Mendel Art Gallery names Lisa Baldissera Chief Curator

SASKATOON, SK — The Mendel Art Gallery is pleased to announce that Lisa Baldissera, a London, UK-based independent curator and writer, has accepted the position of Chief Curator, effective August 6, 2012.

In its national search to fill this key position, the Mendel Art Gallery attracted 23 highly qualified applicants, says Angie Larson, the Galleryʼs Acting Executive Director & CEO.

“Lisa was the search committeeʼs unanimous choice, based on her education, curatorial accomplishments, management experience, and her impressive national and international connections,” Larson says.

“Her interpersonal skills and thoughtful approach to team-based planning will complement and enhance our staff, and extend the Galleryʼs reach as we transition toward the Remai Art Gallery of Saskatchewan.”

From 1999-2009, Baldissera was Curator of Contemporary Art at the Art Gallery of Greater Victoria, where she produced more than 50 exhibitions by regional, Canadian and international artists. She holds a BFA with distinction from the University of Victoria (1995), an MFA from the University of Saskatchewan (1998), and an MFA in Creative Writing from the University of British Columbia (2012). Since 2009, she has worked as an independent curator and art consultant. She is developing a PhD project on Emily Carr at Goldsmiths College, University of London.

“Saskatchewanʼs history of innovation, hard work, and creativity is expressed in its visual arts legacy,” says Baldissera. “I am thrilled to be joining the team at the Mendel Art Gallery as it transforms into the Remai Art Gallery of Saskatchewan.

“Saskatoonʼs downtown renaissance and new art gallery will provide an exciting stage for presenting a dynamic visual arts program for Saskatoon and beyond, and for framing the provinceʼs art production in an international context. I also look forward to providing links between the creative communities in London and Goldsmiths College and those in Saskatoon, to create a rich and generative environment for collaboration and research.”

Baldissera says she looks forward to returning to Saskatoon, “a city that has been key to my development as an arts professional in Canada.”

Baldissera succeeds curator emeritus Dan Ring, who retired as the Mendelʼs ChiefCurator in 2011.