VANCOUVER.- The Vancouver Art Gallery announced David Calabrigo, QC, as the new Chair of the Gallery’s Board of Trustees. David previously served as the Board’s Secretary in 2014-2015 and Trustee in 2006-2012. The Gallery also appoints the Mayor of Vancouver Gregor Robertson as Honorary Trustee, and Christian Chan, Amelia Gao and Gordon MacDougall as new Board Trustees.
“I am proud to be elected as the Board Chair at this key moment in the Vancouver Art Gallery’s history. Our organization has achieved so many milestones in the past few years with groundbreaking exhibitions, a matchless and growing collection, launch of the Institute of Asian Art and major development of the new building project, including the unveiling of our conceptual design by Herzog & de Meuron. We will continue to push boundaries in the years to come,” said David Calabrigo, Chair of the Vancouver Art Gallery Board of Trustees. “We applaud Mayor Robertson’s support for the Gallery’s growth over the years, and are especially grateful for his and City Council’s visionary leadership in designating Larwill Park as the site for the future Vancouver Art Gallery. We very much look forward to continuously working with the Mayor and the City of Vancouver on all aspects of this significant project.”
A longtime champion of the Gallery, David Calabrigo has recently returned to the Board and served as Secretary in 2014-2015. David has also been a very strong supporter of the Gallery’s new building project, serving as Chair of the Development Committee and Chair of the Governance/Nominations Committee during his previous term as Trustee (2006-2012). As Senior Vice President, Corporate Development, Legal Affairs and Corporate Secretary at Canfor Corporation, an integrated forest products company based in Vancouver, David brings a wealth of governance and legal expertise to the Board. He was born and raised in British Columbia.
To recognize Vancouver Art Gallery’s significant ongoing contribution to the cultural landscape of this city and beyond, including the plan to realize a new Gallery building, the City of Vancouver’s Mayor Gregor Robertson joins the Gallery’s Board of Trustees as the first Honorary Mayor Trustee in the history of the institution.
“As we celebrate the 85th anniversary of our Gallery, I look forward to a very exciting year ahead under the leadership of our new Board Chair David Calabrigo, and I am honoured to welcome new Trustees Christian Chan, Amelia Gao and Gordon MacDougall, all of whom bring a tremendous amount of expertise and knowledge to this organization,” said Kathleen S. Bartels, Director of the Vancouver Art Gallery. “The appointment of Mayor Robertson as Honorary Trustee reinforces the significant role of arts in our city under the leadership of Mayor Robertson. We will continue to work with our partners at the City of Vancouver towards the realization of a new purpose-built Vancouver Art Gallery for everyone.”
Christian Chan is Executive Vice President at the Burrard Group, a real estate development and investment company based in Vancouver. In 2013, Christian founded the Burrard Arts Foundation, a charitable organization dedicated to bringing more visual art to the Vancouver public while also supporting emerging artists.
Amelia Gao is a successful business woman and a longtime supporter of the Canada China Business Association. She was also a member of Team Canada, led by former Prime Minister Stephen Harper and his predecessors Paul Martin and Jean Chrétien. Amelia actively champions the Gallery’s Institute of Asian Art initiative, including co-chairing IAA’s first fundraising Gala.
Gordon MacDougall is Chairman of Rogers' Chocolates Ltd., Director of International Forest Products Limited and Chairman of BC Immigrant Investment Fund. Gordon has had a long history with the Gallery, including as a Trustee of the Vancouver Art Gallery Association from 1997 to 2001, and of the Vancouver Art Gallery Foundation from 1998 to 2001.
