News

Due to unforeseen circumstances,

MSVU Art Gallery will be closed on Saturday, May 11th.

We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause.

MSVU Art Gallery is Hiring a Gallery and Archive Assistant for the Summer of 2024!

Job title: Gallery and Archive Assistant
Job Location: Halifax, Nova Scotia
Length of assignment: June 3rd to August 23rd, 2024 (12 weeks),
Hourly wage:$20.00

Opened in 1971, MSVU Art Gallery is dedicated to contemporary art, emphasizing women as cultural subjects and producers. Exhibitions explore various forms and highlight artists’ achievements in all career phases. MSVU Art Gallery promotes critical access to its exhibitions through publications, lectures, and educational programs, recognizing socially engaged practices as models of aesthetic distinction and political imagination. Consistent with the principle that exhibition spaces are civic spaces, the Gallery is committed to normalizing accessible presentation practices throughout its public programs.

Throughout its 53-year history, the Gallery has mounted 778 exhibitions, 538 of which have included accompanying publications. This results in an extensive and exhaustive exhibition archive (and accompanying publications archive) that includes exhibitions by well-known regional and national artists.

The Gallery and Archive assistant will begin rehousing and inventorying the MSUV Art Gallery exhibition and catalogue archives, concentrating on 1971 – 1999. As part of this task, they will sort, accession, identify, inventory, rehouse, and adequately preserve the materials in the files according to National standards.

The successful candidate will possess the following:

• Be currently enrolled in full-time studies at a Visual Arts, Museum Studies, Culture Studies, Collections Management program, or related field and returning to full-time studies in the Fall of 2024.
• Excellent interpersonal skills and an ability to communicate effectively orally and in writing in English.
• Intermediate photographic skills required.
• Intermediate research skills required.
• Excellent writing skills.
• Intermediate computer skills required for image/text processing and database entry.
• Must be able to work methodically with great attention to detail.
• Must be able to work independently for periods of time.
• Gallery/museum experience is an asset, but training seminars will be provided.
• Specialized knowledge of art/craft studio practices is an asset.
• Interest in working with archives.
• Experience working with and understanding archives will be considered an asset.

This is a Young Canada Works-funded position. Therefore, applicants must meet their eligibility requirements, such as:

• they must be a Canadian citizen, permanent residents, or have refugee status in Canada
• be under 30 years of age at the start of employment

The MSVU Art Gallery is dedicated to ensuring equity in its policies, practices and programs while promoting diversity in its work environments. The Gallery also follows the MSVU employment equity policy to ensure that applications from individuals who belong to underrepresented groups are given equal consideration. We to encourage all qualified individuals who can contribute to the further diversification of our community to apply.

Deadline

The deadline for applications is 5 pm Monday, May 6th, 2024. Please send a cover letter and resume with contact information for two references to art.gallery@msvu.ca with the subject line: YCW – Collections Application.

Mount Saint Vincent University Faculty Association (MSVUFA) have declared their intent to strike on February 12 at 12:00pm. MSVU Art Gallery employees are not members of MSVUFA therefore the Gallery will remain open to the public during the labour disruption.

 

Access Note
Business hours and access to the Gallery will remain the same. There are three street entrances to the campus:
Seton Road, College Road and Melody Drive. For details on access please visit: Plan Your Visit Please note that the MSVUFA will be picketing at the College Road entrance.

 

What should I expect regarding picket lines?
With the MSVUFA having declared their intent to strike at 12:00 pm (noon) on February 12, 2024, picket lines are anticipated near (but not on) university property. The purpose of a picket line is for picketers to communicate their views. They have the right to do this, and they will do it by carrying signs and by speaking to people entering or leaving the property.

As a student or non-striking employee or community member, you have the right to cross a picket line. It is unlikely that you will have any difficulty crossing a picket line; we expect that all picket line interactions will be safe and respectful. You should expect that a picket line will result in a brief delay coming and going from campus.

Here are some tips for safely crossing a picket line:

• Respect the picketers’ right to slow down traffic crossing the picket line (walking, biking, driving);
• Drive carefully; wait for a space large enough to safely pass through the picket line;
• Listen to those on the picket line;
• Be calm and courteous;
• Do not take comments or events personally;
• Avoid arguments and confrontations;
• Recognize that stress levels are high for everyone.

In the unlikely event that a safety concern arises, please contact Campus Security at 902-457-6412.
Should you have any questions about the Art Gallery, please contact Director, Melanie Colosimo: 902-457-6290 or melanie.colosimo@msvu.ca.

MSVU Art Gallery is now open later on Thursdays!
Our new hours are:

Tuesday  11:00am-3:00pm
Wednesday  11:00am-3:00pm
Thursday  11:00am-5:00pm
Friday  11:00am-3:00pm
Saturday  11:00am-3:00pm
Sunday  closed
Monday  closed

Mount Saint Vincent University students, staff, faculty, alumnae and their families are invited to show their creative work in this annual extravaganza. The artwork drop-off period is December 11-14, January 3-4 and January 8-10. Please visit the Community Show exhibition page for the submission form, artwork drop-off information and exhibition details.

