Gallery Staff Roles Flashcards
Curator - Public
Public - A large public art gallery eg. NGV has a team of specialist curators devoted to particular art movements and/or art forms, e.g. Australian/international photography.
Regional galleries may only have one general curator due to size and budget.
Exhibition Designer - Public
Public - Will have a team of exhibition designers who work on a number of different exhibitions spontaneously/Permanent exhibition spaces will be redesigned when required/Smaller public galleries = curator may also act as ED
Marketing/Publicity officer - Public
Public - Publicity officers have a large budget, particularly to promote blockbuster international exhibitions that are likely to attract large audiences from interstate and possibly overseas.
Marketing/Publicity officer - Commercial
Commercial - Gallery owner/director generally acts as a publicity officer unless they employ an assistant to perform this role.
Commercial galleries need high publicity to increase attendance and stimulate the sale of artwork. Generally, build a database of clients who receive regular updates via email.
Additionally, publicity is gained through advertising and editorial.
Marketing/Publicity officer - Alternative
Artist will generally act as marketing/publicity officer unless a specific arrangement has been made with the proprietor or director of the art space.
Exhibition Designer - Commercial
Commercial - Director/gallery manager will collaborate with exhibiting artists generally involved in the design and presentation of the exhibition/Seasonal staff may also be employed to hang/install work.
Exhibition Designer - Alternative
Alternative - In some cases, a freelance ED may be employed to design an exhibition in an alternative space. Eg. may be involved in the digital design of an online exhibition.
In other cases, the artist and the proprietor will make design decisions regarding the presentation of the work.
Curator - Commercial
The owner of the commercial art gallery will generally take on the curatorial role.
Commercial art galleries are mostly owned and run by one or two people.
Curator - Alternative
A curator may not necessarily be involved in putting together an exhibition in an alternative art space.
If required, a freelance curator may be employed or a contact person from the alternative art space will liaise with the artist to discuss points of relevance regarding the presentation of the artwork.
