Katherine Ylitalo draws from a wide range of experience to examine the question of how to foster productive relationships between curators and artists. By reviewing a few of her exhibitions and projects in a PowerPoint, she’ll propose some models for practice and key understandings that might be of use in these changing times. Along the way, she’ll tag major pitfalls to avoid. Questions and discussion are welcome in the final segment of the session.

Bio:

Katherine Ylitalo is an advocate for the visual arts in Western Canada. She is a curator, writer, educator, and garden historian based in Calgary with extensive museum experience at Glenbow, Nickle Galleries, Founder’s Gallery at The Military Museums and most recently, the Lougheed House and Beaulieu Gardens. As an independent curator and guest writer, she has worked with numerous galleries and museums in BC, Alberta, Saskatchewan and Ontario and toured western provinces with a series of talks on garden history. During the last seven years, she wrote over seventy articles for the back page of Calgary’s Avenue magazine on works of art that are accessible to all Calgarians. She has published extensively for museum catalogues and encyclopedias and continues to contribute to Galleries West.

She received undergraduate and graduate degrees from Stanford University and followed up with studies in metals and ceramics at Sheridan College in Mississauga, the Nova Scotia College of Art and Design, and the Alberta College of Art and Design (now AUArts).  She has taught at Chemeketa Community College, St. Lawrence College, NSCAD, University of Regina, University of Calgary, Mount Royal University, Olds College and AUArts.