Executive Director and Chief Curator Catherine Crowston receives Queen’s Platinum Jubilee Medal

AGA Executive Director and Chief Curator, Catherine Crowston, was honoured with the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee Medal on November 15. This medal is awarded to Albertans who have made significant contributions to our province.  

Under her leadership, the Art Gallery of Alberta has received two Canadian Museums Association Awards, for Outstanding Achievement in Arts Management and Outstanding Achievement in Exhibitions. Catherine was awarded the Royal Canadian Academy of Arts Medal for Outstanding Achievement in the Visual Arts and the City of Edmonton Salute to Excellence Award, and was inducted into the City of Edmonton Cultural Hall of Fame in 2015.   

Over the course of her career, Catherine has curated over 70 exhibitions and overseen the production of numerous national travelling exhibition projects, partnerships and publications. In 2019, Catherine served on the curatorial team for the Canada Pavilion at the 2019 Venice Biennale of Art, which featured the work of the Inuit film and video collective ISUMA. In 2016, she was the Commissioner for the Canada Pavilion of the Venice Biennale of Architecture. In addition to her work at the AGA, Catherine has taught courses on curatorial practice and public art at the University of Alberta and served on the MacEwan University Fine Arts Advisory Board. Crowston also was Vice-Chair of the City of Edmonton Public Art Committee (2008-2012) and currently serves on the Board of the Canadian Art Museum Directors Organization.   

The AGA is thankful to Catherine for her years of service, not just within our organization, but for the visual arts and culture communities in Alberta and across Canada.