Aya Nadar
Sculpture/Installation, 2016. Gallery Manager at Freight + Volume Gallery
Our generation needs to understand that to be successful, we need to work together.
What Program did you graduate from and when?
Sculpture & Installation, 2016
What is your current title or role? (e.g. freelance designer, art practitioner, etc.)
Gallery Manager at Freight + Volume Gallery in New York.
Why did you choose to attend OCAD U?
Location. Coming from Lebanon, I wanted to be close to family members who lived in Toronto. I have an older sister who helped my move be easier. I realized in my final year of high school, that there weren’t a lot of programs in the areas I was interested in. I found OCAD U through my research and they provided teachings that I was interested in. The year before I graduated, I visited Toronto to visit schools before applying and while here OCAD U stood out to me. I loved the way students interacted with each other and that was appealing. Artists at OCAD U were able to express themselves in a way that’s different from Lebanon. It was a culture shock that I wanted. OCAD U feeds your curiosity.
Please briefly describe your current job/practice.
My current job as Assistant Director is gallery management. I manage all aspects of the gallery and maintain a gallery presence. My day to day includes artist liaison, scheduling pickups and drop-offs, coordinating with artists, managing payroll and employees, communicating with the Director on a daily basis, and sometimes installing works. We sell works at auctions, apply to art fairs, do inventory and archiving.
How did you get started in your career?
During my 4 years at OCAD U, I realized outside of my program that I had an interest in curatorial practices and the business side of art. I spent a lot of my time going to local exhibitions and working with local artists while I was in school and this gave me a foothold into the gallery and exhibition scene and get to know artists in their practice. I enjoyed openings the most and bringing people together to discuss and admire art. After organizing a couple of exhibitions I realized I was passionate about this. I went to Centennial College after OCAD U to do a Public Relations and Corporate Communications program that allowed me to move forward with a more business mindset.
What were your policies regarding internships, volunteering, and paid work?
Volunteering and participating in internships gives you experience. While at OCAD U I volunteered at Nuit Blanche and with multiple artists in their studios. I knew this was something I couldn’t get out of a university experience and it was valuable. Through those experiences, I gained a lot of experience that has given me the confidence to be able to get to where I am today. After working at multiple galleries, you start understanding that there is a pattern in how galleries work. I would urge anyone coming into OCAD U to take as many opportunities to volunteer and network. That internship could become a job and that job could become a career. You have to understand your worth. There will be people who will try to take advantage of you. The most important thing is that you continue to feel like you are learning something new. If there is mismanagement and you don’t feel like you are learning, you need to seek something else. Be picky with your internships and volunteer work because companies always want to hire free labour. If you feel your values don’t match the companies’, theirs likely won’t change. Stand up for what you believe in because that is what makes your work ethic more valuable.
What do you enjoy most about your work? What is the most challenging aspect of your work?
I’ve always enjoyed it when employers give me the freedom to express myself. If it’s inclusive, it feels like your thoughts and voice matter. it’s always been about the artist for me. Our generation needs to understand that to be successful, we need to work together. Don’t work for someone who sets limitations in a world that keeps needing to move forward. It is important to me that I work with artists and make sure they succeed and sell work.
The challenge is in finding people within your job and business that you can work well with. When you are working for someone else, what you think is the best route isn’t always what they do. It’s important to listen to the community.
What skills or relationships developed at OCAD U helped you participate in your field? Is there anything you would have done differently?
I would've done a minor in Graphic Design, Curatorial Practices, or Advertising. I feel like I limited myself because of my own conflicts. There is so much to learn. Don’t limit yourself based on what your comfort level is. Think about the long term. What can you learn that is going to make your practice better/easier in the future?
Build good relationships with your professors. Those are relationships you can keep for life. Put yourself out there in exhibitions, workshops, etc. Do not restrict yourself.
What are the key responsibilities you maintain for your practice?
Your work isn’t your life unless it’s your practice. If it’s your career, create room to have hobbies and to find other ways to feed your soul so that you’re not stuck with just what’s in front of you. What you do outside of your practice and career is important as well.
What are your personal and professional goals for the coming years?
Professionally, to be my own boss. My personal goal is to be happy in everything that I do and to find solace and feel that I can be myself.
