PARTICIPANTS

Photo Miles Lowry

ROBERT AMOS graduated from York University in Toronto then, pursued a career in the arts. He was Assistant to the Director of the Art Gallery of Greater Victoria (1975-1980) and is art writer for the Victoria Times-Colonist newspaper, which has published his weekly column on art since 1986. He is a full-time professional artist. Robert Amos’s paintings are part of the permanent collection of the City of Victoria, the University of Victoria and the Art Gallery of Greater Victoria, among others. Robert has published numerous books including: Harold Mortimer-Lamb: The Art Lover, TouchWood Editions and The Art Gallery of Greater Victoria, 2013; Artists In Their Studios, TouchWood Editions, 2007; and Inside Chinatown: Ancient Culture in a New World by Robert Amos and Kileasa Wong, TouchWood Editions, 2009. 

  

MICHELLE JACQUES is a curator, educator, and writer. She is currently the chief curator at the Art Gallery of Greater Victoria and has previously held positions in the contemporary and Canadian departments at the Art Gallery of Ontario. She has taught art history, curatorial studies, and art writing at the post-secondary level.

KERRY MASON is an art historian and author who lectures at the University of Victoria in the Department of History in Art and for the Division of Continuing Studies. Her courses focus on various topics of Canadian and BC art history with a particular emphasis on Emily Carr and Northwest Coast Art.

From its inception in 1977 through 1988 Kerry was the Curator of the Emily Carr Gallery in Victoria for the Province of British Columbia, which during that time featured 27 different exhibitions of Emily Carr’s life and art. Kerry produced several articles and a book for Oxford University Press entitled Sunlight in the Shadows: the landscape of Emily Carr. Kerry has curated and co-curated many exhibitions, including those of the Royal BC Museum and the Art Gallery of Greater Victoria. As well, Kerry has served as president of the Community Arts Council in Victoria and was a director on the Community Arts Council for a decade.

CAREY NEWMAN is a Kwagiulth artist. Born on February 15th 1975, Carey is prominent among the younger generation of native artists.Under the influence and support of his father and mother, Carey developed his artistic ability and cultural knowledge from an early age. Artistry is in his blood. His father Victor, his great, great grandfather Charlie James, and his great aunt Ellen Neel, are all renowned wood carvers. Being of British and Kwagiulth/Salish descent, Carey has been able to draw upon each of these cultures for his inspiration. While this does add a contemporary flare to his work, he is very careful to adhere to traditional rules and values. Finding ways to change without disregarding history is extremely important to him. Carey is always looking for ways to improve his artistic repertoire. Mastering as many techniques and mediums as possible is one of the keys to his continual inspiration.Wood, stone, gold, silver, gems, glass, and painting are mediums that Carey works with. A dedicated artist, Carey's goal is to follow the footpaths of his mentors: his father, for his belief in artistic integrity, quality, and self-respect, and Bill Reid, for his ability with many mediums.

Photo Megan Keough

INGRID MARY PERCY studied visual art at the Emily Carr University of Art + Design in Vancouver, BC, Canada (BFA, Dip FA, Studio) and at the University of Victoria, Victoria, BC, Canada (MFA, Painting).
She has exhibited across Canada in numerous public art museums, artist-run-centres, and commercial galleries including the Kelowna Art Gallery, Art Gallery of Greater Victoria, Charles H. Scott Gallery, Open Space, Grunt Gallery, Grenfell Campus Art Gallery, Helen Pitt Gallery, Confederation Centre Art Gallery, and internationally in Las Vegas, New York, Vienna, and Stockholm.
Ingrid also curates and writes about art. She has been published in Canadian Art, The National Post, C International Contemporary Art and other journals.
Ingrid is engaged in community practices and has served on numerous non-profit boards including Open Space in Victoria, BC; the Downtown Residents’ Association in Victoria, BC; Eastern Edge Gallery in St. John’s, NL and VANL-CARFAC.
Currently, Ingrid is Vice-Chair of Visual Artists Newfoundland and Labrador (VANL-CARFAC) as well as the Newfoundland and Labrador representative and Vice President of Canadian Artists’ Representation/Le Front des artistes canadiens (CARFAC) National.
Ingrid lives in Corner Brook, Newfoundland and Labrador where she is an Assistant Professor in the Visual Arts Program, Grenfell Campus, Memorial University.

JAN ROSS is the Curator-in-Residence of Emily Carr House, Emily Carr's family home, a National and Provincial Historic Site located in James Bay, Victoria, British Columbia.

