The MacLaren Art Centre has a new executive director.
The board of directors has announced the appointment of Lisa Daniels to the position.
Daniels began a gradual, hybrid transition (remote and on-site) into the role on May 17, 2021. She will begin working full-time in Barrie on Sept. 7, 2021.
“Lisa is an enthusiastic and passionate arts leader with over twenty years of progressive experience working at the senior management level in the cultural and regional public art gallery sector in Ontario and Alberta. She is a proven leader with expertise in synthesizing the organizational health of the gallery with the artistic vision and cultural dynamics of the local community,” noted Board Chair Michael MacMillan.
“Lisa stood out because of her track record in providing the strategic leadership, creative inspiration, and sound management needed to successfully move the gallery through its next phase of development and into the future. She is also an established curator and has curated numerous contemporary and historical exhibitions, including over fifty local and regional artists. We look forward to working together with Lisa in facilitating a renewed dynamic between art and community in the region,” commented MacMillan.
“I have long admired the innovative programs, exhibitions, and achievements of the MacLaren Art Centre and I am honoured to have the opportunity to build on that accomplished history. I am particularly looking forward to working with the passionate and creative staff, Board of Directors, volunteers, and the broader community—to actively work together to make space for diverse narratives in a way that values and empowers different worldviews and forms of knowledge,” Daniels commented. “I am very excited to get to know the artists living and working in the region and exploring purposeful partnerships as we work together to strengthen our creative and dynamic community.”
Daniels earned a BFA from NSCAD University, her MA in Art History with a diploma in Curatorial Studies & Visual Culture from York University and is currently completing her PhD in Art History & Visual Culture at Western University with a focus on the curatorial and community role of the regional public art gallery.
In her most recent position as Director/Senior Curator at the Judith & Norman Alix Art Gallery in Sarnia, Daniels successfully led the gallery team and community through an artistic and organizational revitalization that dramatically increased community engagement with innovative exhibitions and projects, ancillary programming, and community partnerships while at the same time building recognition for the gallery across the province.