Young Canada Works Building Careers in Heritage (fall/winter)
Communications Assistant

Young Canada Works Building Careers in Heritage (fall/winter)
Communications Assistant

Term length: 2025-09-08 to 2026-03-20
Hours/week: 35
Salary: $26.00/hr plus limited benefits (e.g., vacation pay in lieu)
Application deadline July 18, 2025.

The Joan and Martin Goldfarb Gallery of York University is seeking an enthusiastic and creative individual with a strong knowledge of contemporary visual art for the position of The Goldfarb Gallery Communications Assistant from September 8, 2025, through March 20, 2026 (not including December 22, 2025, through January 8, 2026). This full-time position (35hrs/week) has a $26.00/hour wage plus limited benefits (e.g., vacation pay in lieu).

The main objective of the position is to assist in developing and maintaining the gallery’s communications and marketing. This position engages all aspects of the art gallery’s activities from exhibitions to publications. At an institutional level, The Goldfarb Gallery Communications Assistant will gain skills including research, writing, graphic design, website management, database management, and public relations. This position will also cover the implementation of a communications campaign for the second year of our identity as the Joan and Martin Goldfarb Gallery of York University.

The Assistant will work directly with all Gallery staff. This is an opportunity for anyone interested in gaining hands-on experience in contemporary art institutional practices and the processes, protocols, and best practices related to the development, management, and implementation of communications in a non-for-profit arts organization. The skills and knowledge obtained will greatly increase the assistants’ marketability in the non-profit sector in general, providing particular skills in writing press releases, designing ads, developing databases, and audience out-reach; it will give the successful YCW applicant knowledge of contemporary art, working closely with gallery staff to contextualize artwork for media and audiences; the Goldfarb Gallery Communications Assistant will also gain art-writing skills and knowledge in designing and maintaining a website.

The candidate will have a diploma or degree from an arts-related field (art history, visual arts, museum studies, cultural studies, communications, or related discipline) with excellent verbal and written communications skills in English. Research and organisational skills, including various computer applications, will be required. Working with gallery staff and visiting artists, the candidate will undertake and implement a range of activities relating to the functioning of a contemporary gallery, including but not limited to exhibition planning, maintenance and administration of permanent collections, membership recruitment, and relations with both the media and the general public.

This internship will prepare the candidate for employment in the non-profit arts, culture, and heritage sectors. The candidate will gain invaluable professional experience in public relations, marketing, communication, database management, and an understanding of a not-for-profit public art gallery. They will gain knowledge of international and Canadian art history while working in a contemporary art milieu. They will interface with artists, media, and the public, learning how to translate their research to general audiences.

Application packages should include a short statement of career intent, a current CV, and a cover letter indicating why you are applying for this position. All applicants must qualify for the YCW-BCH program (i.e., be a Canadian citizen or a permanent resident, or have refugee status in Canada [non-Canadians holding temporary work visas or awaiting permanent resident status are not eligible]; be legally entitled to work in Canada [have a valid social insurance number]; be between 16 and 30 years of age inclusively at the start of employment; and are a college or university graduate [certificate, bachelor’s, master’s or doctorate] Note: Priority will be given to graduates that have not previously participated in YCW internship programs and that are unemployed or underemployed.

Details: https://www.canada.ca/en/canadian-heritage/services/funding/young-canada-works/students-graduates/careers-heritage-graduates.html.) All applicants must also be registered in the YCW candidate pool. Applications that do not include cover letter, CV, and career intent statement will not be considered. Digital applications in a single PDF document preferred.

To be eligible for this position, applicants must:

  • a Canadian citizen or a permanent resident, or have refugee status in Canada (non-Canadians holding temporary work visas or awaiting permanent resident status are not eligible);
  • legally entitled to work in Canada (have a valid social insurance number);
  • between 16 and 30 years of age inclusively at the start of employment; and
  • hold a college or university graduate (certificate, bachelor’s, master’s or doctorate).
  • be registered for the YCW program (see http://young-canada-works.canada.ca/).

Note: Priority will be given to graduates that have not previously participated in YCW internship programs.

Applications may be emailed attention YCW hiring committee c/o TheGoldfarbGallery@yorku.ca. Indicate which position you are applying for in your email subject line.

Deadline for applications is July 18, 2025.

 

The Goldfarb Gallery is a socially progressive public non-profit contemporary art gallery, affiliated and supported by York University, as well as key funders including the Canada Council for the Arts, the Ontario Arts Council, the City of Toronto through the Toronto Arts Council, foundations, embassies, other cultural institutions, and through our membership. The Goldfarb Gallery encourages applications from persons from equity-seeking groups.