Author, Dr. Stephanie McKenzie writes the following: Jan Ross is a pioneer in the Province of British Columbia, taking on the development and management of an historic site as private entrepreneur. Her success at Emily Carr National and Provincial Historic Site as Resident Curator and Site Manager is now recognized nationally and beyond as an example of this innovative site-management approach. During the last 19 years, Ross has focused on making Emily Carr House a resource for visitors, and, most particularly, she has aimed to engage and support locals through specialty programming.
Ross is an advocate for Emily Carr’s legacy of inspiration through her work directly at Emily Carr House and elsewhere in the community; of particular note is the commissioning and installation of a statue of Emily Carr in the prominent Inner Harbour location and the  “Wild Lilies” Fundraiser Campaign for Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation inspired by a Carr painting. Currently, Ross is an advisory board member for the highly innovative arts/heritage tourism development project: The Economuse Network, where her influence and experience is proving a highly influential model for heritage artisan interpretation centres. Awards and honours have recognized Ross in her volunteer and professional roles with numerous organizations: The Red Cross, the Garth Homer Arts Studio, the Victoria College of Art, the University of Victoria and the Art Gallery of Greater Victoria. Ross is a recipient of the Greater Victoria Community Leader Award in Arts and Culture; A Woman of Distinction Award Winner for Arts and Culture; a Minerva Foundation Leader; a Distinguished Alumni of the University of Victoria; and an Honourary Citizen of the City of Victoria.

 - From Stephanie McKenzie's website: http://stephaniemaymckenzie.com/interview-with-curator-jan-ross/

JILL SHARPE Working in the media of film, paint and interactive space, Emmy nominated Jill Sharpe is a multifaceted visual storyteller.
As a filmmaker she has created an award winning body of work in the documentary genre, which has been presented internationally at film festivals and broadcast in over 30 countries.
As a painter, Sharpe has had solo shows at the Georgia O’Keeffe Museum’s Education Annex in Santa Fe, Emily Carr House in Victoria and has presented talks at the McMichael Gallery in Ontario on her work.
Sharpe also brings Museum exhibits to sonic life working with prestigious institutions such as the Smithsonian affiliate BioMuseo in Panama (designed by Frank Gehry).
Her latest film “BONE WIND FIRE” about the creative process of Frida Kahlo, Georgia O’Keeffe and Emily Carr marked her entry into directing drama & animation garnering critical acclaim.

HAEMA SIVANESAN Curator, Art Gallery of Greater Victoria, Victoria, BC, Canada. 
Sivanesan brings more than 20 years’ of experience from various positions in public galleries and artist-run centres in Canada and Australia, and she has significant experience in Asian art.
Hailing from Australia, Sivanesan first worked with the Art Gallery of New South Wales, in Sydney, as assistant curator of the Asian Art department. She was also a curator of the Commonwealth Games Cultural Festival in Melbourne. The post of executive director of SAVAC (South Asian Visual Arts Centre) brought Sivanesan to Toronto in 2006 where she strengthened community and institutional partnerships and outreach, and curated several key projects. In 2011 she took the helm of Centre A (Vancouver International Centre for Contemporary Asian Art) and led the organization through a move and restructuring. Most recently, Sivanesan worked with the Mendel Art Gallery, where she co-organized a major Indigenous arts conference in partnership with the Alberta College of Art and Design, the University of Saskatchewan and Wanuskewin Heritage Park.

KAREN TAM is an artist whose research focuses on the various forms of constructions and imaginations of seemingly opposing cultures and communities, through her installation work in which she recreates spaces such as the Chinese restaurant, karaoke lounges, opium dens, curio shops and other sites of cultural encounters. She has exhibited her work in Canada, Europe, and the US since 2000. Past residencies include the Deutsche Börse Residency at the Frankfurter Kunstverein (Germany), Impressions Residency at the Montréal Museum of Fine Arts, RONDO Studios (Austria), Djerassi Resident Artist Program (California), Breathe Chinese Arts Centre (Manchester, UK), Irish Museum of Modern Art, and 501 Artspace (Chongqing, China). She has received grants and fellowships from the Canada Council for the Arts, Conseil des arts du Québec, Fonds de recherché sur la société et la culture de Québec, Fonds pour la Formation de Chercheurs et l’Aide à la Recherche, and Social Sciences & Humanities Research Council of Canada. Past exhibitions were held at The Drawing Center (New York), Mendel Art Gallery (SK), Plymouth City Museum & Art Gallery (UK), University of Toronto, Victoria & Albert Museum, CUE Art Foundation (New York), Chelsea Art Museum (New York), Musée d’art contemporain de Montréal, and New Art Gallery of Walsall (UK). Upcoming activities include solo exhibitions at Galerie Hugues Charbonneau (Montréal) and Artspace Peterborough (ON).
Tam lives and works in Montréal (Québec) and London (UK) where she received a PhD in Cultural Studies from Goldsmiths (University of London). She is a contributor to Alison Hulme (ed.) book, The Changing Landscape of China’s Consumerism (2014), and to John Jung’s book, Sweet and Sour: Life in Chinese Family Restaurant (2010). She is represented by Galerie Hugues Charbonneau.