Curatorial Portraits

This archival project raises the visibility of notable curators active in the Lower Mainland between 1980 and 1999, when curatorial practices were expanding alongside a growing field of exhibition spaces. Some participants lived in the region throughout this period; others landed more briefly but made decided impacts; several had broader careers as artists or administrators but made valuable curatorial contributions. Some held positions at local museums and public art galleries, while others activated smallerartist-run spaces or realized ideas in public sites or through thematic gatherings or media-specific contexts such as photography, video, performance, and new technologies. Their approaches were shaped variously by the drive to respond to the demands of a specific place and time, to bring visibility to lesser-known practices, or to experiment with the conventional curatorial model itself.  

Each participant has selected up to a dozen publications that reflect their influences, focus, and practice—in a sense, creating a type of self-portrait. These archival fragments begin to chart Metro Vancouver’s curatorial activities, revealing shifts in attitudes, institutions, and strategies as they pertain to exhibiting art. Additionally, many contributors have made annotations in their selections as a way of inscribing personal histories into their books and brochures. The publications have been donated to the Gibson Art Museum, which is itself a malleable container of histories and ideas. Paper copies of participants’ curriculum vitaes are also available in the Gibson’s library, showing the full extent of their curatorial activity. 

This unofficial archive is but a starting point, representing only a portion of the curators who energized Vancouver’s art scene during these decades. With further engagement and deeper research, our aim is for this library of portraits to grow to encompass even more curators from this period (including those who are deceased), as well as those from earlier and successive generations, and from a broader geographical area. Over time, this growing archive will undoubtedly add a curatorial dimension to the histories of Vancouver’s art ecology that have yet to be written.

To visit the library, contact the Gibson’s Collections Manager, Sydney Laiss.

Curatorial Portraits: Reading the 1980s and 90s launches on Sunday April 12, 2026, at 2PM with an informal roundtable discussion and reception that offers available participants an opportunity to speak about their "self-portraits." 

This project is a celebration of the 2025 Governor General's Awards in Visual and Media Arts laureate, Daina Augaitis, presented and supported by the Canada Council for the Arts, in collaboration and supported by the National Gallery of Canada, and the MacKenzie Art Gallery. 

Ce projet célèbre la lauréate du Prix du Gouverneur général en arts visuels et en arts médiatiques 2025, Daina Augaitis, présenté et soutenu par le Conseil des arts du Canada, avec la collaboration et soutien du Musée des beaux-arts du Canada, et de la Mackenzie Art Gallery. 

Organized by Daina Augaitis with Katja Canini, National Gallery of Canada; Kimberly Phillips and Julia Lamare, Marianne and Edward Gibson Art Museum; and Nicolle Nugent, MacKenzie Art Gallery.