Call for Curator
Call for City Reflections 2026
Curator
| Role: | Curator |
| Location: | Southampton-based A mix of remote working and in Southampton |
| Fee: | £300 per day inclusive of VAT (estimated 6 days) |
| Status: | Freelance contract with Southampton Forward |
| Reporting to: | Community Engagement Manager |
| Contract duration: | June – September 2025 |
Background
City Reflections 2026 will re-animate the city with spectacular light projections/mapping across the city creating a digital light art trail that celebrates our city’s heritage, art and people. We will light up our city’s buildings and heritage sites with large scale projections, chosen by the community, from Southampton City Council’s world class collections. Collection items will be selected in collaboration with the Southampton City Art Gallery team, conservators and local community groups. The Curator will work with key community stakeholders through Southampton Forward’s local networks to identify community groups to take part in this project. Southampton City Council Culture and Archive teams will oversee the digitisation of the collection and are a key member of the project team.
The role
We are seeking a Curator to work with the community, Southampton City Council, Community Curators and Southampton Forward to supporting the curation of the collection, helping Community Curators shape the narratives around archive themes and deliver the archive aspects of the project.
The main outputs of this contract are to:
- Oversee the creative process with the Community Curators working alongside the Community Engagement Manager, Creative Producer and Executive Producer.
- Escort Community Curators to Archive visits
- Facilitate a half-day Curation workshop on 7th July (date to be finalised)
- Support Community Curators in storytelling and choosing archive items that respond to key themes, deepen understanding and bring to life the city’s heritage, art, archaeology and maritime collections for local, regional and national visitors.
- Attend Archive Visits with the Community Curators
- Attend and support a Creative Brainstorm workshop with Southampton Forward, Southampton City Council and Community Curators
- Help Community Curators develop their storyboards and present to the Creative Producer
- Help facilitate feedback and decision making between Community Curators, Creative Producer and production team
- Support Southampton Forward in monitoring and evaluation
You will be a hands-on, experienced Curator who loves working with communities, managing events, delivering workshops and working on projects that deepen an understanding of culture, heritage and place for different audiences.
| Role/project requirements: |
| Curator Curate with a strong focus on co-creation, participatory methods and community storytelling. Facilitate workshops to gather input, co-design content and build trust with diverse audiences, whilst providing support to all participants. Ensure equitable representation of community voices throughout curatorial processes. Provide an evaluation report for Southampton Forward. |
| Additional responsibilities – relationship management Working with Southampton Forward on all aspects of the project including: collaborating with internal and external teams including Southampton Forward, Southampton City Council, Community Curators and Creative Producer to ensure alignment and support for community-led initiatives. Facilitating the relationship between Community Curators, Creative Producer and Southampton City Council to achieve the best outcome for the project. |
| Remuneration and working arrangements. The contractor will be responsible for their own pay, tax, National Insurance and pension contribution. The contractor will be expected to provide their own IT equipment to enable them to fulfil the requirements of the contract, including access to a computer/laptop, the internet and phone. |
Who are we looking for?
| We are looking with someone with the following skills and experience, with availability to start immediately. |
| Demonstrable experience of co-creation curation, working with communities /Project Coordination/ Story Telling and Project development Working with diverse communities, with excellent facilitation and interpersonal skills. Experience of working in culture, heritage or creative sectors with artists and community-based organisations. A strong understanding of co-creation and inclusive curatorial strategies. Proven experience of working with archives, museums, heritage or art collections and delivering collections-based engagement activities Able to work with multiple external partners including Local Authorities, local communities and Creative professionals. Knowledge of Southampton and/or its archives. |
How can I apply?
To apply for this opportunity please send us a copy of your CV and a covering letter of no more than 4 sides of A4 outlining your suitability for this role and experience. Please include the contact details of two references.
You may want to include examples from previous projects that you have been involved with, making it clear what your role was on those projects. You may also wish to include links to websites or YouTube videos within your examples.
You can submit this to us in writing, or you can submit a video entry to: info@southamptonforward.org.uk by 4th June 2025 If you wish to submit a video entry please send your file in MP4 format using a free file transfer service such as WeTransfer.
If you would like to speak to one of the team before applying please email info@southamptonforward.org.uk and we will get back to you as quickly as possible to arrange.
Interviews will be held on 6th June 2025 either in person or online.
Key dates:
| 4th June | Application closing date |
| 6th June | Interview Date |
| 9th June | Contract awarded/project starts/Induction Week |
Founding City Partners
