Victoria, BC – Nancy Noble, Director/CEO of the Art Gallery of Greater Victoria announced today that Lisa Baldissera has been appointed Chief Curator & Director of Exhibitions and Programs at the Gallery, joining the AGGV on February 1, 2027. Lisa has worked in curatorial roles in public art galleries in Western Canada since 1999, including Senior Curator (Contemporary Calgary), Chief Curator (Mendel Art Gallery), Saskatoon, SK, and Curator of Contemporary Art at the Art Gallery of Greater Victoria. Currently, Lisa is Director of Griffin Art Projects, Vancouver, BC.
“The hiring committee unanimously selected Lisa for the depth and breadth of curatorial expertise she brings to the AGGV at a time of significant change. Her familiarity with our collection, knowledge of West Coast art, and scholarship on Emily Carr and contemporary art were central to the decision. Her collaborative approach to working with artists and communities also aligns with the AGGV’s new vision, mission, and values.” said Noble.
Lisa Baldissera has produced more than 70 exhibitions of local, Canadian, and international artists and holds MFAs in Creative Writing (UBC), Art (University of Saskatchewan) and a PhD in Art Writing and Curating (Goldsmiths College).
“I am thrilled to join the AGGV as it imagines its next chapter and look forward to working with the Gallery’s talented staff and extraordinary collection as we envision its dynamic future. I am excited to return to the City of Victoria, and reacquaint myself with its exceptional artistic landscape,” said Baldissera.
Her previous curatorial projects include the solo exhibitions, Stan Douglas: Allegories of the Present and William Kentridge: The Colander, as well co-curating as the international exhibition, residencies and conferences, Worldings and Future Worldings, which brought together South African and Canadian artists, curators, and organizations in 2021 and 2024. Baldissera has served on contemporary art juries across Canada and internationally, including the Alvin Balkind Curator’s Prize (The Doris and Jack Shadbolt Foundation), Canada Council for the Arts, Saskatchewan Arts Board, Royal Bank of Canada Canadian Painting Competition, the Hnatyshyn Foundation Visual Arts Awards, the Sobey Art Award, British Columbia Arts Council, Prix Pierre-Prince-de-Monaco jury, and as a guest of the British Arts Council outreach program. Her doctoral thesis examined writing as an approach to vulnerability in the public sphere, and included exhibitions, a short story collection titled Dead Peasant, featured in a forthcoming publication by Book*hug Press (Toronto), and critical evaluations of Canadian and American writers including Emily Carr, Billy-Ray Belcourt, Lisa Robertson, Chris Kraus, Christina Sharpe and Claudia Rankine.
The Art Gallery of Greater Victoria is located on the traditional territories of the Lək̓ʷəŋən peoples, today known as the Xʷsepsəm and Songhees Nations. We extend our appreciation for the opportunity to live and learn on this territory.
For more information visit aggv.ca
Media enquiries: Sandra Hudson 250-216-1380
Photo credit: C. Cuesta
