The Toronto Outdoor Art Fair is looking for individuals interested in joining the Board of Directors. Please read the information below in full prior to submitting your information.
To express interest in joining our Board of Directors, please email a CV/Resume and a statement of interest prior to November 29, 2014 to:
Mark Teeple
Executive Director
[email protected]
Interested individuals will be interviewed by the current Board of Directors.
Message from the Executive Director
This is an exciting time to get involved with the Toronto Outdoor Art Fair.
For 54 years, the Toronto Outdoor Art Fair has been offering a fresh air alternative to conventional art shows and galleries and encouraging direct interaction and conversation between artists, collectors and the public. The upcoming year marks a major milestone in the history of the exhibition. After 5o years at Nathan Phillips Square, the exhibition will be moving to Queen’s Park Crescent in June 2015, all while the organization undergoes a transformation which includes the continued development of new policies and procedures, and the completion of a new strategic plan.
This is an extraordinary opportunity for individuals who are passionate about visual arts. As a small charitable organization, we need your time, effort, and expertise, as there is much work to be done to transform this organization in the coming years, while we work to become a premier public art fair and festival locally, nationally, and internationally.
If you have any questions regarding this organization, its present circumstances, or its future opportunities, please feel free to reach out to me. I am happy to make time to ensure that you are comfortable and have a full understanding of the organization.
I look forward to working with you.
Sincerely,
Mark Teeple
Executive Director
Toronto Outdoor Art Fair
About the Toronto Outdoor Art Fair
The Toronto Outdoor Art Fair is a contemporary art fair, a treasure hunt for art lovers and collectors, and a fun, exhilarating, and proud celebration of the visual arts, the artists, and their talent. Through its programming, the exhibition puts arts and artists at the forefront, demonstrating the vitality and variety of the arts in the community and engaging the public’s interest in a diversity of art forms.
As the largest juried outdoor art exhibition in Canada, the Toronto Outdoor Art Fair offers an alternative to conventional art shows and galleries. Hundreds of artists participate and an estimated 100,000 visitors attend the exhibition annually. Side by side, established artists, undiscovered talents, and innovative students sell their work directly to the public while making lasting connections with art dealers and collectors.
The Toronto Outdoor Art Fair is a charitable, non-profit organization governed by a volunteer Board of Directors active in the art and business communities.
History
In June 1960, Toronto businessman Murray Koffler and his wife, Marvelle, attended an outdoor art fair on Washington Square in New York City. They were inspired to create a similar event in Toronto, so together with Alan Jarvis, former Director of the National Gallery of Canada, and the late Jack Pollock, the Kofflers closed off the parking lot and garden of the then Four Seasons Motor-Hotel on Jarvis street for a June weekend in 1961 and the first Toronto Outdoor Art Fair was born. When Nathan Phillips Square opened in 1965, the Exhibition moved to become the first event held there, and where it has remained since. In summer 2015, the exhibition will be moving to Queen’s Park Crescent to make way for the Pan Am Games.
Today
The Toronto Outdoor Art Fair is a registered charity with offices in downtown Toronto. It is dedicated to advancing the development of the arts in Canada, and to advancing the knowledge and appreciation of and to stimulate interest in paintings, sculpture and many other art forms. To further this goal, our showcase program is a juried, three-day art exhibition with over 350 participating artists.
The Toronto Outdoor Art Fair is seeking new Board Members to help the organization transition through a period of exciting growth and development.
Responsibilities of Members of the Board of Directors
New members to work collaboratively with fellow Directors of the Board and the Executive Director to support the work of the Toronto Outdoor Art Fair while providing mission-based leadership and strategic governance. The Board focuses on supporting the organization with oversight in the following areas:
Governance and Leadership
- Approve the annual budget of the organization;
- Approve audit reports and material business decisions, while actively being informed of and meeting all legal and fiduciary responsibilities;
- Develop organizational policies in consultation with the Executive Director and outside expertise;
- Serve as a trusted advisor to the Executive Director;
- Contribute to an annual performance evaluation of the Executive Director;
- Act as an ambassador for the Toronto Outdoor Art Fair.
Fundraising
- Contribute to the revenue development activities of the Toronto Outdoor Art Fair;
- Provide new donor and sponsor prospects as able;
- Consider the Toronto Outdoor Art Fair a philanthropic priority in their personal giving.
Board Term and Participation
- Directors can expect an average of 10-12 hours of service per month;
- Board meetings are held monthly (10 per year);
- Each director is expected to participate on at least one board-level committee;
- Directors are asked to be present during the annual exhibition (June 2015);
- Directors are elected for a one-year term and may continue to serve consecutive terms.
Ideal candidates will have the following qualifications:
- Professional experience in business, government, philanthropy, or the nonprofit sector;
- Experience working for or as a board member of an arts organization of similar or larger size;
- A commitment to and understanding of the Toronto Outdoor Art Fair.
There is a specific need for those with accounting or human resources expertise, and professionals with experience with other arts organizations that have undergone transformation.
Service on the Board of Directors of the Toronto Outdoor Art Fair is without remuneration.
The Toronto Outdoor Art Fair is committed to diversity in all its forms, and encourages applicants from a variety of backgrounds to apply.
To express interest in joining our Board of Directors, please email a CV/Resume and a statement of interest prior to November 29, 2014 to:
Mark Teeple
Executive Director
[email protected]
