John G. Hampton becomes first Indigenous director of a Canadian public art gallery

The Mackenzie Art Gallery in Regina, Saskatchewan, has appointed John G. Hampton as its new executive director and CEO, making him the first Indigenous person to lead a public art gallery in Canada. Hampton, who served as interim director since August 2020, will assume the role full-time. He previously worked at the gallery for two years, focusing on diversity programs and Canadian storytelling. Hampton helped establish a new digital lab, a partnership with nonprofit Mitacs and the University of Regina, oversaw the restructuring of the Indigenous advisory circle, and appointed the gallery's first elder-in-residence, Betty McKenna. He also chaired the new equity task force and worked with the university and artist Divya Mehra to repatriate items from the Norman MacKenzie art collection. Hampton expressed honor in continuing the pioneering work of predecessors like Bob Boyer, Lee-Ann Martin, and Kate Davis. Artist and professor Sherry Farrell-Racette, a member of the selection committee, emphasized that Hampton's appointment allows the gallery to continue its revolutionary path in Indigenous curation. The gallery was the first public institution to hire an Indigenous head curator. Nathan Schissel, board chair, praised Hampton's leadership in implementing new programs and digital initiatives during the pandemic.