From Dr. Carrie Dawson, MSVU Dean of Arts and Sciences:

To the MSVU Art Gallery community,

I am thrilled to introduce Melanie Colosimo as the new Director of MSVU Art Gallery! Melanie comes to MSVUAG from NSCAD University, where she was the Director/Curator of the Anna Leonowens Gallery since 2014. At NSCAD, she oversaw the installation of over 1500 exhibitions and 250 public events, and broadened the Anna Leonowens’ program offerings by spearheading the community-centered Art Bar+Projects, the NSCAD Treaty Space Gallery, and developing an online certificate program in Gallery and Studio Management.

While Melanie has played a central role in shaping NSCAD’s creative vision, she also helped steer its academic mission and held the position of Interim Academic Dean from January 2023 until her departure.

Melanie notes, “I am thrilled to join the community at MSVU and the Gallery team. I have long admired the mandate and mission of MSVU Art Gallery and its legacy of championing women and diverse artists from the Atlantic. As a practicing artist whose work has been focused on the uniqueness of this region, I look forward to continuing this legacy!”
Melanie begins in her role at MSVUAG at the end of July – please stop by the Gallery to say “hello!” or she can be reached at melanie.colosimo@msvu.ca.

Sincerely,
Carrie

 

About Melanie Colosimo

Born and based in Kjipuktuk/Halifax, Melanie Colosimo balances a career in arts administration and as an artist. For over 15 years she has been championing the Atlantic Canadian arts community from volunteering on boards, mentoring emerging artists, participating in juries, teaching and through her numerous roles and initiatives at NSCAD University. In the studio, she creates drawings, soft sculptures and installations that are shaped by the resourcefulness and legacy of labour in Atlantic Canada. These works address themes of collectivity, power and care.

Melanie received a BFA from Mount Allison University (2006) and an MFA from the University of Windsor (2011). Her work has been presented nationally and internationally in venues such as the Art Gallery of Windsor, the Bonavista Biennale, and the Guangdong Museum of Art and the He Xiangning Art Museum in China. She has participated in multiple artist residencies, including the Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity and the Vermont Studio Centre in Johnson, Vermont. She represented Atlantic Canada on the 2017 and 2020 Sobey Art Award long-list.

 

MSVU Art Gallery is seeking a new Director.

Information about the position and how to apply can be found at MSVU Careers.

The job posting closes May 10, 2023.

MSVU Art Gallery seeks Expressions of Interest from artists, proposing graphic design concepts for limited-edition merchandise. The merchandise, t-shirts and tote bags, will be produced by MSVU Art Gallery as part of its 50^th anniversary activities. Artists are encouraged to interpret this call broadly and creatively.

 

The submission and selection process has three phases:

• Artists are invited to submit expressions of interest.
• Expressions of interest will be reviewed by a selection committee and selected artists will be invited to submit a completed design proposal for consideration. These artists will be offered a $25 fee upon submission of their proposal (please see below for information on proposal requirements).
• The selection committee will review the submitted proposals and select five final designs, which will be printed on ten t-shirts and ten tote bags as limited-edition commemorative merchandise.

Artists’ expressions of interest should provide a general description of their design concept and outline how they envision it printed on both t-shirts and tote bags. While each design is ultimately the artist’s creation, artists are asked to consider the following:

• Explicit or thematic acknowledgement of MSVU Art Gallery’s 50^th anniversary is not required but final designs must incorporate the MSVU Art Gallery 50^th anniversary logo in some visible capacity (see below)
• A maximum of three colors may be used in the composition
• Selected designs will be printed on black t-shirts and unbleached cotton canvas totes

Artist Fees

$25 proposal fee will be offered to every artist who is invited to submit a completed design proposal for consideration (invitations will be capped at 100 artists).

$600 artist fee will be offered to the five artists whose designs are selected and produced as limited-edition merchandise.

 

How to Apply

Expressions of interest must include the following:

• Your name, address, phone number and email address
• Material that provides some insight into you and your practice (e.g. a CV, resume, artist website and/or other similar information)
• A brief statement describing your design concept and how you envision it printed on both t-shirts and tote bags (150 words max)
• Sketches and images are welcome, but not necessary

All submission components, including images, should be compiled in a single PDF document. The PDF file name and email subject line should both be “Merchandise Design EOI – Your Name”.

Expressions of interest should be emailed to cinthia.ariasauz@msvu.ca by March 2, 2022 at 12:00pm AST.

 

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Artists whose expressions of interest are selected to be developed into a completed design proposal will be contacted by March 4 and asked to submit the following by March 14:

• Three images of relevant work, labelled with the title, year and medium (if applicable)
• A statement describing your design concept – this can be an expanded version of the statement included in your expression of interest (400 words max)
• A maximum of 3 visual representations (sketches, drawings, collages, etc.) of your proposed design, as fully rendered and print-ready as possible

 

~ ~ ~ If you have questions, need assistance, or if any aspect of this submission process is inaccessible to you, please don’t hesitate to reach out, Gallery staff are happy to help! Contacting us via email (cinthia.ariasauz@msvu.ca) is the best first step and from there we can arrange to connect via phone or video chat, etc. ~ ~ ~

 

 

On November 13, MSVU Art Gallery re-opens its doors for the first time since March 2020. COVID-19 safety measures are in place for the health and wellness of all visitors. For detailed information on these protocols please visit the Plan Your Visit page.