on UN Women’s Core Values and Competencies:

http://www.unwomen.org/-/media/headquarters/attachments/sections/about%20us/employment/un-women-employment-values-and-competencies-definitions-en.pdf .

Functional Competencies:

• Ability to support design, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of development programmes and projects;
• Knowledge of Results Based Management principles and approaches;
• Ability to maintain networks and partnerships with UN agencies and other international entities.

Required Skills and Experience

The consultant should meet the following criteria:

The consultant should demonstrate a strong, creative, and innovative network and engagement in the artistic world and possess a good track record and proven experience working with black women artists.

Education:

• A Bachelor’s Degree in an arts related field or
• Or in absence of Bachelor’s Degree, a Diploma in the above stated areas with at least 5 years of experience in the field of curation.

Experience:

• At least 7 years’ experience in cultural/research work;
• A global network of black women artists;
• At least 5 years Professional experience in the field of curation;
• Portfolio of exhibition work;
• Proven knowledge of and experience in the workings of the United Nations;
• A track record of presenting exhibitions of Black Women artists in international settings;
• Strong relationships with gallery owners and private art collectors with whom the consultant has previously worked with or collaborated professionally;
• Knowledge of the intersection of anti-black racism, class and gender inequality, both in the U.S. and globally, that has been previously reflected in the consultant’s curatorial practice and curatorial writing;

• Proven experience completing successful art projects. This includes a track record of:

  • Successful fundraising with works of art of similar price points;
  • Implementation of successful public relations social media campaigns and press placement for high-profile art events;
  • Capacity to plan, prioritize and deliver exhibitions on time;

• In addition, the consultant must demonstrate:

  • Openness to change and ability to receive/integrate feedback;
  • Ability to work under pressure and be able to deliver timely and high-quality products under tight deadlines;
  • Consistency in upholding and promoting the values of UN Women.

Languages:

• Fluency in English is required

LOCATION AND DURATION

• The consultancy will be based in New York.
• The consultant will be engaged for a maximum of 90 working days during the period April 20th to November 30th, 2022.
• Travel – potential travel required to sites of exhibition outside of New York.

REMUNERATION

• The consultancy fee will be negotiated before contracting. Each payment will be based on a predefined and formal agreement between UN Women and the consultant and will be disbursed based on satisfactory completion of agreed deliverables.

• The remuneration for this contract type is an all-inclusive fee, the organization will not be liable for additional cost or benefits. Hence, it is the responsibility of the consultant to take out adequate medical insurance for the duration of the contract and it is recommendable that the policy includes coverage for COVID-19 related illness. The medical coverage should be international when the contract requires missions or international assignment.

• If selected for this vacant post, proof of medical coverage should be presented within the first two months of the contract.

HARDWARE, SOFTWARE, AND COMMUNICATION:

• The consultant must be equipped with a fully functional laptop, which must comfortably run Office 365 programs, using operating systems Microsoft Windows 10/11, or Mac OS X 10.11 or upward. The consultant must be reasonably accessible by email and telephone (preferably mobile). The use of reliable, internet-based (Skype or equivalent) is required.

REFERENCES:

• Minimum of three client references that include the name of the contact person, title and contact information.

OTHER:

Submissions to UNDP Jobs are limited to a maximum of 10 MB, virus-free or corrupted contents to avoid rejection, and no more than 1 email transmission. All applications must be submitted through UNDP jobs. Please do not send applications to UN Women staff as they will not be accepted.

At UN Women, we are committed to creating a diverse and inclusive environment of mutual respect. UN Women recruits, employs, trains, compensates, and promotes regardless of race, religion, colour, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, age, ability, national origin, or any other basis covered by appropriate law. All employment is decided?on the basis of?qualifications, competence, integrity and organizational need.

If you need any reasonable accommodation to support your participation in the recruitment and selection process, please include this information in your application.

UN Women has a zero-tolerance policy on conduct that is incompatible with the aims and objectives of the United Nations and UN Women, including sexual exploitation and abuse, sexual harassment, abuse of authority and discrimination. All selected candidates will be expected to adhere to UN Women’s policies and procedures and the standards of conduct expected of UN Women personnel and will therefore undergo rigorous reference and background checks (background checks will include the verification of academic credential(s) and employment history. Selected candidates may be required to provide additional information to conduct a background check).