MacKenzie Art Gallery welcomes new position of Director of Programs
- EFN Staff | August 28, 2018
The MacKenzie Art Gallery announced on August 20th the appointment of John G. Hampton to the newly created position of Director of Programs. This new position will oversee all of the Gallery’s curatorial and education initiatives and will be instrumental in the ongoing transformation of the Gallery’s exhibitions and programs, creating more dynamic experiences for visitors.
“We are excited to welcome John to the Gallery, and grateful for his wealth of experience, knowledge and success in deepening connections with diverse communities, and creating and implementing innovative curatorial projects,” said MacKenzie Art Gallery Executive Director and CEO Anthony Kiendl in a media release. “John is very attuned to the changing role of art museums in the 21st century, from the content we present to the approaches we take in engaging and educating audiences. We are thrilled that he will be able to build upon deep community connections that come from his time growing up, studying and previously working in Regina.”
The new position will provide the oversight and expertise necessary to lead the gallery’s curatorial and education departments, as well as strengthening the various complementary practices that engage visitors in an immersive experience.
“I’m truly excited to be returning to Regina to join the incredible team at the MacKenzie Art Gallery,” said Hampton. “The MAG has one of the strongest histories of working with Indigenous artists, curators, and communities out of any non-Indigenous public gallery in the world. I’m excited to contribute to that legacy and think through how our institutions need to evolve and change in dialogue with the people they are meant to serve.”
Hampton is currently the Executive Director of the Art Gallery of Southwestern Manitoba (AGSM) and Adjunct Curator at the Art Museum at the University of Toronto. He was born in Boston, MA of Chickasaw and mixed-European ancestry, and raised in Regina, SK where he was the Curator at Neutral Ground Contemporary Art Forum from 2010-2013. He holds a Master of Visual Studies–Curatorial Studies (2014) from the University of Toronto, and a BA in Visual Arts (2009) from the University of Regina. His research interests include Indigenous epistemologies, critical race theory, object-oriented ontologies, virtuality, gender and sexuality, cultural impact, aesthetics of attention, and critical ethics. He is an executive member of the board for the Aboriginal Curatorial Collective, and is a former board member at Mercer Union, Queer City Cinema, and Holophon Audio Arts.
Hampton will start his position on October 1, 2018.