Key Leaders Leave Two Metro Vancouver Arts Orgs

Alexandra Montgomery. | Image: Bill Reid Gallery of Northwest Coast Art.

Jovanni Sy. | Image: Gateway Theatre.

A pair of arts and culture organizations have announced high-profile departures from their leadership.

Director and CEO of the Bill Reid Gallery of Northwest Coast Art Alexandra Montgomery, is stepping down from the helm of Canada’s only public gallery dedicated to contemporary Indigenous art of the Northwest Coast on June 21, 2018. Montgomery will move to Banff, Alberta where her husband Howard Jang was recently appointed to the position of VP, Arts and Leadership at the Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity. Until a replacement is found, curator Beth Carter will lead the Gallery.

Meanwhile, the board of Richmond's Gateway Theatre has announced that artistic director Jovanni Sy will step down effective February 16, 2019 to pursue new artistic challenges and cultural leadership opportunities. “It was tough decision to make – to leave a place I care about so deeply,” says Sy, who was appointed to the role in 2012. “Yet I know the time has come for me to move on. [...] I know that whoever follows me will continue to make Gateway a relevant creative hub for Richmond – a place where all voices are heard and where our community comes together for the love of art.” Gateway Theatre’s board will announce plans for a recruitment process in the coming months.