Curatorial and Entrepreneurial Leadership

I once read a list of ten principles of organizational behavior. The last one was "the punishment of the innocent"; the second to the last was "the rewarding of non-participants". These are the only two I have remembered because they reflected, to a considerable degree, my professional experience plus a wicked sense of humour.

Well on Canada Day, my cynical soul was spectacularly uplifted when I heard from a friend that while I was away, curator and Vancouver resident Ian L. Thom was invested as a Member of the Order of Canada. He was cited for "his contributions as a curator of Canadian art and as an advocate for British Columbia artists." Sometimes the right people are rewarded.

This is a highly deserved tribute to a man whose scholarship has greatly benefited Canadian galleries, artists and audiences. He has assembled over a hundred exhibitions during his twenty years with the Vancouver Art Gallery (VAG) and in doing so he has become an expert on British Columbia art and artists. Prior to his work at the VAG, Ian was the Curator of Collections at the McMichael Canadian Art Collection after a term as Chief Curator at the Art Gallery of Victoria.

Ian is an expert communicator. Besides curating exhibitions, he has written books on artists Maxwell Bates, Alistair Bell, B.C. Binning, Franklin Carmichael, Emily Carr, Robert Davidson, Gathie Falk, Lawren Harris, E.J. Hughes, Ann Kipling, Arthur Lismer, David Milne, Jack Shadbolt, Gordon Smith, Takao Tanabe, Andy Warhol as well as many others.

But he is a highly effective communicator in another way: He is a compelling speaker who readily communicates an enthusiasm for his subject – whatever it is. While working at Emily Carr University, I chaired a team of people stewarding a massive collection of prints donated to the University by esteemed donor, Rabbi Yosef Wosk. I was mesmerized when, once the work had been catalogued, Ian came to look through the inventory and speak to us about selected works in the collection.

The depth of his knowledge amazed me as he told us about the work and the artists. His revelations were enthralling and all he said was from memory and presented in an informal, very comprehensible way. And this meant a great deal to me because too often curators adopt an incomprehensible language full of unexplained and obscure references that can alienate the uneducated listener.

I like curators who are ambassadors of visual art - curators who help us find joy in the revelations - and that is how Ian's exhibitions, writing and speaking works for me. He makes me excited about whatever he is talking about; he educates me in a most enjoyable way.

I am grateful to and thrilled by his peers who have recognized his contributions to Canadian art, artists and art scholarship. In some circles, Ian is famous for complaining. But he is also loved as a warm, generous man with a wicked sense of humour.

Congratulations, Ian. This is a well-deserved honour. You have done a great deal for the Vancouver Art Gallery, BC art and artists as well as the audiences and readers of your exhibitions and publications. And thank you to everyone responsible for putting the spotlight on this brilliant man who has so successfully focused the light on the excellence of others.

Watch Ian Thom, Curator and newest member of the Order of Canada, describe the art and the artists in the 2009 exhibition of Contemporary Canadian West Coast First Nations Art at the McMichael Canadian Art Collection by visiting this site: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vMo4ugKF8Qo

Ian's latest book is, Challenging Traditions: Contemporary First Nations Art of the Northwest Coast, published by Douglas & McIntyre.
THERE WAS AN ITEM ON THE NEWS RECENTLY about a re-employment program for vital unemployed workers from Ottawa-area high-tech industries. It was conceived and led by a university professor (I tried to find out more about it via the CTV website but couldn't). The article was about teams of laid-off workers (over fifty years of age) competing for financial backing and mentorship for start-up companies they invent. The program aims to expand across the country - and so it should; it's brilliant.

The competition awards the winning teams coaching from local business people and financial backing from investors. Last year's competitors raised something like eight million dollars in venture capital and created over three hundred jobs.

What caught my interest was an interview with a team leader who had impressed the panel of jurors. He said he achieved - actually, significantly over achieved - all his sales objectives incurring barely any marketing and sales expenses. "I did everything via networking, using e-mail and social media."

And it struck me that if these people can make such spectacular success using only inexpensive new technologies for sales and marketing, artists should be even more successful at growing their more modest businesses in the same way.

Whereas the portfolio was once the artist's most important sales and marketing tool, now I would say it is your electronic mailing list (and the extent and degree to which you use and manage it) if you are after sales. Communicating, visually, aurally and in text, has never been easier, less expensive and more extensive. Every relationship you have and make - personal and professional - can, and should, become part of your list.

Relationships create sales, be they formed in the real world or the virtual world. This is one area where size matters.
Artists, build your lists!

Chris Tyrell is coming to Victoria to do a series of workshops with Opus Victoria on October 24th and 25th. Click here to sign up and for more details.