McMichael Canadian Art Collection
Announces New Appointment!
For Immediate Release
8 February 2006 Kleinburg, ON…The McMichael Canadian Art Collection today announced that Thomas Smart has been appointed as its new Executive Director and CEO and President of the McMichael Canadian Art Foundation. He will replace Joan Murray who has been acting as interim Executive Director since January 2005. The appointment is effective July 1, 2006. The gallery's international search attracted 65 candidates.
Smart, a Canadian citizen, is currently Director of Collections and Exhibitions at the Frick Art & Historical Center in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, where he developed an ambitious international exhibition program, and greatly strengthened their education and outreach programs. He also established a visiting artist program and supported the Frick's fundraising efforts. During this period he was a Distinguished Visiting Scholar at Carnegie Mellon University and the University of Pittsburgh.
Previously, Thomas Smart has had a distinguished curatorial and gallery-management career in Canada including serving as acting Director of the Winnipeg Art Gallery, curator of the Beaverbrook Gallery, and Curator/Manager of the Samuel E. Weir Collection and Library of Art near Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario. He has written widely and lucidly on Canadian art and in 1996 his book, The Art of Mary Pratt: The Substance of Light, won the Atlantic Provinces Booksellers Association award. His most recent book, Alex Colville: Return, was published in 2003.
"We are fortunate that a person of Tom’s credentials and passion for Canadian art is returning to Canada, and to the country's premier 100% Canadian gallery,” said Noreen Taylor, Chair of the McMichael Board of Trustees. “His proven leadership will be an enormous asset as McMichael continues to re-energize itself in our 40th Anniversary year.”
"I am pleased to be returning to Canada to lead a gallery I have long admired. The McMichael has an enviable collection in a unique and beautiful setting. I look forward to focusing my energies on Canadian art and its critical role in defining our self image and nation,” Smart said. “My family and I will be relocating to the Kleinburg area. I want to live in one of the communities that the McMichael and its programs serve directly.”
"Tom brings an uncommon combination of museum management experience, art historical knowledge and an international perspective on Canadian art,” Taylor added. “He is uniquely positioned to champion the McMichael Canadian Art Collection. We look forward to many years of growth and stimulating development under his direction.”
The McMichael Canadian Art Collection is an agency of the Government of Ontario and acknowledges the support of the Ministry of Culture. The McMichael is the foremost venue in the country showcasing the Group of Seven and their contemporaries. In addition to presenting touring exhibitions, its permanent collection comprises more than 5,500 artworks, including paintings by the Group of Seven and their contemporaries, First Nations and Inuit artists.
For further information:
Stephen Weir, Publicist
Gallery: (905) 893-1121 ext. 2529
Toronto Office: (416) 489-5868
Cell: (416) 801-3101
s1weir@aol.com or sweir5492@rogers.com
