Arts / announcement
WAG-Qaumajuq Names John Mahli Lawa' Hampton Its Director and CEO
Hampton, who has led Regina's MacKenzie Art Gallery since 2021, starts Dec. 10 at the Winnipeg gallery and its Inuit art centre, Qaumajuq.
John Mahli Lawa' Hampton will become director and CEO of the Winnipeg Art Gallery-Qaumajuq (WAG-Qaumajuq) on Dec. 10. The gallery announced the appointment Oct. 22, following a national and international search led by the executive recruiting firm Arts Consulting Group.
Hampton, who uses they/them pronouns, is a citizen of the Chickasaw Nation. The gallery says its historical records show Hampton is the first Indigenous person to serve as its director and CEO, and it calls the appointment a significant milestone for the gallery and the broader community.
Hampton has led the MacKenzie Art Gallery in Regina as executive director and CEO since January 2021. Before that, they were executive director of the Art Gallery of Southwestern Manitoba in Brandon. They served on the Canada House Gallery Committee, were named to CBC's Future 40 and wrote "Decolonizing Museum Management: Towards a Human Institution" for the Manual of Museum Management.
At WAG-Qaumajuq, Hampton will oversee the gallery's finances, operations and capital expansion projects, and work with its Board of Governors on its strategic vision. The gallery says Hampton will also strengthen community connections, advance reconciliation and build on its Inuit art collection, which it describes as the largest public collection of contemporary Inuit art in the world.
"I am humbled and honoured to be joining this incredible team and community," Hampton said in the release.
Hampton said they have "admired the authenticity and openness the institution has taken to its relations with Indigenous communities and all who call this territory home," and that they are "thrilled to be returning to Manitoba."
Aynsley Cockshott, chair of WAG-Qaumajuq's Board of Governors, said the board is "excited to welcome" Hampton.
"I've had the pleasure of witnessing Hampton's exceptional leadership on the national stage through their work co-chairing the Canadian Arts Summit, as well as their leadership at the MacKenzie Art Gallery," Cockshott said.
The board also thanked Bill Elliott, who has served as the gallery's interim leader.
