Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada — 26 May 2021: The MacKenzie Art Gallery is delighted to announce the appointment of Crystal Mowry as the new Director of Programs overseeing all the Gallery’s curatorial and education initiatives. Mowry will be instrumental in the ongoing transformation of the Gallery’s exhibitions and programs, expanding our understanding and imagination of our cultural horizons. She will be joining the gallery on August 3, 2021.

“Crystal Mowry brings a critical toolkit of impressive insights and experiences to this position,” says Carmen Roberston, member of the hiring committee and Canada Research Chair in North American Art and Material Culture at Carelton University. “I know she will be an indispensable addition to the Mackenzie team.”

“We are thrilled to welcome Crystal to the Gallery, and grateful for her wealth of experience as a leading voice in the Canadian arts scene,” states the MacKenzie Art Gallery’s Executive Director & CEO John G. Hampton. “I have long admired Crystal’s work, she has been an inspiration for me and for so many artists I respect. She approaches her work with intellectual depth, humility, care, and a keen understanding of the context in which she is working. I cannot think of anyone better suited to this role, I am excited to work alongside her as she helps shape the next chapter of the MacKenzie and our broader cultural community.”

“It is a dream opportunity to be joining the MacKenzie Art Gallery at this point in its history,” says Mowry. “Its strong foundation of work with Indigenous artists and curators coupled with its bold vision for how to be a more equitable institution speak to its role as a leader in our field. While an institution can hold only so much of what makes its respective communities who they are, I am honoured to be learning alongside colleagues who share a commitment to making our work more porous, more experimental, and ultimately, more human. I can’t wait to be a part of the effort that shapes its future.”

Mowry holds a deep understanding of how contemporary offers a rich foundation to engage our publics in a dialogue about our shared present, and how it encourages us to question our preconceptions to see the world in a new light. Throughout her career, Mowry has championed artists who had not yet received adequate representation in the art world, helping them to realize challenging new projects. She will be relocating to Regina this summer, working closely with Executive Director & CEO John G. Hampton, and the Gallery’s Programs team to develop a cohesive artistic vision for programs, cultivate meaningful and collaborative alliances with artists and community.

ABOUT CRYSTAL MOWRY

Crystal Mowry is Senior Curator at the Kitchener-Waterloo Art Gallery (KWAG). Her work often explores the tension between perceived authenticity and troubled forms of representation. As a curator operating primarily within the context of a public art museum, she treats her role as equal parts co-conspirator and translator, often seeking ways to support artists in the development of new projects. Her curatorial work includes group exhibitions such as The Brain is wider than the Sky, I’ll be your Mirror and The Perennials, as well as solo projects in 2020 with Deanna Bowen and Aislinn Thomas. Her solo projects with Ontario-based artists Maggie Groat and Ernest Daetwyler have received Exhibition of the Year Awards from the Ontario Association of Art Galleries. In 2013 she co-curated Romancing the Anthropocene, one of the three zones commissioned by the City of Toronto’s for its annual Nuit Blanche event. She has written curatorial and experimental texts for various artist-focused projects, including Still Move: Brendan Fernandes, a monograph on the performance and installation work of Brendan Fernandes for which she also served as an editor. She regularly participates on advisory panels and industry juries, most notably for the Sobey Art Award (2015), the RBC Canadian Painting Competition (2018), and the Scotiabank Photography Award (2021).

ABOUT THE MACKENZIE

The MacKenzie Art Gallery is Saskatchewan’s oldest public art gallery, and is committed to creating transformative experiences of the world through art. With a permanent collection that spans 5,000 years and nearly 5,000 works of art, we encompass both the University of Regina’s vast collection and one of Canada’s largest collections of Indigenous art, the Kampelmacher Memorial Collection. Through art, education, and immersive programming, the MacKenzie brings fresh perspectives that transform how people experience history, themselves, and each other.

The MacKenzie is located in Wascana Park, Canada’s largest urban park, and rests within Treaty Four territory, the traditional territory of the Cree, Saulteaux, Lakota, Dakota, and Nakota people, and the homeland of the Métis Nation. We are generously supported by the South Saskatchewan Community Foundation, Canada Council for the Arts, SaskCulture, City of Regina, University of Regina, and the Saskatchewan Arts Board.

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