Julie Bevan appointed Nanaimo Art Gallery Executive/Artistic Director

The Board of Directors of the Nanaimo Art Gallery is pleased to announce the appointment of Julie Bevan as the Gallery’s Executive/Artistic Director, effective April 1, 2012.

Ms. Bevan has a strong background in the visual arts, including a Master of Arts degree in Art History from the University of British Columbia.  She has worked as the Public Programs and Publicity Coordinator at the Morris and Helen Belkin Art Gallery at UBC, and held the position of Adult Education Coordinator at the Glenbow Museum in Calgary, one of the country’s top art museums.

Ms. Bevan moved to Nanaimo in 2010 and immediately became involved in the city’s arts community. She has served on the Board of Directors of the Nanaimo Art Gallery, and has been a member of the City of Nanaimo’s Cultural Advisory Committee since December 2010.

On being appointed to the Gallery’s Executive/Artistic Director position, Ms. Bevan said:

“I am very pleased to have been given the opportunity to help the Gallery achieve its vision for a first class cultural institution in the city. I’m a firm believer in the value of the arts to the aesthetic, cultural, and economic well-being of the community. My family and I are really happy being in Nanaimo, and I believe the arts scene here is exciting and full of potential to just get better and better!”

In expressing pleasure that Ms. Bevan has agreed to take on the position of Executive/Artistic Director, Ian Niamath, President of the Nanaimo Art Gallery Society Board of Directors said:

“We are delighted to appoint Julie Bevan to this key position so that we can continue to strengthen the institution’s role in the community. This is a really important time for the Gallery as we look at the future development of Nanaimo, and work towards achieving our vision for the institution. Given Julie’s strong artistic training, her work experience in other art museums, her involvement in the community here, and her positive energy and enthusiasm for everything she does, we believe she is the ideal person to help us move the gallery forward.

I also want to thank Ed Poli, who is retiring as the Gallery’s Manager at the end of March, and who has served us very well for the past four years. We really appreciate all his efforts on behalf of the Gallery, and we wish him well in the future.”