AGSM appoints new Executive Director

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Art Gallery of Southwestern Manitoba

The Art Gallery of Southwestern Manitoba Board of Directors has announced the appointment of its new Executive Director, John Hampton, who will begin in July.

Hampton’s extensive work experience stretches across the country. As curator, arts administrator, and artist of Chickasaw and mixed-European ancestry, he comes to the AGSM from Trinity Square Video, where he served as the Artistic Director, and from the Art Museum at the University of Toronto, where he was the Aboriginal Curator in Residence. A passionate commitment to building diverse communities through contemporary art is at the core of all his work; during his three-year tenure at Trinity Square Video, the organization saw a three-fold increase in membership and attendance, significantly increased funding for programming activities, a dramatically heightened profile both locally and internationally.

In regards to his new position as the Executive Director of the AGSM, Hampton says: “I am humbled and honoured to be trusted with the leadership of the Art Gallery of Southwestern Manitoba, an institution that holds such a vital position within its community. The AGSM has long impressed me with the strength of its programming, and its forward looking commitment to the ethics of exhibition and display.”

“Art has the capacity to address extremely complex issues and relationships, and the Art Gallery of Southwestern Manitoba is well positioned to continue to do truly meaningful work and to create powerful, playful, and impactful experiences for a wide variety of audiences and participants. In my role as Executive Director, I am particularly excited to listen to and partner with local First Nations, Métis, and settler individuals and communities; to work with families, youth, and the culturally curious; to strengthen ties with Brandon’s academic community; to foster creativity and innovation, and to work together towards a mindful, healthy, and enjoyable relationship with the world we live in and the one we aspire towards.”

Hampton is a member of the Aboriginal Education Council at OCAD University, an outgoing board member for Mercer Union in Toronto, and a former board member for Queer City Cinema and Holophon Sound Art Collective in Regina, SK. In the past year, he has organized projects at Collectif Jeune Cinema, Paris; the University of Silesia, Poland; the Festival du Nouveau Cinema, Montréal; Contemporary Calgary; College Art Galleries, Saskatoon; and Vidéograph, Montréal, in addition to his projects presented at Trinity Square Video and the Art Museum at the University of Toronto.

AGSM Board of Directors Chair, Marnie Evans, says, “On behalf of the Board, we would like to welcome John to Brandon as the new Executive Director. We are excited to have him on the team and we are confident that he will continue to advance the AGSM’s mission of leading and inspiring community engagement through contemporary art exhibitions, education, and events.”

Report courtesy of Art Gallery of Southwestern Manitoba.