TORONTO.- Gregory Burke, Director of The Power Plant Contemporary Art Gallery at Harbourfront Centre, announced the appointment of Melanie O’Brian as Curator of Programs at the gallery. O’Brian will lead the programming team at The Power Plant, and among her many duties, she will be a major contributor to the gallery’s exhibitions, as The Power Plant continues to lead in the production of engaging and significant programs of contemporary art.

Burke commented, “The gallery welcomes Melanie O’Brian to The Power Plant team, and is proud to hire an outstanding Canadian curator to manage an internationally-recognized line-up of exhibitions and programs. Melanie will bring both strong management and intellectual attributes to her new position. With her past successes in Vancouver , our audiences here in Toronto and around the world can look forward to her contribution to a continuing, exceptional program of future exhibitions, showcasing the most interesting developments in art from Canada and the world.”

O’Brian comes to The Power Plant as a seasoned curator and administrator, having served as Director/Curator of Artspeak, Vancouver for the last six years. At Artspeak, one of Canada ’s leading artist-run centres, O’Brian led all programming efforts, including all exhibitions of contemporary art by Canadian and international artists, publications, and events. One such program, OFFSITE, took artist projects outside the space of the gallery to the streets and other alternative sites. Representing the institution at events such as the NY Art Book Fair and Frankfurt Book Fair, she worked to build a strong international presence for Artspeak. Under her leadership, the organization was invited to participate in several international projects such as No Soul for Sale at the Tate Modern. Beyond the numerous art projects and important publications she developed for Artspeak, O’Brian has pursued many independent projects and has published with magazines such as C and Fillip.

O’Brian looks forward to her new appointment: “I was born in Toronto , and I am very much looking forward to returning to work for such a prestigious institution, renowned both in Canada and worldwide.”

Prior to her tenure at Artspeak, O’Brian was promoted through the ranks at the Vancouver Art Gallery to become the Assistant Curator in 2002 and has taught at Emily Carr University , Vancouver . O’Brian received her MA in Art History at the University of Chicago , Chicago IL , and her BA in Art History from Reed College , Portland Oregon .

O’Brian will assume her new appointment as Curator of Programs at The Power Plant early in 2011.