VANCOUVER.- The Vancouver Art Gallery announced the hiring of two stellar individuals to fill key positions in the Development Department. Together, Elain Evans and Brynn Myers bring over fifty years of fundraising, arts management and not-for-profit charitable experience through extensive collaborations with individuals, foundations, corporations, government agencies and other strategic partners.
As a powerful team, Evans and Myers will lead the Development Department in building a strong base of support for the Gallery. Evans will oversee all development initiatives with a focus on the Gallery’s capital campaign, generating private funding needed to construct a new building that is essential for the Gallery to realize its full potential as a local and global hub of creativity. Myers will lead the annual campaign to engage the broadest possible support for the Gallery’s full range of activities including exhibitions, public programs, library/archives, publications and other key initiatives such as the Institute of Asian Art.
“Elain Evans and Brynn Myers each have a truly impressive set of professional skills,” stated Daina Augaitis, Interim Gallery Director at the Vancouver Art Gallery. “Their extensive experience in fundraising, donor stewardship, volunteer management and not-for-profit administration is matched by boundless enthusiasm for culture and passion for people. I’m sure they will excel as key members of a sophisticated leadership team.”
In her role of Associate Director, Chief Development Officer, Elain Evans, CFRE will be building on the successes of the Gallery’s capital campaign for its new building. Evans was hired in an executive search guided by Arts Consulting Group and thrives on marrying the art and science of fundraising principles in order to enable deeper donor engagement. For nine years, Evans was in a management role with the University of British Columbia during its $1.5 billion dollar campaign, start an evolution, and most recently she was the Executive Director of Advancement with Collingwood School. Evans has also worked with Canuck Place Children’s Hospice and raised funds for not-for-profit institutions in Canada, the UK and Asia. Evans holds an MRes in Social Policy and a BA in Mass Communications/English Language and Literature.
"I am honoured to be a part of this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity of bringing to life the new Gallery building for Vancouver. This city truly deserves this vibrant space that will significantly increase the Gallery's ability to exhibit its art collection that has grown exponentially thanks to generations of generous Vancouverites. Given the significance of the Gallery in our community, I look forward to continuing the momentum of the capital campaign and am energized to help donors make a lasting impact," said Evans, Associate Director, Chief Development Officer.
As the Gallery’s new Director of Development, Brynn Myers will be leading fundraising activities for the Gallery’s annual operations, including individual giving, corporate sponsorships, special events and foundation/ government grants. Brynn was Development Director with Ballet BC during its 2015/16 and 2016/17 seasons before moving to Montréal to build and lead new fundraising programs at the Canadian Centre for Architecture. For nearly two decades, she led foundation and government support for New York City Ballet, the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, Meet the Composer in New York and KQED, a major public media organization in San Francisco. In these positions, she played a critical role in the launch of a new research and development laboratory for choreographers; a major new Chinese contemporary art initiative; arts and public media projects across radio, television, digital and education platforms; and restoration of one of Frank Lloyd Wright’s most important buildings. She holds an MA in Arts Administration and a BA in Telecommunications and French with an Art History minor.
“The Vancouver Art Gallery is one of the nation’s most dynamic cultural institutions—a welcoming, creative and essential place to think, grow, learn, explore and better understand the world around us through art. I feel every member of the Gallery’s community is an artist of ideas, an architect of discovery and a designer of dialogue. I’m happy to be part of this community and to guide people in their journey toward meaningful philanthropy,” said Myers, Director of Development.
