Aanikoobijiganag: Thunder Bay Beading Symposium Project Coordinator

Aanikoobijiganag: Thunder Bay Beading Symposium Project Coordinator

Status: Part-time, 12-month contract position
Supervisor: Curator
Remuneration: $25.00 per hour
Application Deadline: Monday 2, November 2026, 9:00 am

The Opportunity

This position at the Thunder Bay Art Gallery is a casual, part-time role that supports the organization, delivery, and execution of Aanikoobijiganag: Thunder Bay Beading Symposium. Reporting to Gallery staff and supporting the work of the Aanikoobijiganag Beading Symposium Co-Director Committee, the Project Coordinator provides key logistical, operational, and administrative support for the Beading Symposium.

The tentative dates for the 2027 Beading Symposium are: Wednesday 14, October – Saturday 16, October 2027.

Key Duties and Responsibilities:

• Coordination of relevant additional public programming leading into the 2027 Aanikoobijiganag: Thunder Bay Beading Symposium (i.e., a series of public beading sessions)
• Working to a schedule and timeline for delivery of the event
• Corresponding with artists, invited guests, contractors, venues, vendors, and other key event partners
• Support the work of the Co-Director Committee
• Organizing and preparing draft event schedules, contracts, and letters of agreement and fee payments for workshop leaders and invited guests, and more
• Assisting with Excel sheets, data entry, budget tracking, and file management
• Assisting with travel booking and accommodation for workshop leaders and invited guests
• Contribution to drafting and editing text/copy for print and online program and publicity
• Assisting with organizing workshops and key events including recruiting mentees (workshops helpers) and volunteers, and other logistics.
• Pick-ups and deliveries
• Feedback and wrap up duties
• Confirmed availability in person for the 4 days of the event including set up and take down of the event
• Attendance and note-taking at Co-Director meetings, and other in-person and virtual meetings as required
• Other tasks as assigned

Essential Skills

1. Strong interpersonal and organizational skills
2. Ability to manage timelines efficiently
3. Proficiency in word processing, spreadsheet, internet applications including Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, Power Point, Teams), Google Drive, and Zoom.
4. Ability to provide attention to detail.
5. Valid driver’s license and access to a vehicle.
6. Flexibility to work evenings and weekends as required.

About the Event

Aanikoobijiganag: Thunder Bay Beading Symposium is an award winning, biennial, multi-day, multi-site event, organized and hosted by the Thunder Bay Art Gallery. Deriving its title from the Anishinaabemowin word for “creating new links and connections”, this four-day symposium is designed for people to have fun, learn new skills, level up knowledge, and relax, while connecting with professional beaders, researchers, artists, curators, and other makers—a destination event that highlights the rich talent of beading and craft practices in our community and region. Participants are invited to learn from and share their diverse knowledge, experiences, and teachings across a wide range of traditional and contemporary materials and practices. Over the course of four days participants will take part in hands-on workshops, keynotes, artist talks, opening receptions, and more, alongside free public programming at various ticketed and free public events. Aanikoobijiganag: Thunder Bay Beading Symposium creates genuine connections and celebrates the joy of beading.

Thunder Bay Art Gallery presented the first-ever beading symposium in Northern Ontario in February 2024, as a part of our public programming for the internationally touring exhibition, Radical Stitch (2023-2025, Mackenzie Art Gallery). With over 50 artists, speakers, and curators in attendance, the overwhelmingly positive reception prompted the return of Aanikoobijiganag: Thunder Bay Beading Symposium in October 2025. This second edition expanded the symposium to four days, increasing to over 100 attendees, and provided a wider scope of programming and opportunities for public engagement. In December 2024, Aanikoobijiganag was recognized at the 47th Annual Galleries Ontario Awards winning the 2024 Public Programming Award.

About the Thunder Bay Art Gallery:

Thunder Bay Art Gallery gratefully acknowledges that we are located on the territory of the Anishinaabe peoples of Northwestern Ontario. We work and live on the lands of the Fort William First Nation who are signatory to the Robinson-Superior Treaty of 1850.

As the public art gallery for Thunder Bay and Northern Ontario, the Thunder Bay Art Gallery exhibits, collects, and interprets art with a focus on the work of contemporary Indigenous and Northern Ontario artists. The Gallery nurtures a life-long appreciation of the visual arts by:

• presenting exhibitions of artistic and educational value to cultivate a depth of visual arts experience for the public in Thunder Bay and the broader region of Northern Ontario;
• supporting and enhancing the development of contemporary Canadian artists with an emphasis on (but not limited to) contemporary Indigenous artists and artists from Northwestern Ontario;
• stewarding, conserving, and animating a permanent collection of art focused on the work of contemporary Indigenous artists and innovative cultural and artistic practice of Northwestern Ontario artists;
• and, presenting public programming and outreach activities in order to build audience, increase reception, and expand understanding of the visual arts.
  For 50 years Thunder Bay Art Gallery has steadily grown and is now the largest art museum in Northern Ontario. Today, we have more than 1,800 works of art in our world-renowned permanent collection and welcome more than 30,000 people to our programming each year. Every day, the Gallery provides school tours, hosts free public programs, and shares our space with community groups. We are a bustling cultural hub committed to contemporary Indigenous, local, and regional art.

Currently we are in the process of preparing for the transition to a new purpose-designed facility on Thunder Bay’s waterfront in 2027. This new gallery will significantly increase our capacity to serve Northern Ontario. This significant addition to Ontario’s cultural infrastructure will provide more than $33 million in direct economic impact during construction. Once open, the Gallery’s operations will generate $5.7 million annually in direct and indirect impacts to the local and regional economy, as well as an estimated $7 million in annual visitor spending.

How to Apply

We welcome applications from individuals of all backgrounds and lived experiences. If you are enthusiastic about this role and the work of our Gallery, but your qualifications do not perfectly align with the job description, we encourage you to apply while highlighting your relevant experience, knowledge, and transferable skills in your cover letter. Applicants who are Deaf, have an exceptionality or disability, or who need support expressing interest or applying for this opportunity are encouraged to contact Samson Busch, Administrative Coordinator at administration@theag.ca or call 807.577.6427 to allow for appropriate accommodation of your needs and to discuss alternate formats for submitting your application.

To apply for this position, please send via email to administration@theag.ca, with the subject line “Beading Symposium Project Coordinator”:

• Letter of intent
• Current Resume
• The names of two references

Thunder Bay Art Gallery is committed to employment equity and diversity and encourages applications from all qualified candidates, including people of any sexual orientation, gender identity, or gender expression; Indigenous peoples; visible minorities and racialized people; and people with disabilities. We thank all applicants for their interest; however, only those selected for an interview will be contacted.