The Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander art collection at the National Gallery of Australia comprises over 7,500 works of art and is the largest in the world. The Associate Curator, First Nations Provenance, funded by the Oranges and Sardines Foundation, is key in the ethical management of Australian First Nations works of art in the National Gallery's collection. Building on existing research and documentation, you will focus on resolving matters on an established priority research list, as well as responding to emerging issues, consulting widely internally and with First Nations communities and other relevant external parties to resolve them in an ethical and culturally sensitive way. Reporting to the Senior Curator, Provenance, the Associate Curator, First Nations Provenance, liaises with the First Nations curatorial team and works collaboratively with peers and colleagues and through national networks to engage with First Nations people around Australia. This is a full-time, non-ongoing employment opportunity which may become ongoing. This position will be filled using the Special Measure provision, which allows for the targeted recruitment of Indigenous Australians into the Australian Public Service. The vacancy is only open to Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people. The filling of this employment opportunity is intended to constitute a special measure under section 8(1) of the Racial Discrimination Act 1975 . The key duties of the position include In accordance with the APS 5 work level standards, you will: build on existing research and documentation to investigate the provenance of works of art on a research priority list established by the National Gallery of Australia's First Nations Art Provenance Project; with consideration for appropriate standards for First Nations community engagement, as well as relevant Australian and international legislation and industry standards for both legal and ethical collecting, you will undertake consultation with artists, communities and knowledge-holders to determine a best-practice resolution to concerns regarding works of art in the collection; work collaboratively and positively with a network of stakeholders including artists, communities, researchers, collectors, dealers, auctions houses, research facilities and colleague institutions to facilitate best-practice resolutions; prepare reports on progress, outlining findings and recommendations and assist with drafting guidelines; collate object-specific results to provide the Gallery with a detailed record of the consultation and any action undertaken in response, including updates to the collection management system.
