Overview

The Museum of the Highwood is seeking a Curatorial Assistant for a 16-week (May 11 to August 28, 2026) employment position through the Young Canada Works in Heritage Organizations program. This full-time position pays $19 per hour.

The Curatorial Assistant will be an important part of the museum team. They will have the opportunity to work closely with the Curator on exhibits and displays and will obtain in-depth knowledge of the Curatorial process.

This is a unique opportunity for a full-time high school, college, CEGEP, or university student who is in between semesters in their studies and has an interest in museums or is curious to learn more about how museums create exhibits, present and interpret history, and use the artifacts to tell stories. It is an excellent opportunity for those who are keen to gain hands-on practical experience working in museums.

Duties Include:

  • Maintain the cleanliness of museum exhibits and gallery spaces, including cleaning cases and artifacts, and ensuring exhibit audio-visual elements are in working order.

    Assist the Curator with updating the museum’s permanent exhibits, including building artifact mounts, staging display cases, installing new artifacts, drafting interpretive text panels and object labels, installing text panels, and updating records in the museum’s collection database.

    Assist the Curator with developing a new collaborative/ community-based exhibit. Duties may include conducting historical research, drafting text panels and labels, conducting interviews with exhibit participants, working on graphic design, developing exhibit layout, identifying artifacts for display, and attending exhibit team meetings.

    Perform historical research for upcoming exhibits.

    Develop and install a single-case temporary exhibit for the museum.

    Work with community partners and stakeholders on various history and heritage-related projects. Tasks may include historical research, scanning archival photographs and documents, and inventorying materials.

    Assist in delivering educational programs to school children, adults, and the public

    Assist with accessioning and processing new donations to the collection, including completing condition reports, numbering objects, creating new records in the database, photographing, and storing artifacts

    Assist the Curator with organizing and managing museum loans

    Work with museum staff in performing daily museum operations when required

Qualifications/ Skills:

  • Ideally, the applicant will have completed at least one year of post-secondary studies in history, Indigenous studies, museum studies, archeology, anthropology, or a related field

    Have a passion for history, museums and heritage, and material culture, and an interest in learning about all aspects of museum and heritage practices and operations

    Self-motivated and able to work independently and as part of a team

    Must be able to graciously receive direction, feedback, guidance, and constructive criticism

    Excellent written and oral communication skills are required

    Strong organizational skills and a keen attention to detail

    Must be patient, flexible, and have strong time-management skills

    Basic computer literacy and knowledge of Microsoft Office Suite are important

    Experience with Adobe Suite, Canva, Smart Draw, or other graphic design programs will be considered an asset, but are not required

    Previous skills in handling artifacts and working with museum database software will be considered assets, but is not required

    A good sense of humour

    Applicants must meet the eligibility requirements of the Young Canada Works in Heritage Organizations program and be registered in the online candidate inventory

The Museum of the Highwood offers equitable employment opportunities and welcomes diversity in the workplace. Applications for the Government of Canada’s job equality groups are encouraged, and all qualified candidates will receive equal and fair consideration.
Please tell us your story and why you are interested in this position by submitting a cover letter and resume to info@museumofthehighwood.com by April 15, 2025.
Potential candidates will be contacted for and an interview.

To apply for this job email your details to info@museumofthehighwood.com.

About Museum of the Highwood

The Museum of the Highwood, located in a 115-year-old CPR railway station, has been the heart of High River and the surrounding community for more than 60 years. Situated around 60 kilometres south of Calgary, the museum’s mission is “to preserve and share the unique history of the Highwood area, to excite and enlighten visitors, and to inspire our citizens to build a better future with connection to the past.” The museum is open year-round, seven days a week, and serves the community through exhibits, programs, interpretation, public events, visitor information, and research services.