Call for Nominations: Board of Directors

TBA is growing. To support our development, we are seeking dynamic and devoted Board members to lead and represent the organization. TBA’s Board of Directors leads strategy, establishes practices and policies, and oversees operations and finances of the organization.

ABOUT TBA

As the foremost biennial in Canada, the Toronto Biennial of Art’s mission is to make contemporary art accessible to everyone. A ten-week event every two years, the Biennial commissions artists to create new works for a city-wide exhibition in dialogue with Toronto’s diverse local contexts. Year-round public and learning programs bridge Biennials and invite intergenerational audiences to explore the ideas that inspire our events. Building upon past editions and offering new ways of seeing and listening, each Biennial connects people to spark meaningful dialogues and imagine new futures. It is our mission to become Canada’s Biennial.

The Toronto Biennial of Art launched in 2019 and was a popular and critical success. The Biennial provides expanded understandings of contemporary art practices and is building a legacy of free, inclusive, and accessible contemporary arts programming in Toronto and surrounding communities.

TBA is committed to transparency and to principles of anti-racism, anti-oppression, equity, and inclusion and is putting these principles into practice at all levels of the organization.

For detailed information on the impact of the first two Biennials, please read the 2019 and 2022 Evaluation Reports. 

QUALIFICATIONS

Prospective Board members should have some (or several) of the following general qualifications: 

• Capacity to contribute time, energy, and resources to TBA and Board
• Leadership in the non-profit sector
• A passion for contemporary art and culture
• Strategic thinking
• Fundraising abilities and/or connections to sources of private or public support
• Excellent communication and collaborative skills
• Strong community ties

TBA seeks Board members with experience, skills, and knowledge in the following areas:

 Priority Skill Sets

• Fundraising
• Accounting & financial management
• Practicing Artists
• Government relations
• Equity and diversity

Additional Skill Sets Welcome

• Governance
• Real estate development
• Legal
• Human resources 
• Strategic planning
• Event planning and management 
• Community building and engagement
• Communications, marketing, and public relations

Benefits of joining the Board at TBA include:

• Helping support impactful, accessible, and creative programming
• Making new connections to artists, business and cultural leaders, government officials
• Sharing and gaining valuable Board experience
• Giving back to the arts community
• Attending great events across the city
• Making new friends and having lots of fun!

RESPONSIBILITIES 

• Serve a 3-year term, renewable, beginning May 1, 2025
• Attend meetings of the Board of Directors (every two months in off years, monthly in biennial years)
• Implement all tasks with a view to anti-racism, anti-oppression, equity, and inclusivity
• Serve on at least one board committee 
• Work with staff (including ED) and board to develop and implement best practices/ policies
• Actively participate in fundraising and sponsorship development including prospect identification, cultivation, asks, and stewardship in collaboration with TBA staff and Board members 
• Activate personal and professional networks for fundraising, partnership development, recruitment, and audience growth
• Oversee the financial health of the organization – month-to-month and long-term 
• Able to mentor and support others, including staff and fellow Board members
• Develop and steward Board and governance policies and structures
• Attend, support, and champion TBA events
• Represent TBA’s vision and mandate in communities across Toronto, Canada, and internationally

IMPORTANT NOTES

Board membership is voluntary. Board members may not receive financial compensation or other benefits. TBA welcomes applicants of any age or background and encourages applications from energetic and committed individuals with no prior Board experience. 

Toronto Biennial of Art is an equal opportunity employer and is committed to diversity and inclusiveness in all of our work. We work proactively to be fair and equitable in practice and welcome applications from all qualified individuals. We encourage those who identify as women, persons with disabilities, Indigenous persons, persons of colour, all genders and sexual orientations, and all groups protected by the Ontario Human Rights Code to apply. Per the Ontario Human Rights Code, Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act, 2005, accommodation will be provided at any point throughout the hiring process, provided the candidate makes their accommodation needs known to the Toronto Biennial of Art.

TO APPLY 

Please send a confidential statement of interest (no more than 500 words) along with your resume to opportunities@torontobiennial.org with the subject line: BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Many thanks for your interest in TBA.