After serving a three-year tenure as Artistic Director at Trinity Square Video, Master of Visual Studies, Curatorial graduate John G. Hampton (MVS 2014) has been announced as the Executive Director for the Art Gallery of Southwestern Manitoba (AGSM).

“I am humbled and honoured to be trusted with the leadership of the Art Gallery of Southwestern Manitoba, an institution that holds such a vital position within its community,” said Hampton in a press release. “The AGSM has long impressed me with the strength of its programming, and its forward looking commitment to the ethics of exhibition and display.”

In addition to this new position, Hampton is a member of the Aboriginal Education Council at OCAD University, and an outgoing board member for Mercer Union in Toronto. During his time at Trinity Square Video, Hampton also acted as the Aboriginal Curator in Residence at the Art Museum at U of T, and has previously served as a board member for Queer City Cinema and Holophon Sound Art Collective in Regina, SK.

AGSM Board of Directors Chair Marnie Evans said about Hampton: “We are excited to have him on the team and we are confident that he will continue to advance the AGSM’s mission of leading and inspiring community engagement through contemporary art exhibitions, education, and events.”

While Hampton was still enrolled in the MVS program, he was profiled by Now magazine for its monthly education and career training feature "Class Action" about his experience as a student.

Says Hampton:

The program helps with the intellectual aspects of being a curator. A big part of the job is framing contemporary artwork through writing and how you speak about it. The university is well suited to train you for that. Access to the various departments at the University of Toronto – the program is interdisciplinary – means you can seek out the types of advisers you need. I’m taking classes in the philosophy department and in museum studies to gain administrative-type skills.
 

For the full article, visit Now’s website.