Organizer Information

RAW Material Company is a center for art, knowledge, and society based in Dakar, Senegal, founded by curator Koyo Kouoh in 2008 and established as a physical space in 2011. It was born from a deep and urgent need to create a platform for critical reflection on artistic practice and its vital connection to contemporary life. The institution comprises three components: RAW Base, a resource center specialized in contemporary art; RAW Académie, an experimental study program for artistic thinking and production; and Ker Issa, residencies and studios for artists, curators, authors, and researchers. Its premises in Zone B occupy a former 1950s residential home of Modernist inspiration in a historic Dakar neighbourhood, renovated as a base for research on architecture and urban planning in African cities. Following the passing of founder Koyo Kouoh in May 2025, the institution has continued its programming under its existing curatorial and program leadership team. Over 15 years, RAW has developed a transdisciplinary program spanning literature, film, architecture, politics, fashion, cuisine, and diaspora, working to foster artistic and intellectual creativity across Africa.

Title & Description

Curator of Programs

RAW Material Company is hiring a full-time Curator of Programs to contribute to its curatorial vision and mission through the commissioning, development, oversight, and implementation of its programs, working closely with the wider team. The institution is seeking an experienced practitioner with a trans-local vision, dedicated to nourishing and challenging curatorial practice through exhibitions, residencies, discursive programs, publishing, and other formats to be conceptualized together with the team. The role sits within RAW's long-standing curatorial framework, built over 15 years around notions of hospitality, care, collectivity, education, and knowledge production — and its broader positioning of institution-building itself as a curatorial practice.

The Role Overview

  • Position Type: Full-time
  • Salary: Salary based on experience (exact figure not specified in the source)
  • Reports To: Artistic Director
  • Department / Programme: Curatorial team/programs department

Position & Tasks

  • Work closely with other members of the curatorial team to develop and deliver diverse programming, including exhibitions, publications, discursive programs, and residencies
  • Research, curate, organize, and produce exhibitions, publications, residencies, and public programs, together with the program team
  • Work closely with invited guests, artists, and collaborators
  • Stimulate critical dialogue and contribute to strengthening RAW's relationship with its extended family and publics
  • Create content for the organization's website, in collaboration with the Communication Manager
  • Contribute to nourishing existing programs through the conceptualization and development of new projects, formats, and events
  • Contribute to overseeing publications, public programs, exhibitions, and other activities through line management of the Curators
  • Work closely with the Publications and Public Program Curators to ensure program coherence within the curatorial framework
  • Perform other duties in collaboration with the team
  • Ensure programs are produced on time, with clear planning schedules developed together with the team
  • Ensure good management and record-keeping of each project, and internal circulation of planning schedules and tasks
  • Generate catalogue texts, exhibition texts, and articles for print and online
  • Create evaluation and reporting frameworks for each project

Categories

  • Curatorial Practice
  • Contemporary Art
  • Arts Administration
  • Exhibition Making
  • Publishing
  • Artistic Education
  • Cultural Programming
  • African Contemporary Art

Eligibility

  • Good experience working in art institutions
  • Experience working with other team members
  • Good knowledge of African contemporary art as well as contemporary art from the African Diaspora
  • Excellent French and English language skills
  • Preferred but not mandatory: knowledge of Wolof
  • Enthusiasm for the collective work of institutional building and female empowerment in the arts
  • No nationality or geographic restriction stated in the source

Application Fee

None

How to Apply?

Applications must be submitted via email to: mariecisse@rawmaterialcompany.org and lecture@rawmaterialcompany.org

Key Dates

  • Application Deadline: 31 August 2026

Location

Dakar, Senegal

Additional Details

  • Relocation allowance is explicitly not available for this position
  • The role reports to the Artistic Director and works in close collaboration with the full curatorial and program team
  • RAW frames institution-building itself as a form of curatorial practice, and the role is expected to engage with this framework
  • Enthusiasm for female empowerment in the arts is listed as a qualification criterion alongside professional experience

Website Link: http://www.rawmaterialcompany.org/_RAW_home