(Fredericton, NB – November 28, 2023) The Beaverbrook Art Gallery announces the expansion of its curatorial team and curatorial scope with new positions.
The expansion of the Beaverbrook’s curatorial team begins with the appointment of Ray Cronin as Curator of Canadian Art.
Ray, originally from Fredericton, is an award-winning author of fourteen books and numerous catalogues and articles on Canadian art, which he has written for art galleries and publishers across Canada.
Ray is also an accomplished Arts Administrator. From 2001 to 2015 he worked at the Art Gallery of Nova Scotia as Curator, and then as its Director and CEO, a position he held for seven of those years.
Among his many successes Ray is the Founding Curator of the esteemed, internationally recognized Sobey Art Award, now administered by the National Gallery of Canada. He is also the Editor-in-Chief of Billie, an online art journal highlighting visual arts and culture across Atlantic Canada.
Ray holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from the Nova Scotia College of Art and Design, and a Master of Fine Arts degree from the University of Windsor.
Ray’s appointment reflects the Beaverbrook’s focus on expanding its curatorial activities in Canadian, Indigenous, and international art by producing solo and group exhibitions, traveling exhibitions, and by presenting more of its permanent collection in new formats and arrangements. Ray will also be working with the Beaverbrook’s outstanding Canadian art collection of more than 3500 Canadian works of historical and contemporary art, acquiring new pieces that will deepen it, and interpreting it in light of contemporary critical approaches.
“Ray’s experience and expertise in Canadian art will benefit the Beaverbrook enormously. He will cast new light on the collections, illuminating different ways to appreciate the treasures we have at the gallery,” says Beaverbrook’s Director and CEO, Tom Smart. “Ray connects deeply with art and the creative process having also been a practising professional artist. His passion and expertise will do much to enable the gallery to continue supporting contemporary artists in New Brunswick and Atlantic Canada. Ray will add a great deal of strength to our exhibitions and programs dedicated to presenting and interpreting the art of Atlantic, Indigenous, Canadian, and international artists and artworks.”
Joining Ray on the curatorial team is Emma Hassencahl-Perley who is the Beaverbrook’s Curator of Indigenous Art.
A Wolastoqiyik from Neqotkuk (Tobique First Nation), New Brunswick, Emma’s curatorial interests treat Indigenous art history, Indigenous feminisms, craft and textile history, Wabanaki iconography, and oral histories.
Emma has curated many exhibitions at the Beaverbrook since 2018, including the award-winning Wabanaki Modern: The Artistic Legacy of the 1960’s “Micmac Indian Craftsmen”, a project comprising a major exhibition catalogue, a documentary film, exhibition, and international tour. The film documentary has received multiple awards.
The curatorial team also includes Dr. John Leroux, who continues in his dual role as Director of the Marion McCain Institute for Atlantic Canadian Art, and as Manager of Collections and Exhibitions.
John’s passion for art and his extensive experience as an award-winning art historian, curator and architect bring a unique perspective to the Beaverbrook’s curatorial program that allows the gallery to offer a wide range of impressive, thought-provoking exhibitions that are seen both at home, across the province, across the country and internationally. John will continue his work building the collections through acquisitions of art, and by curating historical and contemporary exhibitions.
Rounding out the Curatorial team is Dawn Steeves, the Beaverbrook’s newly appointed Registrar. A visual artist and long-time Beaverbrook contributor in many different areas, Dawn responsibilities centre on managing and cataloguing the Beaverbrook’s art collection.
Dawn’s involvement with the Beaverbrook includes a stint as an Artist-in-Residence, exhibitor whose recent paintings were featured in the 2022/23 exhibition Capturing Salty Towers, and as a contract staff member who assisted the Beaverbrook on many major exhibition projects. Dawn was also instrumental in aiding the Beaverbrook in building its on-line searchable database of the art collection.
To complete the transformation of the Beaverbrook’s Curatorial team will be a soon-to-be hired Curatorial Associate who will be responsible for the innumerable logistical and organizational tasks relating to the collections, exhibitions, traveling programs, and public accessibility to the artworks.
“These curatorial appointments position the Beaverbrook for exciting, transformational growth in the coming years,” says Smart. “They will help us advance access to and understanding of the gallery’s extraordinary collections, exhibitions, and educational programs. I am very excited by the prospects for the future.”
Members of the public are encouraged to visit the Beaverbrook Art Gallery at beaverbrookartgallery.org to learn more about the collections, upcoming exhibitions and programs, and new acquisitions.
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Media Contact
Curtis Richardson
Manager of Marketing and Communications
Beaverbrook Art Gallery
703 Queen Street
Fredericton, NB E3B 5A6
