A graduate in History, complemented by many History of Art courses from the University of Victoria (1987) and a Master’s degree from the University of Toronto (1989), Margaret Chrumka has worked in and around the arts sector for over 30 years, and comes to us from the Kamloops Art Gallery where she’s held the position of Executive Director since 2017. Chrumka has served on the boards of the Shuswap Community Foundation, Kamloops Centre for the Arts Society, Canadian Museums Association, and Canadian Art Museum Directors Organization-Organisation des directeurs des musées d’art Canadiens.
Q: Welcome to the Gallery Margaret! You bring extensive knowledge and experience of the arts sector in British Columbia, as well as gallery operations. How do you see your new role as Director of Visitor Experience and Programs taking shape at the AGGV?
Oh my, “extensive knowledge.” The self-deprecating side of me feels the weight of those words. I am enlivened and motivated, though, by the possibilities that working at the AGGV offers, and I’m hopeful that what I’ve learned, and am prepared to unlearn, will serve me in this role. In working at the Kamloops Art Gallery for 10-plus years, I was fortunate to have the time to engage in and think about the things and challenges that impact whether someone can or decides to visit a gallery or not. In Kamloops, I appreciated the opportunity to work with a committed team to puzzle through this and think about what barriers exist, and what historical underrepresentation and perpetuated lack of inclusion have manifested in terms of people not feeling welcome or wanting to connect with artists’ work in galleries. We did a lot of good hard work there to figure out how galleries can connect with people in a way that is meaningful for them. In terms of this knowledge taking shape at the AGGV, I know I have a lot of work ahead of me to get to know the people of this territory and area, learn from them, and get a sense of how this gallery can be a benefit. This work is daunting but exciting and I look forward to it. For me, galleries are a critical space where conversations and realizations that connect us as humans can happen, and I’m honoured to be a part of that effort.
Q: What does “Visitor Experience” mean to you and how do you view the Gallery from the perspective of visitors? What do you think about when people walk through our doors?
I’ve been at the AGGV for just over a month now and what has been so impressive is the number of people that visit us each day. In seeing these visitors, I can see the range of experiences they are having – whether it’s a couple visiting the exhibitions, or a grandfather with his grandchildren at a studio program, or a student on a school visit with a group of classmates. There are so many ways in which visitors are experiencing what we offer. As a first thought I think, are we doing enough to make them feel welcome? Is this a space that is safe, inviting, inspiring? Are we listening? What more can we do? Who is not visiting us, and why? What can we do to ameliorate that? To me, “Visitor Experience” means thinking about these things all the time, and hopefully ensuring that the experience is meaningful and inspires our visitors to return.
Q: What current or future programs at the AGGV are you excited about that you can share with our readers?
For me, being in an exhibition space with the work of artists around me to consider and wonder about is an absolute highlight and I’m keen to work with the curatorial team to develop more programming that provides more context to the exhibitions and the artworks in our collection. Stay tuned! I’m excited to experience my first Urbanite coming up in April and then the Art Gallery Paint-In this July. Most specifically, I love stopping by the Gallery when Family Sundays happen. Our Education team does a phenomenal job creating hands-on activities for visitors to engage with that interpret the themes or works in one or more of our exhibitions. I also cannot wait to see what the BIPOC Teen Residency program realizes later this spring and I’m grateful to Kemi Craig for guiding this program along with AGGV Educator, School and Family Programs, Jeri Engen.
Q: Can you briefly share your views on what role you think the Gallery should play in the community?
Thank you including the word “briefly” as this is an enormous question. I want to see the Gallery as a place that is playing a generative role in the important conversations of our time, looking forward and reconciling with our past. Artists and artworks provide us with so many opportunities to explore, consider, feel pain, feel joy, come to terms with, upset norms, and ultimately gain understanding and hopefully exist as better more connected humans. I look forward to seeing us foster these critical conversations.
Q: Can you think of a specific exhibition or gallery program that has influenced your outlook on the arts? How has this impacted your approach to the work you do?
This is such a beautiful question. While working at the Kamloops Art Gallery, we had the privilege of hosting Soundings: An Exhibition in Five Parts from April to July 2021. Curated by Candice Hopkins and Dylan Robinson, and organized by Independent Curators International, the exhibition posed the question, “How can a score be a call and a tool for decolonization?” It included newly commissioned scores, performances, videos, sculpture, and sound by Raven Chacon and Cristóbal Martínez, Sebastian De Line, Camille Georgeson-Usher, Maggie Groat, Kite, Germaine Koh, Tanya Lukin Linklater, Ogimaa Mikana, Peter Morin, Diamond Point and Jordan Point, Heidi Aklaseaq Senungetuk, Greg Staats, Olivia Whetung, and Tania Willard, along with collaborations with the Kamloops Symphony Orchestra and new work by Aaron Leon and Garry Gottfriedson. There was a spirit of generosity with this exhibition that I’d not encountered as deeply before. I think it had to do with the commitment of the Kamloops Art Gallery team to ensure that the exhibition resonated and connected with visitors. Through the trust of the curators and artists we were able to share work and concepts that grounded us in a more profound understanding of Indigenous histories and futures. This exhibition stands out as a key signifier for me to always think about community and how art can serve as a tool and a call to grapple with challenges.
Image Credit: Headshot of Margaret Chrumka. Courtesy of Margaret Chrumka.
