May 23, 2018, Kleinburg, ON – Sarah Milroy is a highly-respected and well-known public figure and champion of the art of Canada working as an independent art critic, curator, and essayist. Sarah served as The Globe and Mail’s Chief Art Critic from 2001 to 2011, having started working for The Globe as a freelance contributor covering the visual arts in Vancouver in 1996. Before that, from 1984 to 1996, she worked with the journal Canadian Art, latterly as Editor and Publisher. Canadian Art was recognized as Magazine of the Year in 1996. During her years at Canadian Art she also contributed regularly to the CBC as a visual arts correspondent.
A contributor to more than a dozen books on art, Sarah is one of both historic and contemporary Canadian art’s most knowledgeable and vocal champions. More recently, Sarah has moved into curatorial projects, co-curating three major international exhibitions for Dulwich Picture Gallery in London in collaboration with its then Sackler Director, Ian Dejardin (now Executive Director of the McMichael Canadian Art Collection): From the Forest to the Sea: Emily Carr in British Columbia (which then travelled to the Art Gallery of Ontario, 2015); Vanessa Bell (2016) and David Milne: Modern Painting (2018, travelling to Vancouver Art Gallery and the McMichael Canadian Art Collection).
In Ian Dejardin’s words, “Having collaborated professionally with Sarah Milroy over the last six years, I am absolutely delighted to welcome her into the McMichael leadership team. Her dedication to the cause of Canadian art and artists, her unstoppable stamina, her intellectual rigor and her clear vision make her the perfect candidate for this demanding role. She is an inspiring leader who will bring a broad spectrum of talents to the table. This is an exciting moment for the McMichael.”
Andrew W. Dunn, Chair of the Board of Trustees at the McMichael, adds, “Sarah has long been a great friend to the McMichael. Her deep background in journalism has left her with an incredible legacy of relationships with artists, with arts professionals, and with collectors. Her energy and enthusiasm are contagious and her creative chemistry with Ian is an added plus. She is a tremendous addition to our team.”
Ian added: “We were very happy with the quality of the applicants. Thank-you to our selection committee, consisting of Jenny Donnell (Head of HR), and Trustees Nathalie Mercure, Michael Weinberg, John Silverthorn, and Andrew Dunn, who assisted me with the interviews and who were unanimous in their recommendation of Sarah for this role.”
Sarah Milroy said: “Making Canadian historical art fresh and engaging for new generations is one of my central ambitions. Our best artists in Canada are second to none, and the McMichael should be our most confident and outgoing advocate, at home and abroad. I look forward to contributing to the McMichael’s future, and to creating a program that celebrates all Canadians.”
Sarah is currently co-curating an exhibition for McMichael on the art of Lionel LeMoine FitzGerald for 2019 (in collaboration with Ian Dejardin), as well as the upcoming Stephen Andrews exhibition slated for November, 2018, and running concurrently with David Milne: Modern Painting. She will take up her post officially in September 2018, succeeding Dr Sarah Stanners.
About the McMichael Canadian Art Collection
The McMichael Canadian Art Collection is an agency of the Government of Ontario and acknowledges the support of the Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Sport, and the McMichael Canadian Art Foundation. It is the foremost venue in the country showcasing the Group of Seven and their contemporaries. In addition to touring exhibitions, its permanent collection consists of over 6,500 artworks by Canadian artists, including paintings by the Group of Seven and their contemporaries, as well as First Nations, Métis and Inuit artists. The gallery is located on 100 acres of northern landscape and hiking trails at 10365 Islington Avenue, Kleinburg, north of Major Mackenzie Drive in the City of Vaughan. For more information: mcmichael.com.
*THE ART OF CANADA is an official mark of the McMichael Canadian Art Collection.
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McMichael Canadian Art Collection
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McMichael Canadian Art Collection
905.893.1121 ext. 2265