RECENT OR POTENTIAL GRADS: Curatorial Associate – Education

EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY

Curatorial Associate – Education

About the Mi’kmawey Debert Cultural Centre

The Mi’kmawey Debert Cultural Centre is a project mandated by all thirteen Mi’kmaw Chiefs and administered through The Confederacy of Mainland Mi’kmaq (CMM), one of two Mi’kmaw tribal councils in Nova Scotia. Currently engaged in both architectural and exhibition design for the future building at the Debert and Belmont archaeological sites, the Centre is a major initiative. The future MDCC will be an experiential cultural centre that will anchor Mi’kmaw culture and heritage sectors with more than 60,000 annual visitors, integrating community outreach and knowledge with robust educational and public programming. Since 2002, all thirteen Mi’kmaw First Nations in Nova Scotia have repeatedly affirmed the MDCC project and its mandate to protect the Debert ancestral sites, to return Mi’kmaw collections from across North America and to develop visitor and educational programming. From its inception, the MDCC Elders’ Advisory Council along with the CMM have guided the project.

Position Overview

The MDCC Curatorial Associate–Education will work with the Mi’kmawey Debert Cultural Centre (MDCC) curatorial staff on a wide range of curatorial activities including digital archiving, collections care and stabilization, conservation assessments, and community outreach and engagement. An entry-level position, this is an extraordinary opportunity to train at the National Museum of the American Indian at the Smithsonian Institution as well as with various cultural and historical experts.

The MDCC Curatorial Associate with travel with MDCC staff to assess the Mi’kmaw ethnographic collection at the National Museum of the American Indian/Smithsonian Institution for return to Mi’kma’ki. This travel will require residency in Washington, DC for two 4month periods between March to November 2022.

In addition to this work, the Curatorial Associate—Education will work to link curatorial resources to the MDCC education and outreach programs, building online resources for educators and learners. They will serve as a primary bridge between the curatorial and educational programs working closely with the MDCC Lead Educator and the MDCC Collections Manager.

Responsibilities

• Travel and residency in Washington, DC, to assess the Mi’kmaw ethnographic collection at the National Museum of the American Indian/Smithsonian Institution for return to Mi’kma’ki. This work will be undertaken through two 4-month periods: March to June 2022 and August to November 2022.
• Growing curatorial records to strengthen educational outreach and delivery of an educational resource, Roots of Reconciliation.
• Care and stabilization of documentary and photographic collections with MDCC staff.
• Digitization of documentary and photographic collections following MDCC standards.
• Data entry in the MDCC content management system (Qi).
• Description and research of significant cultural resources (oral historical, documentary, visual, multi-media, and artifactual).
• Documentary, photographic, artifactual, and oral historical research as necessary.

Position Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in history, Canadian Studies, anthropology, or related field, or a combination of work and knowledge equivalence.
• Excellent attention to detail, strong writing skills and research capacity.
• Minimum one-year experience working in a cultural or community research or community educational outreach environment.
• Demonstrated interest in cultural heritage, museum curation, digital collections, and community engagement.
• Knowledge of and experience working with Mi’kmaw Elders and other community experts.
• Proficient in Microsoft Office Word and Excel and familiarity with Adobe Photoshop and Acrobat.
• Able to work independently, prioritize and initiate work without direction.
• Dedicated, organized, meticulous and co-operative.
• Must have a valid driver’s license, vehicle and ability to travel.

Asset Qualifications:

• Spoken and written Mi’kmaw are an important asset.
• Knowledge of and experience working with Mi’kmaw historical and oral historical, ethnographic and/or archaeological collections.
• Knowledge of and experience with curatorial resource care and basic preservation practices for objects, multimedia, images, and documents.
• Familiarity with relational database use and design.

Salary/Employment Term: $37,500 per year. This is a 2-year contract position with the expectation for renewal.

Application Deadline: November 8, 2021

      Submit Cover Letter AND Resume to: Human Resources

c/o The Confederacy of Mainland Mi’kmaq

PO Box 1590, Truro, Nova Scotia B2N 5V3

Email:  HR@cmmns.com

We are an equal opportunity employer; however, qualified Aboriginal applicants will be given priority in accordance with the Aboriginal Employment

Preference Policy of the Canadian Human Rights Commission.  Only those applicants who provide up-to-date CV along with Cover Letter and qualify for interview will be contacted. The successful candidate may be required to submit a current criminal record check. Non-Canadian applicants must be able to provide proof of current entitlement or eligibility to work in Canada.