Curatorial Assistant at Dikan

Our Mission

The Dikan Gallery seeks to educate and inspire curiosity about photography works by exhibiting and interpreting works of visual storytelling of Africans and the African diaspora. The Dikan Gallery operates from Dikan Center at South Labadi Estates in Accra, Ghana.

The Opportunity

The Dikan Gallery seeks a curatorial assistant to become a vital member of a team, curating Africa and supporting the next generation of visual storytellers in Africa and the diaspora. The successful candidate will bring creative ideas, research and fresh perspectives, key attributes for the gallery’s mission and vision. The curatorial assistant will play an instrumental role in supporting the gallery and its many public through exhibitions, public programming, original research, and innovative interpretation. The curatorial assistant will have the opportunity to research, conceive and develop these exhibitions and to work with other curators on larger exhibition projects that seek to advance the field through new research, engaging interpretation, and international collaboration.

The curatorial assistant will support the department’s administrative functions, including overseeing the study & production room, exhibitions and supporting various visual storytellers. The ideal candidate will be a highly motivated individual with exceptional organizational skills and experience managing projects in an iterative, fast-paced environment. A natural consensus-builder, the candidate understands how to collaborate successfully in a team and across the organization.

Major Job Responsibilities

• Applies advanced knowledge of art history, research and art education to curatorial assignments of moderate complexity
• Performs scholarly research & archives
• Conceives and executes smaller exhibitions
• Verifies the value and authenticity of images and their right of usage.
• Travels and networks domestically and internationally to develop/maintain relationships with colleagues and institutions.
• To engage the community of visual storytellers in Ghana and Africa, building a database and being abrase with works of the community.
• Build strong partnerships in the gallery and exhibition space.
• Publishes and participates in visual educational programs in the area of specialization
• Updates information in the collection management system and writes collection entries for the website
• Participates in photography of the collection
• Assist in various negotiations and sales of prints
• Supports scholarly visits and requests
• Performs any other duties reasonably related to the functions described above.

Requirement

• Degree in art history, literature, African studies, art or art education. Master is a plus.
• Competent in working in most curatorial functions
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills
• Demonstrated ability to build relationships and collaborate with teams across disciplines
• Excellent writing and proofing skills
• Excellent organizational skills with attention to detail
• Demonstrated experience with art, historical research and writing
• Proven experience dealing with confidential information
• Familiar with Archives
• Strict attention to detail, rigorous approach to tasks, ability to multitask.
• Ability to manage more than one project at a time and to consistently meet deadlines.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills; superior presentation skills; sound judgment.