Art Gallery Experience

Sandra Rhodda
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Last Position: 
 
Curator and Director, Andrew and Laura McCain Gallery.  Sole responsibility for all decisions (except financial) pertaining to the gallery.  Reporting to a board of directors.  Making daily financial decisions; major financial decisions  made with Board input.

 

Conte from a recent show at the gallery
twistedsistersconte.jpg
Fran Ward Francis "Twisted Sisters"

  My General Duties included:

 

-managing all aspects of the running of an art gallery with  

 extensive ties in the local community

 

-preparing, organizing and mounting contemporary art (incuding installation art, sculpture) and

 photography exhibitions in accordance with current

 museological standards and curatorial practices

 

-identifying, liaiseing with, and organizing artists

 

-liaison with other arts institutions to generate exhibitions or

 arrange loans of preexisting exhibitions

 

-coordinating gallery involvement in community events

 

- teaching school children of all ages in the school setting

  and in the gallery during vacation art camps;  some of the

  lessons for schools were designed and created after

  consulting with teachers to ascertain their needs.

 

-teaching special badge-earning art classes for 4H members

 

-teaching a variety of art courses to adults in the gallery 

 

-communications with school groups and the general public

 who visit the gallery; explanation and interpretation of

 works on display

 

-supervision of volunteers and of school students assigned to

 the gallery on work experience projects

 

-liaison with the Board of Directors and other interested

 parties such as the Town Council, Chamber of 

 Commerce, School Administration,  Local Library,

 Government Departments, Multicultural Associations, and

 other bodies

limitationsreduced.jpg

Sandra Rhodda (left), and aboriginal artist Fran Ward Francis with a painting ("Limitations") that Fran gave to Sandra.  Fran is Mi'kmaq from the Metapenagiak First Nation.

My Achievments 

 

During my tenure at the gallery I:

- created policy and methods procedures for the running of 

  the gallery;

 

- streamled exhibition procedures;

 

- created computer based records and a mailing list;

 

- created a gallery web site (http://mccaingallery.tripod.com);

 

- aided artists wishing to submit grant applications for

  exhibition creation;

 

- made applications for grants for special projects in the

  gallery and for endowment of the gallery;

 

- won one of only 30 Canada-wide SHM grants in my first

  year as curator and director;

 

- improved exposure of this previously little-known gallery in

  the arts and general community by:

 

     -writing large (one to four newspaper or

       magazine pages) press releases on

       events in the gallery; these press releases included

       cover stories.  Such writing required research,

       liaison with and interviews of artists,

       management of information, creation and

       maintenance of an image bank for use in publicity,

       and coordination with newspapers, specialized

       art, and community news magazines.  For

       examples of my arts writing, please send your fax 

       number;

 

     - depositing articles on artists with institutions such as 

       The Department of Indian and Northern Affairs,

       Government of Canada, when requested to do so;

 

       -creating other types of publicity such as that for

        radio, TV, web news sites, and newsletter mail-

        outs to patrons, businesses, art and other types of

        institutions.  During my tenure, the gallery for

        the first time appeared on many TV Arts news

        programmes;

 

       -by successfully negotiating with the NB Department

        of Tranasportation for the installation of signs

        advertising the gallery on the Trans Canada Highway

        and elsewhere;

 

       -serving on the NB Department of Tourism and NB

        Tourism Synergy development initiative to

        improve tourism in New Brunswick;

        

       -by other methods such as visits to other arts

        institutions, acting as a committee member for

        other arts institutions (for example, Membership

        Committee, Beaverbrook Art Gallery,

        Fredericton, New Brunswick - this is the official art

        gallery for the province), attendance at maritime

        art gallery meetings, and involving local celebrities in

        gallery events;

 

-constructed an art lessons portfolio on the gallery web

 site; school teachers were able to access and request these lessons

 

- extended the gallery outreach programme to include art

  activities and  lessons in the gallery for mentally challenged

  adults

 

- organizing the historical record of the gallery

 

- on the committee involved in creating a touring map/pamphlet for non-profit art galleries and museums in New Brunswick; liaison with NB Tourism, NB Cultural and Sports Secretariat, NB Arts Board, and others to fund and coordiante production

 

Art camp students sit beneath their creation
vacationartcamp.jpg
"Abstract at Work". Tempera on paper, 5m x 70cm

"Abstract at Work" is a five meter long cooperative banner created by students aged 6-8 in my vacation art camp.  It now hangs in the stairwell of the gallery.

For the gallery site, go to